The Jets are playing host to the Kings on Friday night at the Canada Life Centre, with puck drop set for 8:00 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Winnipeg is a +105 home underdog on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 5.5 goals. Neither team has revealed its starting goaltender, though I expect that it will be Eric Comrie for Winnipeg and Darcy Kuemper for Los Angeles.
Below, I’ll provide a preview, prediction and pick for Friday’s tilt between the Jets and Kings.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Los Angeles Kings prediction, preview
Jets preview
The Jets’ losing streak has grown to 11 games, which sets a franchise record. During this span, they have been outscored 38 to 25, and even let a 3-1 lead slip away last night against the Oilers. The club was without Connor Hellebuyck for 11 games, but his return has been underwhelming. Hellebuyck has started 10 of Winnipeg’s last 11 games, posting a 3.10 GAA and .876 SV%. Having played last night, he should get the night off tonight, with the Jets turning to Eric Comrie, who is 6-9-1 with a 3.49 GAA and a .880 SV% this season. Out of 86 eligible goaltenders, Comrie ranks 69th in goals saved above expected and 58th in SV% above expected.
On the season, Winnipeg ranks 22nd in goals per 60 and 26th in xGoals%. The club ranks 16th in 5v5 goals per 60, but it has failed to create high-quality chances or dominate puck possession, ranking 29th in 5v5 xGoals% and 23rd in 5v5 Corsi%. The Jets also rank 19th in PP% and have scored just three times out of 28 power play opportunities during this 11-game skid. Pair that with the fact that they rank 11th in penalty minutes per 60 and 25th in PK%, and the losing streak starts to make more sense.
Kings preview
The Kings have won two of their last three games, despite their mighty thin forward groups, thanks to multiple injuries. Tonight’s matchup will be the first game of a two-game road trip for the club, but it has the rest advantage over Winnipeg, having not played a back-to-back since Dec. 23. Because of the rest between each game, Darcy Kuemper has started each of the past four games for Los Angeles, and I’d expect that trend to continue tonight. Kuemper has allowed four goals in three of these starts, but he remains elite in the goaltending world, ranking eighth in goals saved above expected and 19th in SV% above expected.
Thanks to Kuemper’s excellence, the Kings have allowed the fourth-fewest goals per 60, and that ranking increases to the fewest goals per 60 when playing at 5v5. However, the offensive production hasn’t matched it, with the club scoring the fifth-fewest goals per 60 and fourth-fewest 5v5 goals per 60. The lack of offense has bled into the special teams, too. The Kings rank 28th in PP%, while scoring the seventh-fewest power play goals.
Jets vs. Kings pick, best bet
I don’t trust either of these teams, to be honest. If I had to choose a winner, I’d lean toward Winnipeg to finally break its losing streak after throwing the game away to Edmonton last night. However, taking the over on the total, set at O/U 5.5, is -120, and it holds 61% of the handle and 74% of the bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Comrie is an awful backup goaltender and has allowed at least four goals in each of his past four starts. Kuemper has shown moments of weakness recently, and Winnipeg still deploys lethal enough snipers to sneak a few goals past him. For what it’s worth, if the Kings decide to not start Kuemper, I like this bet even more.
