A trip to the Western Conference Finals is on the line this Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena with the Winnipeg Jets facing off against the Nashville Predators in the final game of this best-of-seven Central Division tilt. Game time on NBC Sports Network is set for 8 p.m. (ET).
Winnipeg at Nashville Game Overview
The Jets were able to win Game 1 and Game 5 on the road by a combined score of 10-3 to forge a 3-2 series lead heading into Monday night’s Game 6. As -153 home favorites, they came up empty in a 4-0 loss. The effects of that loss could spill over into Thursday night to add a bit more value to Nashville’s money line odds as a favorite. None the less, Winnipeg has proven itself to be a tough out in the postseason following a hugely successful 114-point run in the regular season.
The top strength of this team all season long has been its ability to score goals as the second-highest scoring team in the league. Patrik Laine was the leading goal scorer in the regular season with 44, and he has tallied three goals in 11 postseason games. The top star on offense in the playoffs has been Mark Scheifele with nine goals and five assists. The Jets have four different players with at least 10 points in the playoffs. Another big part of the equation to getting past Nashville in Game 7 is goalie Connor Hellebuyck. He has turned in some shaky play at times, but his 2.36 goals-against average in the postseason speaks for itself.
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Nashville was the top point scoring team in the NHL this season with 117, but it still needed six games to get past Colorado in the opening round. The Predators won two of three games at home in that series before losing two of three at home to Winnipeg. Two of their wins in this series were by one goal, and they were outscored 17-7 in the three losses which have to be a concern. The total has gone OVER in four of Nashville’s six previous home games in the postseason.
While the Predators have not always looked like defending Western Conference Champions in this year’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, they are still a very talented team at both ends of the ice. Credit Filip Forsberg for Monday’s win with two of the four goals and Nashville got a stellar performance from Pekka Rinne in goal by stopping 34 shots to post the shutout. Throw in some solid play from center Ryan Johansen (five goals, eight assists), and right winger Viktor Arvidsson (five goals, four assists) and the Predators have quite a bit going for them heading into this deciding Game 7 showdown.
Get more details: Winnipeg at Nashville NHL Match-Up
Winnipeg at Nashville Game Betting Trends
- The Jets are 11-5 in their last 16 division games, but just 3-7 in their previous ten games played on Thursday. The total has gone OVER in five of their last seven road games.
- The Predators have won their last four Thursday games and they are 4-1 in their previous five games playing on two-days rest. The total has gone OVER in seven of their last nine games played at home.
- Head-to-head in this matchup, the road team has won six of the last ten meetings, and the total has gone OVER in six of the previous eight meetings in Nashville.
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