Here we go again back up north as the Winnipeg Jets host the Dallas Stars in Game 5 with their backs against the wall. The Jets need a win tonight or face the end of their season if they can't pull this off at home.
Dallas opened things up in Game 1, beating the Jets 3-2 in Winnipeg after all five goals were scored in the second period. Then the Jets rallied and bounced back in Game 2, shutting out their visitors and winning 4-0. After that, the Jets had to leave their home ice and head down to Texas. That's when things got out of hand.
The Stars dominated in Game 3 at home, winning 5-2 and killing all four penalties they faced. Things were tied after two periods, but Dallas netted two quick ones early in the third and never looked back. We saw something similar in Game 4, Mikael Granlund single-handedly put up a hat trick for the Stars, as they cruised to a 3-1 win. Now they have a shot at ending things tonight, or will the Jets figure out a way to send this series back to Texas?
My lean is certainly with the Jets to extend this series, however I don't think I have enough faith in Connor Hellebuyck. He hasn't had to save all that many shots this series, just under 24 per game, yet the Stars are still putting up nearly three goals a game. Normally that wouldn't be all that bad, but when the Jets offense is slightly nonexistent when they need it most, you could run into some trouble.
All year long, Winnipeg has been much better at home, both between the posts and on the attack. But this isn't a team that's relied on offense throughout the season or playoffs. Defense is the name of the game for Winnipeg, and despite being in a must-win situation, I believe they'll stick to that game plan.
Let's get ready for another sweaty under. We've seen three of four games stay under this 5.5 number this series, including both games in Winnipeg, and all four matches during the regular season. That's a lot of unders.
We'll stick with the trend considering both of these goaltenders can be elite on their best night. Oettinger has looked solid pretty much all series, having his lowest save percentage of 87.5% in Game 2 where he didn't get any offensive support. He's stopped over 92% of shots in the other three contests, including stopping 31/32 in Game 4. I've got faith in Otter and the rest of the Stars defense to limit the Jets chances, keeping this low scoring.
As for Hellebuyck, we are betting on him improving. The Stars only managed 24 and 21 SOGs the last time they were in Winnipeg. Even though the Jets will need some goals to win this game, I see their defensive focus increasing and them successfully limiting Dallas' high danger chances. Give me the Jets to survive and advance, but only to Game 6.
Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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