Jets Heavy Favorites Over Red Wings
The Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings collide on Friday night in an inter-conference showdown with far-reaching implications.
The Jets are clinging on to a wild card spot in the Western Conference following a spate of inconsistent results. Nevertheless, they are the favorites to record the win over the visiting Red Wings, as per the latest NHL betting markets.
At the same time, the Red Wings’ flimsy playoff hopes are fading fast as they fall well behind the chasing pack. But form is on the up. They’re riding a two-game winning streak into Canada Life Center and could fancy their chances of delivering the upset even if the oddsmakers don’t.
As ever, we preview this game, analyze the NHL odds, and provide some free betting tips and NHL picks.
Red Wings Rolling
Detroit’s bid to clinch a playoff spot looks like a pipe dream right now, and with eight games left in the regular season, time is running out fast.
The Red Wings are seventh in the Atlantic Division, with a modest 33-32-9 record and 75 points from 74 games played, and 13th overall in the Eastern Conference standings. There is a nine-point gap between them and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently hold the second wild card spot.
In their last 10 games, the Red Wings are merely 4-6-0. That said, they’re riding back-to-back wins, including a stunning 7-4 upset over the Penguins and a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes — two wins few would have predicted as they sent seismic shockwaves through sports betting markets.
Defenseman Jake Walman scored Detroit’s game-winner over the Hurricanes at 19:56 to steal the stunning, come-from-behind win on Thursday. Dominik Kubiak and Dylan Larkin each scored while Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 31 of 33 shots for a .939 save percentage.
JAKE WALMAN DAGGER WITH 3 SECONDS LEFT 🚨 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/lvYJ671Yoe
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) March 31, 2023
Jets Face Must Win
Fourth in the Central Division, Winnipeg is 41-31-3 with 85 points from 75 games. In the race for the Western Conference wild card, the Jets are three points clear of their nearest division rivals, the Nashville Predators, and two points clear of the Calgary Flames.
Recent form has slipped to a 5-5-0 record behind back-to-back losses on the road. The Jets lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 and then went on to a shocking 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks, who were riding a nine-game losing streak.
The Jets outshot the Sharks 41-30 and outhit them 16-15. They even won 53.7% of the faceoffs. However, they went 0-for-3 on the power play and failed to crack Sharks goalie James Reiner, who was playing at another level.
Put aside the bad optics of losing to a Sharks team that is already eliminated. The most worrying aspect is that this was the third 3-0 shutout defeat for the Jets in their last seven games.
JAKE WALMAN DAGGER WITH 3 SECONDS LEFT 🚨 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/lvYJ671Yoe
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) March 31, 2023
Red Wings vs Jets Game Injuries
Red Wings vs Jets Head-to-Head
The Red Wings and the Jets have matched up well in the past, splitting their last 10 meetings almost evenly. Detroit is 5-5-0 while Winnipeg is 5-4-1 during this span. In the meantime, the betting online total has gone 5-4-1.
The Red Wings have the 1-0 head-to-head edge after defeating the Jets 7-5 on Jan. 10. This is the second and final meeting between the teams.
Red Wings vs Jets Game Information
- Game: Detroit Red Wings (33-32-9) at Winnipeg Jets (41-31-3)
- Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg
- Day/Time: Friday, March 31, 8:37 p.m. ET
- Red Wings vs Jets Live Stream: NHL.TV
Red Wings vs Jets Betting Lines
Red Wings vs Jets Picks and Prediction
It’s often said that a team is what its record says it is. In application, this means that the Jets are the so-called “better” team with the “better” record. However, it’s clear that they’re not playing their best right now.
The pressure is on the Jets. Whether they rise to the occasion remains to be seen, but their recent inconsistent form makes them a risky bet for NHL picks – at least as far as the moneyline is concerned (see breakdown below).
The Red Wings could understandably be dismissed simply because of their lowly standing in the Eastern Conference. But that would require overlooking their recent victories over legitimate contenders such as the Penguins and the high-flying Hurricanes. In fact, it’s these kinds of confidence-boosting performances that could spill forth into this game. Additionally, they have taken the measure of the Jets before this season.
Winnipeg is listed at -250 in our Vegas NHL lines. So, if you wager $100 on the Jets, there’s a chance to win $40. Detroit is +210, with a chance to win $210 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Winnipeg a 71.43% chance to win, with the Red Wings at 32.26%.
Red Wings vs Jets Trends
Red Wings vs Jets Edge
Red Wings vs Jets Results
Red Wings vs Jets Game Summary
