The Winnipeg Jets (25-9-4) and Arizona Coyotes (19-16-2) are lined up for a Sunday battle in Phoenix. The opening faceoff at Mullett Arena is slated for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Jets vs. Coyotes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Winnipeg has gone a robust 13-1-2 since the beginning of December and is now in 1st place in the Central Division standings. The Jets are playing for the 4th time in 6 days: they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Tuesday and the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday. On Friday, the NHL’s 2nd-leading club in goals against (2.39) defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1.
The Coyotes head into this contest on 2-day rest. They last played Thursday, falling to the New York Islanders 5-1. That was the 2nd game of what is a stretch of 5 consecutive contests on desert ice.
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Jets at Coyotes odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:49 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Jets -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Coyotes +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Jets -1.5 (+170) | Coyotes +1.5 (-210)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Jets at Coyotes projected goalies
Connor Hellebuyck (19-6-3, 2.28 GAA, .921 SV%) vs. Karel Vejmelka (6-8-2, 3.01 GAA, .905 SV%)
Hellebuyck last played Thursday at San Jose. He stopped 27 of 28 shots, continuing a stretch of fine play on the road. Hellebuyck has clocked a save percentage of .920 or better in 7 straight road games.
Vejmelka returns to the cage after a busy effort in his last. On Tuesday, the 27-year-old Czech faced 37 shots, stopping 34, in a home start against the Florida Panthers.
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Jets at Coyotes picks and predictions
Prediction
Jets 4, Coyotes 3
Moneyline
The Jets are 8-0-0 in their last 8 games against the Coyotes. They have lost just once in their last 8 games at Arizona.
Winnipeg is on a goaltending roll and is facing an Arizona club that has scored 2 goals or less in 4 of its last 5 games. The Jets are 12-4-2 on the road.
BET THE JETS (-145).
Puck line/Against the spread
PASS on getting Winnipeg by with a cushion. Arizona has decent puck-possession analytics over recent games. The grind of the Jets schedule could make for some blue line miscues and perhaps an extra Coyote tally.
Over/Under
Winnipeg is 2-0-0 against Arizona this season. The Jets have prevailed by scores of 5-3 (Nov. 4) and 5-2 (Nov. 18).
The Jets’ 5-on-5 goaltending has been magnificent, and that includes the club’s stop rate on high-danger attempts. Peg some regression being due on that side of the ledger even if the red-hot Hellebuyk is between the pipes.
Also, for such a good defensive team, Winnipeg is a below-average penalty-killing group; its 74.8% mark ranks 27th in the league. Arizona has an above-average 23.3% conversion rate on power-plays and also draws more opportunities than average. The Coyotes PP is 4 for its last 14 (28.6%).
And it was just a couple weeks ago that Arizona averaged 3.75 goals per game over a 4-game stretch from Dec. 19-27.
BACK THE OVER 6 (-105). Consider waiting out a price move helping the cause or even a flip of the total to 5.5.
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