Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 1/4/2019

Friday, January 4, 2019

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Winnipeg Jets travel to PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, January 4, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Jets at +110 and the Penguins at -140.

Winnipeg has a record of 25-12-2 this season. They are 1st in the Central Division. They've scored 134 goals and given up 111 goals for a point differential of +23. For the season they have an ATS record of 25-14-0 and an over/under record of 19-16-0. Pittsburgh is 22-12-6 this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 140 goals and surrendered 117 for a goal differential of +23. Their record against the spread is 21-18-0 while their over/under record is 17-17-0.

Valuable Winnipeg Jets Betting Trends

The Winnipeg Jets are 25-14-0 straight up this year

The Winnipeg Jets are 19-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 21-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 17-17-0 against the over/under this season

Key Winnipeg Jets Injuries

12/31/18 D Dustin Byfuglien Undisclosed is out indefinitely
12/01/18 D Joe Morrow Lower Body IR (12/01)

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Mark Scheifele has accumulated 49 total points this season for the Jets. He has 22 goals this year with 98 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 22%. He has a total of 27 assists on the season and averages 22.6 minutes played per game. Blake Wheeler averages 21.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by scoring 6 goals on 108 shots. He has 44 assists, giving him a total of 50 points on the season. Connor Hellebuyck has 17 wins and 11 losses this season in net for the Jets. He has 915 shots against him and he's given up 84 goals. He's made 831 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has scored 46 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 17 goals this season with 108 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 29 assists on the season and averages 18.1 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 18% by scoring 19 goals on 107 shots. He has 31 assists, giving him a total of 50 points on the season. Matt Murray has 10 wins and 5 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 519 shots against him and he's surrendered 48 goals. He's made 471 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Jets have 52 total points this season, which ranks them 4th in the NHL. They are 8th in the league in goals scored with 134 while they've given up 111 goals, ranking them 24th overall. They have had 121 power play opportunities and have scored 34 goals on those chances for a percentage of 28%. That is 2nd in the NHL. The Jets have allowed 113 power play opportunities and have given up 21 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, putting them 10th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.53% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 8th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins are 8th in the NHL with a total of 50 points this year. They have 30 power play goals on 111 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks them 5th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 112 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 3rd in the NHL. As a team, the Penguins are 5th in the league with 140 goals scored while they've given up 117 goals, which is 18th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.76%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Winnipeg is 14th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.4%, as they've attempted 2,301 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,265 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.3% as they have 1,736 attempts while they have given up 1,713 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 14th in the league. The Jets start possessions in the offensive zone 55.5% of the time, which is 2nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 44.5% for the season. That is 30th overall in the NHL. They have 1,223 face-off wins compared to 1,166 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.2%. That ranks them 9th in the league. On defense Winnipeg has 781 hits and they have blocked 552 shots from the opposition, putting them 21st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins are 29th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 47.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 52.6% for the season, which is 3rd in the NHL. They have 1,225 face-off wins compared to 1,215 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That is 14th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,174 hits and they have blocked 600 shots from the opposition, which is 8th in the league. Pittsburgh is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2% as they've attempted 2,302 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,374 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.6% ranks 18th as they have 1,747 attempts while they have given up 1,774 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Jets/Penguins NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Winnipeg +110

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