Jets vs. Golden Knights Game 5 Odds
| Jets Odds | +160 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -194 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-124/+102) |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
It's do-or-die time for the Winnipeg Jets as the scene shifts to T-Mobile Arena for Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
After storming out to a 5-1 win in Vegas in Game 1, the Jets have lost three straight games.
Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for Jets vs. Golden Knights Game 5.
Winnipeg Jets
The latest news from the infirmary is not good for Mark Scheifele. The Jets' 42-goal scorer was knocked out of Game 4 after going hard into the end boards. Scheifele has been ruled out for Thursday, but coach Rick Bowness is leaving the door open for a potential return.
Scheifele's absence came just two days after big-minute defenseman Josh Morrissey left Game 3 with a lower-body issue. That left Winnipeg with just five blueliners available in a game that wasn't settled until the second overtime period. Morrissey, whose name has been in Norris Trophy conversations, has been ruled out for at least the rest of the first round.
Question marks also surround the health of forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mason Appleton and Kevin Stenlund, though none of the three have been ruled out.
On a more positive note, Nikolaj Ehlers will be a game-time decision Thursday. Another one of the Jets' top forwards, Ehlers was limited to just 45 regular-season games this year and suffered an upper-body injury late in the season. Before he was injured, he'd been on a five-game point streak.
As far as the series goes, the Jets look like underdogs and have an expected goals rate of 47.33% at 5-on-5. In net, 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is being out-dueled by his former backup. Laurent Brossoit has an edge in goals-against, save percentage and goals saved above expected (minus 0.8 vs. minus 2.8).
But Hellebuyck has been in plenty of big games before, which puts him in good position to try and single-handedly steal a win with his team in desperation mode. The Jets are also winning the special-teams battle in this series. They have at least one power-play goal in each of the first four games and are 5-for-12 in the series, while Vegas is just 2-for-14.
Vegas Golden Knights
After Michael Amadio saved the Golden Knights with his double-OT winner in Game 3, Vegas cruised to a 4-2 win in Game 4 and controlled nearly 54% of expected goals at 5-on-5.
The Golden Knights have also been rolling out a reasonably balanced scoring attack. Five players, led by Chandler Stephenson's six points in four games, are averaging at least a point per game.
And compared to Winnipeg, Vegas is relatively healthy. There are no new injuries and depth forward William Carrier, who has been out since early March, skated in a regular jersey at practice on Wednesday, so he could soon be an option.
So far, the Golden Knights have used the same 12 forwards and six defensemen in all four games, and Brossoit has played every minute in net.
Jets vs. Golden Knights Pick
Every game in this series has featured six or more goals. So, the Game 5 total of 5.5 looks like it's predicated on the idea that the clubs will lock it down with the series outcome on the line.
If that happens, the Jets have a good chance of sending the series back to Winnipeg. A potential return of Ehlers and, even more importantly, a clutch showing from Hellebuyck will be the keys to success.
As we saw when the New York Islanders extended their series against Carolina on Tuesday, teams can dig a little deeper once they're truly desperate. That's the thinking behind the hockey cliché that the fourth game of a series is always the hardest to win.
Look for the Jets to give it everything they have and keep this series alive with a moneyline play that offers great value and is significantly more lucrative than the under.
Pick: Jets Moneyline | Play to +140 |
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