Red Wings-Jets NHL Preview: Winnipeg Hosts Struggling Detroit

Jets Favored To Extend Red Wings’ Growing Misery

The Winnipeg Jets have won six of their last eight games and now host the Detroit Red Wings, losers of six of their last seven.

As such, the Red Wings-Jets NHL preview shows the hockey odds favoring Winnipeg: an opening of -155 with the comeback on Detroit at +130. Winnipeg has won four of its last five games hosting Detroit. And given current forms, it could improve this trend.

You Have to Shut Down the Jets to Beat Them

It seems like something Captain Obvious would say: “If they don’t score, they don’t win!” Well, that’s truer for teams like Winnipeg.

Once known as a high-scoring team with porous defending, Winnipeg has turned a corner this NHL season as a defensive unit. Winnipeg is allowing the sixth-fewest goals (2.6) and the seventh-fewest shots (29). But it can come at the offense’s expense.

Winnipeg is still averaging over 3.3 goals per game, which makes it an above-average offense. But in games where Winnipeg has scored three goals or fewer, it is just 6-12 (6-9-3).

This includes five of its 16 home games where Winnipeg has three of its four lowest-scoring games.

“Not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. There are going to be tough stretches, stretches where you think you should have had a better result, and you’ve got to keep trucking,” Jets center Mark Scheifele said following the team’s 2-0 loss to Dallas on November 28.

This was the first and only time Winnipeg failed to score a goal all season. But a 3-1 loss to Edmonton and a 5-1 loss to Los Angeles also indicate that Winnipeg can struggle to light the lamp at home.

Combined with a solid defense and elite goaltending, 56.2% of Winnipeg’s hockey scores have gone under the total at home (6-9-1). And nine of its last 13 games have gone the same way. As such, the NHL lines are juiced at -120 for this Red Wings-Jets NHL preview to go under 6.5 goals.

Can the Red Wings Bring the Heat?

Detroit could have the style to break through Winnipeg’s defense. This is one of the NHL’s most potent visiting teams. The Red Wings have scored 4+ goals in eight of their 14 road games. That’s partly why their road totals have gone over 10 out of 14 times. This 71.4% rate is the widest ratio for visitors. The other reason is their lackluster goaltending.

The Red Wings’ overall save percentage is at 89.8%. It is exacerbated by the team’s weak penalty kill. Detroit’s 78.4% penalty kill is ranked 21st overall. And over a quarter of the goals the team has allowed came with the extra man advantage.

Fortunately for Detroit, Winnipeg is struggling to score on the power play (PP): just 17% for the season. The Red Wings-Jets NHL preview may come down to which NHL teams wins on 5-on-5. And Detroit seems to be just as capable as Winnipeg when on the road.

Detroit averages over 2.7 goals against 2.2 as a visitor. The Red Wings have a top-10 defense on 5-on-5. Its goaltending is also at its best here. If Detroit can shut down the Jets’ PP, which will be without leading goal-scorer Kyle Connor, betting the ‘under’ may not be the only shrewd hockey betting tip . The Red Wings may even upset the Jets.

But playing on the road, in a different time zone, could factor here. Detroit is 7-7 (7-6-1) on the road this season. But it is just 7-12 (7-8-4) when playing in a city not in the Eastern Time Zone since last year. Hence, bet Detroit with caution.

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