A marquee game on Tuesday night in the NHL is clearly the Winnipeg Jets, which leads the Central Division, visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning, which is running away with the Presidents’ Trophy. The Lightning is NHL odds favorites to win the Stanley Cup and solidly favored for this game.
How to Bet Jets vs Lightning NHL Week 23 Odds & Game Info
🎥 Paul Maurice on the final stretch of the season, Par Lindholm’s game in Columbus and more. pic.twitter.com/RpmqRvHOsZ
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) 4 de marzo de 2019
- When: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Amalie Arena
- TV: NHL Center Ice
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Week 23 Odds: Lightning -195 / Jets +165 (Total 7)
Season Series
Jets could be a rare team to win a season series vs. the Bolts as they were 5-4 OT winners at home over Tampa on Dec. 16. Mark Scheifele scored at 4:18 of overtime. Scheifele added two assists, while Nikolaj Ehlers had a pair of goals and one assist and Mathieu Perreault and Brandon Tanev also scored. Connor Hellebuyck made 43 saves for the Jets.
Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, and Tyler Johnson also scored. Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat each collected a pair of assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots and picked up an assist on Killorn’s goal. Tampa carried an eight-game winning streak into that one.
Why Bet on Winnipeg?
The Jets are on a two-game winning streak after a 5-2 win in Columbus on Sunday. Connor Hellebuyck, who missed Friday night’s game with the flu, had 40 saves, and Sami Niku scored the only non-Blake Wheeler goal for the Jets, who won their second straight and stayed in first place in the Central Division despite being outshot by Columbus 42-26.
It’s been a real up-and-down season for Hellebuyck, but he appears to be rounding into form during the most crucial part of the regular-season. His record improves to 28-18-2 with a 2.97 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage.
Wheeler had four goals for his third career hat trick and he’s currently riding a six-game point streak (12 points). The 32-year-old winger is now up to 17 goals and 80 points in 65 games this season. Mark Scheifele had three assists. He has racked up two goals and five helpers during a three-game point streak last week to bring him to 75 points on the year.
Nathan Beaulieu picked up two helpers. Beaulieu didn’t have a point in his previous two games since joining the Jets at the trade deadline from Buffalo. He has been averaging 17:26 of ice time per game with his new team.
Winnipeg is tied for fourth in the NHL this season with a 25.3% power play percentage. The Jets have scored a power play goal in 39 of their 65 games this season. March and April have historically been successful months for the Jets, as the team has gone 78-51-15 in those two months since relocation. During the past three seasons, the Jets are 28-8-2 in March and April, including a perfect 8-0-0 in April. Hellebuyck is 13-5-2 during his career in March with a 2.67 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.42
- Shots: 31.62
- PP/PK Percentage: 24.88
Defense
- Goals: 2.97
- Shots: 33.69
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.18
Why Bet on Tampa Bay?
Tampa bounced back from a rare loss with a 5-1 win over Ottawa on Saturday. NHL scoring leader Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist to help the Lightning earn their 50th victory of the season in their 66th game. Tampa tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings as the fastest teams in league history to reach the mark. Tampa Bay remains on pace to challenge the record of 62 wins, also set by that same Red Wings team and could challenge that Detroit team along with the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens as the only two teams to reach 130 points in a season.
Kucherov started off his night with the secondary assist on a goal by Ryan McDonagh to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead. The Russian winger then capped off his night with a goal from a sharp angle, somehow getting it in behind Craig Anderson for his 31st of the season. Kucherov’s NHL-leading point total increases to 106 in 66 games.
Victor Hedman had one goal and one helper in Saturday’s win. Hedman opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the year and he added an assist on a marker by Kucherov in the second period. He has generated 41 points in 58 appearances this campaign. Steven Stamkos had an injury scare in Saturday’s game. Stamos hit the ice hard after Brian Gibbons slide into him late in the second period. He didn’t return until the start of the third period. His current six-game goalless drought is his longest of the season, but he does have five assists during that span.
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 37 shots. It’s now nine straight wins for Vasilevskiy, improving his record to 30-7-4 with a 2.25 goals-against-average and a .931 save percentage.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.91
- Shots: 32.17
- PP/PK Percentage: 29.03
Defense
- Goals: 2.64
- Shots: 32.33
- PP/PK Percentage: 13.95
Jets vs Lightning NHL Week 23 Betting Trends
- Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings
- Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings
- Winnipeg is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
- Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg’s last 8 games on the road
- Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Jets vs Lightning
Winnipeg Jets 3 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4
