BEST LINES: Pinnacle -½ +144  SportsInteraction -½ +120 5DIMES -½ +140

Posted at 11:00 AM EST.

8:05 PM EST. Regulation only. The line here opened with the Jets being anywhere from a -125 favorite to a -130 favorite but early action on the Wild has forced that number down to its current price of -115 (at the time of this writing). Hell, even at -130, the Jets are probably a bargain but at this price they’re definitely a bargain.

There are some out there that would prefer to lay the price as oppose to playing the chalk in regulation and that’s fine because if the game goes into OT, you have a chance to win while we do not when playing it in regulation only. However, assuming that extra time is a 50/50 proposition, meaning you are going to win 50% and lose 50% over time, it would therefore be a big time losing proposition over time. In other words, if you are laying 6/5 on a coin toss, over time you are going to get buried on that wager, therefore, the higher the price, the bigger the risk. If for example, you’re spotting -150 and the game goes into OT, you will get completely buried on that bet over time and it’s for that reason, we have no interest in playing the chalk at a price. That brings us to this one, where we’ll play the Jets in regulation only. 

The Wild are getting hammered at the window and it’s not because they’re in good form. The Wild are likely getting bet because of the “returning home from a trip” angle. That angle has been in play for a long time for basketball and hockey bettors and there is some validity to it but it’s also been much less prevalent this season thus far. Perhaps teams’ are aware of the propensity to be lethargic upon returning and have taken measures to be better prepped for it. Whatever the case may be, that angle has not been paying off this season. There are more examples of teams’ returning home from a trip this year and playing well as oppose to playing poorly.

Aside from that, the Jets have every edge in this game, especially in goal, where Connor Hellebucyk has been tremendous while Devan Dubnyk has gone back to being the 10-year minor leaguer that he was before he got hot for an extended period of time. There might now be a goaltender in poorer from right now than this stiff so pay no attention to his .911 save percentage this year. Dubnyk’s save percentages over his last four games were .850, .882, .840 and .867. Skip over his previous three to that and he posted save percentages of .833 and .833 in back-to-back games against Toronto and Boston on November 6th and 8th respectively. Therefore, in six of his past nine starts, Dubnyk has been dreadful, which is right where he’s been for the majority of his professional career. From November 1st to its last game played on Saturday in St. Louis, the Wild rank 29th in Corsi For during five-on-play and 20th in Corsi Against. The Wild are constantly getting outplayed, outworked and outshot and are getting far too much credit here.

The Winnipeg Jets on the other hand are improving every week and have never been healthier than they are right now. Winnipeg has shot up the metrics ranking by being 10th in Corsi against from November 1 to the present. After ranking 28th in Corsi For after the first month, the Jets moved up 10 spots by ranking 18th from November 1 to the present. Winnipeg has also been a monster at home with its last regulation loss occurring way back on October 18 against Columbus. Since then, the Jets are 5-0-1 at Bell MTS Place with a 7-1 win victory over Pittsburgh and a 5-2 win over both Dallas and New Jersey among others. On the goaltending matchup alone, Winnipeg is worth a play here but when you add in current form and mindset, it makes it even more likely to cash. 

UPDATE: Alex Stalock has been named tonight's starter for the Wild and while we like him better than Dubnyk, it doesn't change our position on this game. 

Open an account today at Pinnacle Sports and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.