by Ian S. Palmer
Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets betting preview – Oddsmakers list the Ducks as the favorites to win the series at 2/3 with the Jets at 13/10
The top-seeded NHL Western Conference Anaheim Ducks square off against the seventh-seeded Winnipeg Jets in a best-of-seven opening round playoff series. The Ducks finished the regular season with a record of 51-24-7 for 109 points while the Jets had a mark of 43-26-13 for 99 points. Anaheim went 3-0 against Winnipeg this season and outscored them 12-8. This is the first-ever playoff meeting between the two teams and the Jets’ first postseason visit since the franchise moved back to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011.
The Ducks were the 11th highest scoring team in the league this season with 2.78 goals per game while the Jets ranked 16th at 2.72. Defensively, Anaheim allowed 2.70 goals against per outing to rank 20th in the league while Winnipeg was 11th best at 2.49 goals against. The Ducks power play struggled as it was ranked 28th in the NHL at 15.7 per cent with the Jets ranked 17th at 17.8 per cent. As for the penalty-killing stats, the Ducks were 15th-best at 81.0 percent while the Jets’ 81.8 per cent ranked them at number 13.
Anaheim topped the West for the second consecutive season and won the Pacific Division for a third straight year. They have been knocked out of the playoffs by lower-seeded teams the last two seasons, with both losses coming in game seven on home ice. It may be hard to imagine how they won the West with such a poor power play to go along with average penalty-killing and goals-against statistics. However, the Ducks always seem to find a way to win, at least in the regular season that is.
The Jets set a new franchise record with their 99 points and made the playoffs on the last weekend after putting together an impressive late-season spurt, which included three-consecutive shutouts during the final week of play. The Jets’ franchise have reached the postseason just once before, which came in the 2006/07 as the Atlanta Thrashers. Things didn’t go too well as the New York Rangers swept them in the first round.
Frederik Andersen and John Gibson shared the goaltending duties this season and coach Bruce Boudreau could go with either in this series. Winnipeg also had a couple of goalies share the net with rookie Michael Hutchinson and veteran Ondrej Pavelec taking turns in stretches. Pavelec took over as number one during the stretch run though and his play helped Winnipeg make the playoffs. The Ducks are led by center and captain Ryan Getzlaf while the unsung Bryan Little is a sparkplug for the Jets. Little reached the 20-goal plateau for the third time despite missing 11 games.
Corey Perry is also a leader with the Ducks and scored 30 goals for the fifth time in his career even though he missed 15 games. Anaheim may have earned six points in three games against Winnipeg this year, but one game went to overtime and another was settled by a shootout. The Ducks scored four goals in all three of the games, but each team made moves at the trade deadline. Winnipeg’ top defenseman has rejoined the team after sitting out a four-game suspension during the final stages of the season.
Check out Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets Betting Odds and Handicapping Information from Bovada:
