Tuesday in the NHL sees one of the league’s best, the Winnipeg Jets, faceoff with one of the most iconic franchises, the Boston Bruins. Welcome to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey, where each day we preview and predict the upcoming slate of NHL games around the league! In this article, we will be previewing and predicting the matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins. Be sure to check out all of our predictions throughout the 2024-25 season and follow along your favourite teams.
NHL Predictions
Winnipeg Jets vs Boston Bruins
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: TSN3, NESN
The Jets continue their four game homestand on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg and Boston split their season series at one win a piece a year ago; Winnipeg skated away with a 5-1 home win, while the Bruins themselves took care of business at home with a 4-1 win. Prior to last season, Boston had six consecutive wins over Winnipeg, a dominant stretch that dated back to 2019. The Jets sit tied for first in the Central division with 40 points, while the Bruins are holding third spot in the Atlantic division with 33 points, three behind placeholders Florida.
Winnipeg Jets Need to Raise Level of Play
The Jets are guilty of playing to the level of their opposition over their last four games. Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg saw a sleepy and sluggish Jets team bested by a hungry, young Columbus Blue Jackets squad (4-1 CBJ). Backup goaltender Eric Comrie again received very little support in front of him in a game which he played more than well enough to earn his team points. In their games prior to that, Winnipeg dominated and overmatched Chicago on the road, but scraped by against the Buffalo Sabres and were embarrassed by the St. Louis Blues on home ice. In a softer part of their schedule, the Jets played down to their opponents and left several points of the table. Though Boston isn’t one of the heavyweights in the league thus far this season, they bring a certain aura with them wherever they play. The Jets will have to step up and match the big, bad Bruins on Tuesday in their home arena.
Boston Bruins New Coach Bump
Boston is rolling along under new head coach Joe Sacco. The team has enjoyed a 7-2-0 record under Sacco since he took over for Jim Montgomery on Nov. 19. Their defensive play has been outstanding in that time, as they haven’t conceded more than three goals against in any of those nine games. At 5 on 5 play, they are third in the league in xGA (expected Goals Against) in that time period and have given up the least amount of High Danger Chances Against. It’s safe to say the team has found their defensive stride under their new head coach and are buying into his system.
Winnipeg Jets Keys to Victory
Powerplay, powerplay, powerplay. This is the #1 key (and advantage) for the Jets in this game. Winnipeg sits third in the NHL on the man advantage while the Bruins are dead last(!) in the league at 12%. With the talent Boston has, that number is astounding.
Another key for the Jets will be to take advantage of their depth over the Bruins. Boston only has one skater with ten or more goals (Brad Marchand with 11) and just two skaters with 15 or more points (David Pastrnak with 27 points and Marchand with 21 points). Meanwhile, Winnipeg can score and produce up and down their lineup. The Jets have four players with ten or more goals (Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi, Nino Niederreiter). As well, they have ten skaters with at least 15 or more points. Having a balanced attack and great depth is paramount for the Jets and a key for them in this contest.
NHL Predictions – Jets vs Bruins
This will be a fun night at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. The city and crowd will be buzzing with both Jets and Bruins supporters. The Jets have gotten up for the games against the NHL’s premier franchises at home. Even though Boston has turned things around under Joe Sacco, they still don’t consistently score enough goals. Speaking of consistency, Winnipeg has been a rollercoaster the past few weeks. However, there is stability to their schedule for the next few weeks which will bode well for them. They have more depth, more grit, the better goalie and the better special teams.
Prediction: Jets Win 4-2
NHL Prop Bet of the Night
I am taking a big swing in this one; if the Jets are going to win this game, their depth scoring will be apart of it. I like captain Adam Lowry to find the back of the net. The FanDuel Sportsbook line has him at +440 (odds at publishing) as an anytime goal scorer in this game.
Main Photo: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
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