The Winnipeg Jets were the most consistent team in the NHL all season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy with a 56-22-4 record and 116 points.
As the No. 1 seed in the field, the Jets locked up home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs and earned themselves a first-round series against the second wild-card team, the St. Louis Blues.
Only these Blues aren’t your run-of-the-mill No. 8 seed.
St. Louis went 35-18-7 after firing Drew Bannister and replacing him with Jim Montgomery, and its 19-4-2 record over their last 25 games is the best mark in the entire league in that span.
Winnipeg is still a chunky -220 favorite to win the series and is -180 to win Game 1, but there will be plenty of support for the Blues to get by the Jets.
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Blues vs. Jets Game 1 betting preview
It’s no secret how the Jets want to win games.
Winnipeg has the best goaltender in the NHL, Connor Hellebuyck, and will lean on him to keep the ship steady, but the Jets are not a one-trick pony.
Winnipeg led the NHL in power-play percentage (29.3) and was tied with the Dallas Stars as the highest-scoring team in the Western Conference.
That kind of scoring power, blended with Hellebuyck’s dominance, has been a winning recipe for the Jets all season.
There will be some skeptics who believe that Winnipeg’s 5-on-5 numbers aren’t up to par with the other elite teams in the playoffs, but the presence of Hellebuyck and this clinical offense more than makes up for good-but-not-great possession stats.
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Blues vs. Jets Game 1 pick
Like the Jets, the Blues have plenty of scoring punch in their top-six and a big-game goaltender that they can rely on to keep them in games.
St. Louis isn’t as deep as Winnipeg, but the margins here are a lot thinner than in most No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchups.
That should lead to a cagey Game 1, because the favorite won’t be able to just take over the game at will.
The first game of a best-of-seven series is often all about feeling out your opponent, which leads to a scrappy first period with an emphasis on clean play and tight defense.
Back the first period of this series to end nil-nil at a big price.
The Play: 1P Under 0.5 goals (+290)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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