Jets vs Golden Knights Odds · Game 2
| Jets Odds | +136 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -164 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | TBS |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
After handing the Vegas Golden Knights their worst playoff loss at T-Mobile Arena, the Winnipeg Jets will look to repeat the feat on Thursday.
The eighth-seeded Jets delivered a 5-1 beatdown to the top-seeded Golden Knights in Game 1. In the process, Winnipeg held the high-powered Vegas offense to just 17 shots on goal.
What's on tap for Game 2? Here's the latest on both teams, and your Jets vs Golden Knights best bet.
Winnipeg Jets
One of a coach's most important jobs is to get his group prepared for Game 1 of the playoffs. And while first-year boss Rick Bowness saw his team swoon during the second half of the season, he couldn't have been happier with the Jets' Game 1 performance.
Winnipeg has a proven playoff-caliber goaltender in 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who logged another busy and successful regular season. However, he didn't need to be especially sharp Tuesday. The Jets dominated play in the first period, building a 14-8 edge in shots. They scored two goals early in the second, which was all they needed, though Blake Wheeler did tack one on in the third.
All told, the Jets controlled 61.16% of expected goals at 5-on-5 and held the edge on special teams. Winnipeg went 1-for-3 on the power play and was perfect on three penalty kills. It doesn't get much better than that for a road underdog.
Nikolaj Ehlers missed his second-straight game Tuesday after suffering a late-season upper-body injury. He didn't practice on Wednesday and is expected to be out at least a little longer.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights were aiming to throw a party for their raucous home crowd on Tuesday night. Instead, they laid an egg.
Vegas managed just five high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, was unable to produce on special teams and got subpar goaltending from Laurent Brossoit, who finished at minus-1.3 goals saved above expected.
At Wednesday's practice, Bruce Cassidy gave every indication that he is going to stick with the status quo in Game 2. That should mean a second start for Brossoit, who served as Hellebuyck's backup in Winnipeg for three seasons before landing in Vegas.
It should also mean a return to the line combinations that started Game 1 before Cassidy pulled out the blender in hopes of sparking his team. It also means Mark Stone, who's returning from back surgery and hasn't played since January, will get another chance to shake off the rust after playing 21:28 and going minus-3 Tuesday.
Jets vs. Golden Knights Pick
Though Bowness and Cassidy are both new to the clubs they're coaching, they each boast ample postseason experience to draw on as navigate the challenges of a seven-game series.
Bowness, of course, got the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Cassidy reached the playoffs in all six of his seasons in Boston and won at least a round four times, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.
And while the cast of characters has changed significantly, the Golden Knights did author a scintillating turnaround last time they made a postseason appearance. After dropping the first two games of their 2021 second-round series to the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas stormed back to win four straight.
After their strong start, it's tempting to back the Jets for Game 2, especially at a juicy plus-money price. However, the Golden Knights are a deep team that can put the puck in the net and even Tuesday's one-sided affair managed to go over the total.
Look for a better effort from the home side, which should result in more goals.
Pick: Over 5.5 | Play to -135 |
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