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The Winnipeg Jets (18-8-0) take on the Buffalo Sabres (11-12-2) Thursday evening. Puck drop from KeyBank Center is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Jets vs. Sabres odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Jets won 2-0 last season
The Jets have lost 4 straight games and 5 of 6 after falling 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday as -211 home favorites. C Mark Scheifele scored the only goal, which was his 13th of the season. He’s going through some sort of injury, though, because he’s playing the wing instead of center to take stress off his upper body. LW Kyle Connor, who had scored in 4 straight against St. Louis, has been held scoreless in 6 straight games.
The Sabres took it to the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, but someone must’ve forgot to tell them the game is 3 periods long. They got up 4-0 in the first and wound up losing 5-4. It was their fourth straight loss. RW Tage Thompson scored his 12th and 13th goals in the game, and G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was great, stopping 36 of 41.
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Jets at Sabres odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 11:28 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Jets -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Sabres +115 (bet $100 to win $115)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Jets -1.5 (+180) | Sabres +1.5 (-225)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Jets at Sabres projected goalies
Connor Hellebuyck (15-5-0, 2.16 GAA, .927 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Ukko-Pekka Luukonen (8-6-2, 2.69 GAA, .906 SV%, 1 SO)
The Jets could go with backup Eric Comrie here. They have a back-to-back Saturday and Sunday, and it makes sense to stick with their horse here and rest him either Saturday or Sunday. Hellebuyck has been good, but beatable at times. He has allowed 3+ goals in 5 of 8 starts, allowing 3 on 21 shots against St. Louis last time out. He stopped 26 of the 28 he saw against Buffalo in a win last year.
The numbers don’t look great, giving up 9 goals in his last 2 starts, but Luukkonen did all he could trying to withstand the Avalanche Tuesday night. He stopped 36 of 41, and the team seemed to relax in front of him after going up 4-0. He hasn’t faced the Jets the last couple of years.
Jets at Sabres picks and predictions
Prediction
Jets 3, Sabres 2
Moneyline
This Winnipeg team started out 15-1. Now, they’re not that good, but they certainly aren’t this bad. They get back into the win column despite what they do in goal here. I’m frankly surprised Buffalo’s coach still has a job after getting a 4-0 lead, which caused the other team to change goalies, and losing 5-4.
Take the JETS -135.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Sabres are 27th in the league with 9.8 penalty minutes per game, and they’re 15th with an 80.2% kill. So they take a lot of penalties and are so-so at killing them.
That’s where Connor comes in. He had a sure-thing goal against St. Louis, and G Joel Hofer made a highlight-reel blocker save. He pushed off the right post and slid to his left to stone Connor. His goal drought ends Thursday night.
Take KYLE CONNOR ANYTIME GOAL +135.
Over/Under
Buffalo is 5-4-1 O/U in its last 10, and Winnipeg is 2-8. The Over is just 1-8-1 in the last 10 meetings. Now, that’s deceptive because we have only had one 5.5 total. So there is risk involved here, but I like the UNDER 5.5 (+100) unless Comrie gets the start. If that happens, the line will jump to 6 – so be patient here.
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