The Winnipeg Jets (46-32-3) take on the Colorado Avalanche (49-24-7) Thursday at Ball Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Jets vs. Avalanche odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Jets have won 3 in a row after a 3-1 victory at the Minnesota Wild Tuesday. They are 7-3-0 in the last 10 games. Winnipeg is locked into the 2nd Western Conference Wild Card spot and is set to face either the Vegas Golden Knights or Edmonton Oilers in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Avs fell a point behind the Dallas Stars for the Central Division lead after Edmonton beat them 2-1 in overtime Tuesday. The Avs have a game in hand on the Stars, who end their regular season Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. Dallas would hold a potential tiebreaker with 4 more regulation wins than the Avs. Colorado is playing without D Cale Makar (lower body), who has been out since April 1.
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Jets at Avalanche odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:17 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Jets +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Avalanche -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Jets +1.5 (-140) | Avalanche -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Jets at Avalanche projected goalies
David Rittich (9-7-1, 2.65 GAA, .902 SV%) vs. Alexandar Georgiev (38-16-6, 2.53 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO)
Rittich hasn’t played since March 14. The 30-year-old backup was 0-1-1 in 3 appearances in March with a 3.86 GAA and .842 SV%. He came on in relief against Colorado Feb. 24 and stopped all 10 shots he faced in a period of action. He got 2 starts against the Avalanche last year and stopped 71 of 81 shots for a .877 SV%.
Georgiev was awesome in a losing effort Tuesday, stopping 38 of 40 shots against Edmonton. He’s 4-0-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .926 SV% this month. He’s 1-1-1 with a 3.33 GAA and .872 SV% in 3 starts against the Jets this season.
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Jets at Avalanche picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 4, Jets 2
Moneyline
The Avs have beaten up non-playoff teams of late but haven’t really reached last year’s threshold when it comes to playoff teams. They scored 25 goals in their 6 games against non-playoff teams over the last 10 games, and 12 goals in the 4 games against playoff teams. They’ll get it done Thursday because Winnipeg isn’t playing for anything. However, we’ll PASS at -225.
Puck line/Against the spread
Winnipeg has actually won 3 out of the last 4 games against Colorado, and the Avs know that. They need this game, and they’re going to empty the tank. Colorado has won 4 of its last 8 games by multiple goals, and 7 of the last 10 games between these teams have been settled by multiple goals.
We’ll take AVALANCHE -1.5 (+115).
Over/Under
We’re predicting a push here, and it really can go either way. The Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Colorado. However, this game means nothing to Winnipeg, so throw that out the window.
PASS on the total, but under the WIN/TOTAL section, I like AVALANCHE AND OVER 4.5 GOALS (-130). We’ll need 5 goals, and that would cost you -450 on the total itself.
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