Winnipeg @ COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS -1½ +154 over Winnipeg

BEST LINES: Pinnacle -1½ +154 Bet365 -1½ +145 SportsInteraction -1½ +135  5DIMES -1½ +146

Posted at 2:45 PM EST 

7:05 PM EST. OT included. 10 days ago, the Jackets skated into Winnipeg and blasted the Jets 5-2 while outshooting them 39-26. The Jackets have outshot and out-chanced their last six opponents and most of it has been by a wide margin. On Wednesday night, Columbus whacked the Sabres 5-1 and has now scored four goals or more in four of its last five games. Prior to defeating the Sabres, Columbus had dropped two straight to Tampa Bay and Los Angeles respectively but they outshot the Bolts 43-21 in a 2-0 loss and outshot L.A. 38-35 in a 6-4 loss. The Jackets rank third in the league in puck possession time and now catch a very beatable Winnipeg team playing the tail end of back-to-backs after a strong effort in Pittsburgh last night. Every team looks forward to playing the Penguins so Winnipeg may be spent coming in here.

The Jets lost 2-1 in OT in Pittsburgh last night and while no loss is satisfying, that loss can’t be considered a bad one. The Jets skated away with a point and could have easily earned two. Analytically speaking, the game was as even as the score, as Pittsburgh held a slight edge in puck possession and overall scoring chances. That’s nice but there are more moving parts here that are seriously working against the Jets. First off, they are not an even keeled team like the Jackets. Winnipeg gets emotionally high and emotionally low more than any team. Secondly, there are two big keys that everything hinges on: goaltending and special teams. While this goes for most teams, it has not been an unaddressed area of weakness for most. The Jets’ special teams consistently have been amongst the worst in the NHL since the team moved from Atlanta, and apart from one good year by Ondrej Pavelec, the same can be said for goaltending, which brings us to Steve Mason. Mason will play tonight because Connor Hellebuyck played last night. Mason is 0-3 with a 5.98 GAA and .846 save percentage. It gets worse too. It may surprise you to learn that the Jets are second last in the NHL in scoring chances per game. We can attribute that to this being a top-heavy team. Paul Maurice tends to go with two skilled lines and two shutdown lines (though their shutdown abilities are rather suspect). We also love that the Jets get the Penguins back in Winnipeg on Sunday’s edition of Hometown Hockey, thus making this one sandwiched between Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh. With Steve Mason in goal, the Jets are fade material to begin with but when you add in the sandwich angle, it makes the Jackets very worthy of a wager here.

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Our Pick

COLUMBUS -1½ +154 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 3.08)

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Chicago +167 over Ottawa