Posted at 11:00 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle  +132   BET365 +125 Sportsinteraction +125  888Sport  +125

Winnipeg +132 over Colorado 

4:07 PM EST. OT included. With the Jets and Avalanche pretty well set to meet in the second round (although they can each technically catch the Stars, who are five points up on both, Dallas needs just one point in its final two games to clinch the Central), there is much on the line here, as home-ice advantage in that series is more or less on the line here. Winnipeg holds all the cards concerning the tie-breakers between the two clubs, as they have more regular-season wins, and they have already beaten the Avs twice this season. That said, there is a perception in the market that despite the Jets' current standing and regardless of if they were to lock up second place and home ice in round one versus Colorado, Winnipeg is the inferior team.

We heard from more than one talking head in advance of this game tonight that even if the Jets should be a significant underdog in a series with the Avs and no matter how things shake out, Winnipeg should not unpack their bags, as they’ve signed up for four more games to end the year, maybe five if the Jets are lucky. That is a conversation we’ll pick up another day, but we bring it up now to show just how much a team like Colorado’s pedigree can influence an unsuspecting market. We get it. The Avs have arguably the best hockey player on the planet in Nathan MacKinnon, and they have won a Stanley Cup in recent years, while the Jets, going back to their original days in Winnipeg, have failed in the playoffs again and again, except for one trip to the Western Conference Finals way back in 2017-18.

We don’t want to use all our good fodder in this spot, as there is a strong possibility that we will be on the Jets in a first-round series with the Avs, regardless of home ice, so we’ll focus on the here and now, which is the fact that the Jets, after a rough stretch post-trade deadline, are still an under-the-radar team that is not getting the respect of those other contenders in the West. That misguided market perception could benefit us greatly both today and down the road, as the Jets are not only loaded, but they have the best goalie in the conference (sorry, Jake Oettinger) and maybe the entire NHL (all due respect to Igor Shesterkin). Colorado’s Alexandar Georgiev might lead the league with 38 wins, but Connor Hellebuyck is right behind him at 35, having played three fewer games, but “Helle” sports a dazzling .920 save percentage to Georgiev’s dismal .899. For some perspective, the Flames’ Jacob Markstrom, who is not going to the playoffs, posted a .906 save percentage.

Finally, the Avs have not been playing their best hockey of late, as they posted poor efforts against Dallas (7-4, L), Edmonton (6-2, L), and Columbus (4-1, L) in three of their last five games, with their only wins coming over the lowly, non-playoff-bound Wild. Meanwhile, the Jets are rolling after three straight wins, and they are coming off the momentum of a 3-0 shutout in Dallas in which backup Laurent Brossoit carried the load, so Hellebuyck could be well-rested and ready for this crucial game today. This is a statement game for the Jets, and they have a great shot to lock up home ice in round one and force the Avs to travel to Winnipeg where the White Out will be waiting.

Sherwood

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------