Thursday evening, the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers will face off in Edmonton. Not only are both teams fresh off of Wednesday night victories, but they’re also tied for second place in the North Division, deadlocked at 38 points.
Here is a closer look at this matchup between the Jets and Oilers, from key stats and players to a free pick. Edmonton is the current favorite at -138, with Winnipeg coming in at +118 on the road.
Key Stats
With both the Jets and Oilers tied in the standings, both clubs also share many similarities in several offensive and defensive statistics. The Oilers average 3.44 goals per game, ranking fourth in the NHL. The Jets come in sixth with 3.34 goals.
Both teams also have Top 10 power-play units and strong shooting percentages separated by just 0.4%. The only notable difference on offense is shots on goal, where the 31.4 taken by Edmonton rank sixth while Winnipeg’s 29.7 is 18th.
Defensively, the margins are even slimmer. Winnipeg edges out Edmonton ever so slightly in goals allowed per game, giving up 2.9 to Edmonton’s 2.94. Their shots allowed average is also separated by just 0.6, and their penalty kills by only 1.5%, with Winnipeg leading the latter 77.5 to 76%.
If there is a big difference, though, it comes in time they spend in the penalty box. Only two teams across the league spend less time in the penalty box than the Jets, who average 6.9 minutes per game. The Oilers, in the meantime, average 9.1 minutes in the box, ranking just 21st.
Key Players
Starting with the visitors, Nikolaj Ehlers continues his impressive tear. The winger netted the game-winning goal in overtime Wednesday, his fourth goal in a week, bringing him to 15 on the year to go with 16 assists. Not to be outdone, Kyle Connor netted two goals in each of his last two games, putting him just ahead of Ehlers with 16 goals this season.
After a slow start, center Paul Stastny has found his groove. The veteran has a four-game point streak entering the game and points in eight of his last 11 contests. Of course, first-line center Mark Scheifele continues to be a beast, adding to his assists total on a near-nightly basis to put him at 25 on the year.
Winnipeg also has to be happy that their in-season acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has had a bumpy start to his Jets tenure, had his best game of the season on Wednesday with three assists to double his season-long output.
Switching to the Oilers, Connor McDavid continues his run as the MVP-frontrunner. After a three-point effort on Wednesday, McDavid’s point streak is currently up to seven games, with multiple points coming in all but two of them, giving up 18 goals and a whopping 38 assists.
Meanwhile, last year’s MVP Leon Draisaitl has an eight-game point streak in hand, where after a hat trick last week and a three-helper night, Wednesday is up to 17 goals and 32 assists.
However, it’s not just those two doing everything for Edmonton. Defenseman Tyson Barrie has been a strong addition, racking up 24 assists this year after shelling out four on Wednesday. Former first-overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins registered a goal and assist Wednesday as well, giving him points in four of his last five games. D-man Darnell Nurse and the young Jesse Puljujarvi are also coming off of multi-point efforts to add depth to the Oilers’ solid offense.
Goalies
With both teams playing Wednesday, it’s unlikely that Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Edmonton’s Mike Smith will start in net for a second consecutive day. This means we’ll likely see Laurent Brossoit and Mikko Koskinen in their place.
Brossoit has done an admirable job filling in for Hellebuyck this season, going 5-1-0 with a 2.49 GAA and .921 save percentage. Koskinen meanwhile lost his hold of the starting job during the early part of February, as the veteran is 8-10-0 with a 3.23 GAA and .901 save percentage.
Betting Pick
With these teams splitting their first four matchups, expect a fun and competitive game on Thursday. Plenty will be on the line as well, with the winner moving into a tie with the Maple Leafs for first place in the division.
For this matchup, Winnipeg holds a slight edge. The Jets have more depth among their forward ranks than Edmonton, giving them an advantage over an Oilers team that relies on McDavid and Draisaitl.
Winnipeg will also take fewer penalties, giving Edmonton less time on the power play, while Brossoit is also a noticeably better goalie right now than Smith. At plus-money, the Jets represent good value, making them the pick to win.
Pick: Jets +118
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