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The Colorado Avalanche (50-25-7) hit the road to face the Winnipeg Jets (52-24-6) in Game 1 of their 1st-round series at Canada Life Centre. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Avalanche vs. Jets odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Avs are in the unusual spot of 3rd place in the Central Division as they struggled between the pipes, tied for 16th with 3.07 goals allowed per game. They still have a great offense, leading the league with 3.68 goals per game (GPG). C Nathan MacKinnon took his game to another level with 140 points and put his name firmly in the running for the Hart Trophy.
The Jets go as G Connor Hellebuyck goes, and they were tied for 1st with 2.41 goals allowed per game. Offensively, the Jets were 15th with 3.16 GPG and 22nd on the power play at 18.8%. LW Kyle Connor led the team with 34 goals in 65 games. The Jets beat up on the Avs this season, going 3-0 and outscoring them 17-4 in the process.
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Avalanche at Jets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:57 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Jets -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche +1.5 (-275) | Jets -1.5 (+220)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Avalanche at Jets projected goalies
Alexandar Georgiev (36-15-5, 2.57 GAA, .907 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (7-4-1, 2.35 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 SO)
Georgiev struggled to end the season, allowing 4+ goals in 5 of 6 starts. In one of those, he was yanked 15 minutes into it against Winnipeg after allowing 4 goals on 15 shots. He was 0-2 with a 5.66 GAA and .833 SV% in 2 starts against the Jets this year. He is 3-5 with a 2.53 GAA and .917 SV% in 9 career playoff games.
“Helley” is a front runner for the Vezina Trophy after posting the 2nd-best SV% in the league. He also stopped the 2nd-most shots with the 2nd-most wins. He struggled in the playoffs last season, going 1-4 with a 3.44 GAA and .886 SV%. His workload during the regular season came under fire, and he made 4 fewer starts this season. He is 17-23 with a 2.58 GAA and .916 SV% in 40 career playoff games.
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Avalanche at Jets picks and predictions
Prediction
Jets 4, Avalanche 3
Moneyline
The Avs enter the playoffs without captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee), who doesn’t appear close to returning. LW Jonathan Drouin, who had 19 goals, is also out with a lower-body injury. They still have enough firepower to ground the Jets. The books do, too, as BetMGM has the Avs -125 to win the series, and the Jets are +105.
I’m not as confident on this Avs team. They really don’t have the confidence in goal to make a deep run. The Jets were 27-11-3 at home this season, and the Avs were just 19-16-6 away from Ball Arena.
The JETS -115 take Game 1.
Puck line/Against the spread
I’m going to PASS on the puck line and look toward the goalies.
Hellebuyck had 30+ saves in all 3 meetings this season, and I believe Colorado will come out of the gates firing.
Take CONNOR HELLEBUYCK OVER 29.5 SAVES (-110).
Over/Under
The final scores of each matchup this season were 7-0, 6-2 and 4-2. We have had 6+ goals in 8 of 10 matchups between the teams.
OVER 5.5 (-120) is my favorite bet in this game.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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