St. Louis, Winnipeg End Season’s First Half
The All-Star Break is coming at the right time for the Winnipeg Jets, but before they get there, they have to deal with Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues Monday.
The Jets, who are in a dogfight in the Central Division, have dropped three straight games and five of their last seven while scoring a grand total of five goals.
Rick Bowness’ team stands three points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars, with the Minnesota Wild and the hard-charging Colorado Avalanche laying in wait.
The latest loss was a 4-0 blanking at home on Saturday by the mediocre Philadelphia Flyers.
“As soon as there is a little adversity – we handled it well early in the year – we’re not handling it well right now,” Bowness, whose team had won eight of nine games prior to the recent troubles, told the media. “You have to work and you have to compete.”
The Blues, who have dropped four straight games, including losses to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes, have endured a season full of adversity.
Craig Berube’s team has fallen behind 3-0 in each of the last four games as Jordan Binnington, the hero of the 2019 Stanley Cup run, has given up rebound after rebound in between trading barbs and sometimes punches with members of the opposing teams.
“We just gotta keep finding a way, fighting every night,” Binnington, who was in net for Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Avalanche, told the media. “We’re not gonna go quietly.”
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Blues vs Jets. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Hellebuyck Paying for Jets’ Struggles
Connor Hellebuyck did a good job during the season’s first three months of limiting poor performances in the net, but the eight-year veteran has had a few of them in January.
Once in the conversation to win the Vezina Trophy, Hellebuyck has ceded that to Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins by posting a .914 save percentage over his last 10 games.
Hellebuyck, who has fallen to fourth in the NHL in goals against average (GAA), was pulled for the first time this season in the third period after allowing four goals to the Flyers.
“That was enough. Don’t embarrass pretty clearly one of the best goalies in the league,” Bowness said of Hellebuyck, who will be back in net Monday against the Blues, who he is 12-4-2 against with a 1.98 GAA and a .935 save percentage.
Necas Making Difference on Power Play
Torey Krug has logged three games since returning from a month-long absence due to injury and has notched three assists but has done little to change the team’s fortunes.
The Blues continue to struggle on the back end at even strength, ranking in the bottom 10 in NHL in rebound goals allowed (21), high (105) and medium (387) danger shots surrendered goals against (121), and goal differential per 60 minutes (-0.48).
“You have to show up right when the puck drops or you’ll get exposed,” Krug, who has 95 points in 149 games with the Blues, told the media. “That’s what’s happened the last few games. We gotta show up with the right mentality and don’t wait to show it.”
Blues vs Jets Game Injuries
Blues vs Jets Head-to-Head
The Jets have won five straight and seven of the last eight meetings with the Blues while outscoring them 30-12.
St. Louis has a slight lead in the series at 29-28-1, including 17-12-1 on the road.
Blues vs Jets Game Information
- Game: Blues (23-24-3) vs Jets (31-19-1)
- Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Day/Time: Monday, Jan. 30, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Blues vs Jets Live Stream: NHL.TV
Blues vs Jets Betting Lines
Blues vs Jets Picks & Prediction
The Jets, who are -210 on the NHL lines for the match, have won their last three games as a favorite against the Blues.
Nine of the last 10 Jets’ games have finished under the total. The Blues have lost seven of their last eight games against the spread, including four straight.
Winnipeg is listed at -220 in our Las Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Jets, you have a chance to win $45. St. Louis is +180, offering a chance to win $180 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the NHL betting lines gives Winnipeg a 68.75% chance to win, with the Blues 35.71%.
Blues vs Jets Trends
Blues vs Jets Edge
Blues vs Jets Results
Blues vs Jets Game Summary
