If you’re a fan of old-school hockey, the first-round series between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues is right up your alley.
Jets vs. Blues has been fast, physical and dramatic, and tempers have flared more and more with each passing game.
Winnipeg is up 3-2 in the series and is a -410 favorite to advance, but it will have to do so without first-line center Mark Scheifele, who joined Nikolaj Ehlers on the injured list after being knocked out of Game 5.
Scheifele was ruled out of Friday’s Game 6 and is doubtful to feature again in this best-of-seven. Ehlers will be a game-time decision.
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Oddsmakers are projecting this one as a virtual coin flip, with the Blues sitting as a -120 favorite to send the series to a Game 7 back in Winnipeg on Sunday night.
That represents a 30-cent swing in the odds, as St. Louis was a +110 underdog in its last home game, a 5-1 Blues win.
Aside from the injuries and the physicality, the main storyline for this series has been the play of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
About to claim his second Vezina Trophy in as many years as the top goalie in the regular season, Hellebuyck owns a woeful .822 save percentage through the first five games in this series.
Without Scheifele and potentially Ehlers, who finished second and third on the team in points this season, Winnipeg will need Hellebuyck to find his form if it wants to avoid this series going the distance.
As poor as Hellebuyck has played at times in this series, now is the time to buy in on the best goaltender in the league having a star performance.
The Michigan native got the job done in Game 5, making 16 saves on 19 shots to get the win. It wasn’t a mesmerizing performance, but it was a step in the right direction for a goaltender who badly needed it.
I’m going to bet on Hellebuyck finding his form at the perfect time and making at least 30 saves.
The Blues will be in desperation mode, so they should put up a high enough shot total to give us a chance to cash this prop.
The Play: Connor Hellebuyck 30+ saves (+600, bet365)
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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