Winnipeg Jets vs Columbus Blue Jackets - Odds and Predictions

Where: Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH.

When: Wednesday, January 22, 7:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Sportsnet, Fox Sports Ohio | WFAN

Winnipeg Jets (Away)

Head Coach: Paul Maurice{All-Time 720-639-99-120 WPG, CAR, TOR, HAR}

Sitting fourth in the Central division, the Winnipeg Jets are coming off of a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The team has now lost its last two in a row and is 4-5-1 across their last ten games.

Offense

Winnipeg’s statistics showcase how inconsistent this team has been this season. They are very good at some things and absolutely atrocious at others. For starters, they rank 17th in the league with 142 goals scored.

With that said, the Jets have the league’s tenth-best power play, potting 29 goals with the man advantage.

The Jets rank 20th in the NHL when it comes to shots on goal, averaging 30.9 per game. They have the 16th-best shooting percentage at 9.8 percent.

Other than shooting percentage, their biggest advantage will be in the faceoff circle where they rank 12th overall compared to the Blue Jackets who have the fourth-worst playoff percentage in the league.

Defense

There is a little more promise when it comes to Winnipeg’s defensive efforts, but with the amount of injuries they are currently suffering from, it’s hard to tell how their blue line will hold up against Columbus.

Winnipeg has allowed the 12th-fewest goals against this season despite allowing the fourth-most shots on goal. The team currently has a combined save percentage of .911- the 11th-best in the NHL currently.

However, despite averaging the third-fewest penalties per game, the team has been disappointing on the penalty kill. Winnipeg currently has a penalty-killing percentage of 74.17, which stands as the NHL’s third-worst.

Goaltending

Expect to see goaltender Laurent Broissot in goal Wednesday night for the Jets. Broissot has a season record of 4-5-0 with a .885 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 3.67.

Head Coach: John Tortorella{All-Time 648-509-37-113 CLB, VAN, NYR, TBL}

Columbus has been on an incredible surge as of late. Currently sitting fourth in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets have won their last five games in a row and are 8-2-0 across their last ten.

Offense

Although Columbus has come a long way since the start of the season, they haven’t been without their struggles. In fact, despite their winning ways of late, the Blue Jackets don’t rank in the top-ten for any major offensive statistic but one

Columbus still ranks seventh when it comes to the fewest goals scored this season, averaging just 2.68 per game.

The one top-ten spot they have is in shots on goal – where they rank tenth. But with that said, the Blue Jackets have to fourth-worst shooting percentage in the league. Most of their shots are low quality and they have an 8.2 shooting percentage to show for it.

The team’s faceoff percentage also sits below 50 percent and they sit in the bottom ten when it comes to the power play, garnering just 17.73 percent with the man advantage.

Defense

It’s Columbus’ defensive core that has been the real shining light behind the team’s recent success. Ranking in the top ten of almost every major defensive stat, the Blue Jackets have just looked unbreakable as of late.

The Blue Jackets have allowed the fourth-fewest goals against in the NHL this season, behind only Dallas, Boston, and the Islanders.

Furthermore, they have allowed the seventh-fewest shots against and the team has a combined save percentage of .913 – the sixth-best in the league.

They sit just outside the top-ten at 12th when it comes to the penalty kill, in which they have an 81.82 percent.

Goaltending

Elvis Merzlikins should be between the pipes Wednesday night for Columbus as starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is still out with a knee injury. Merzlikins is 8-6-4 this season with a 2.36 GAA and a .928 save percentage. Three of his eight wins this season have been by shutout.

These two teams last faced off earlier in the season on November 23. Winnipeg defeated Columbus, hanging on for the 4-3 victory.

While the Winnipeg Jets continue to show signs of struggle, the Columbus Blue Jackets seem to be on the rise. The team started the season in the bottom of the league but are starting to look more and more like the team that swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Both teams are very much still in contention for a playoff spot but two more points and extending their win streak to six games will be huge for the Blue Jackets – especially at home where they are 15-9-2.

Questions to Answer

These are two banged-up teams. How will each team respond to their injuries? What kind of lines will we see go head-to-head?

With both team’s starting goalies injured, which up-and-coming goalie will shine? Winnipeg’s Broissot has more experience but Columbus’ Merzlikins already has three shutout wins this season.

Can the Blue Jackets pull off another win and extend their winning streak to an impressive six games? Or can Winnipeg pull off the upset on the road, where they have gone 14-9-2 this season?

Winnipeg Jets Injury Report

F Bryan Little – DL (ear)

D Dustin Byfuglien – OUT (suspension)

F Mark Letestu – DL (illness)

D Nathan Beaulieu – DL (lower-body)

F Adam Lowry – DL (upper-body)

D Carl Dahlstrom – DL (hand)

D Tucker Poolman – DL (lower-body)

Columbus Blue Jackets Injury Report

F Brandon Dubinsky – DL (wrist)

D Ryan Murray – DL (upper-body)

F Josh Anderson – DL (shoulder)

G Joonas Korpisalo – OUT (knee)

F Sonny Milano – OUT (undisclosed)

D Dean Kukan – DL (knee)

F Alexandra Texier – DL (back)

Winnipeg Jets vs Columbus Blue Jackets Odds

The latest odds for Jets vs Blue Jackets are provided by Unibet NJ and 888Sport NJ. For more on betting in the NHL check out guide.

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