The Jets and Blues will meet each other tonight in Game 7 at Canada Life Centre. The home team has won every game of this series, so Winnipeg is naturally a -180 favorite on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at O/U 5.5 goals with goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington starting.
See below for my preview and prediction for tonight’s Game 7 matchup between the Jets and Blues.
Jets vs. Blues Game 7 preview, prediction
Neither team has lost at home this series, so the odds are certainly in Winnipeg’s favor. Nikolaj Ehlers’ return in Game 6 was a welcome one but the absence of Mark Scheifele was noticeable, and he has been ruled out for Game 7. The Jets’ backbone during the regular season, Connor Hellebuyck, has turned into their Achilles heel this series. The Vezina candidate was pulled from all three road games and sports the worst goals saved above expected percentage this postseason. Luckily, the game is in Winnipeg tonight, where he has been better but still below average. In such a high-stakes game, however, it sorta feels like home-ice advantage won’t matter too much for the Jets, especially with poor goaltending.
The Blues see quite the drop-off in production when playing on the road this series. They’ve averaged just 2.33 goals per game and have heavily depended on their power play to find the back of the net. Coming off a five-goal game, though, I like their chances to carry some momentum into tonight’s game. Jordan Binnington has a career .968 save percentage in Game 7s, and while he’s been worse in Winnipeg this series, he has certainly outplayed Hellebuyck. The Jets only scored on the power play in Game 6 and will likely continue to struggle at 5-on-5 without Scheifele, which should make for an easier night for Binnington.
Jets vs. Blues Game 7 pick, best bet
I will likely be in the minority tonight but I’m rolling with the Blues to get the first road win by either team this series. It’s simply too hard to trust Hellebuyck, who still sports just a .879 save percentage at home this series. Scheifele’s absence hurts Winnipeg’s 5-on-5 impact a bit too much for my liking and the Blues are coming into tonight with some momentum. St. Louis is a team that has thrived on chaos over the last three months and there’s nothing more chaotic than a Game 7.
