Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Friday 5/18/18
Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights (-125, 5.5)
Golden Knights lead series 2-1.
The Vegas Golden Knights might be an expansion team, but the play of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in back-to-back victories has lifted them to a 2-1 lead over the Winnipeg Jets entering Friday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at home. Fleury made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, surviving relentless pressure from the Jets in pushing the first-year club to within two victories of the Stanley Cup finals - a place Fleury reached with Pittsburgh the past two seasons.
Fleury, who leads all remaining goaltenders in postseason save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.70), admits nobody thought Vegas would play this deep into May, telling reporters after Game 3: “It’s been a long season. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. Really proud of this team and the way these guys have been working.” Once again it was forward Jonathan Marchessault who sparked the Golden Knights offense, scoring a pair of goals for the second consecutive game and recording his third-straight two-point night in the series. Meanwhile, the Jets looked sloppy and slow in the initial minutes of Game 3 and allowed a goal on a defensive miscue by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but pounded 16 shots at Fleury in the final 20 minutes and came close to tying the score several times. “They’re playing really well because they’re a really good team,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters after recording two assists in Game 3. “You put yourself in a tough position when you’re down by a couple goals on the road, tough environment against a good team. So, the onus is on us to get off to a better start.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA
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LINE HISTORY: The host Vegas Golden Knights opened as -120 moneyline favorites and that number has been bumped up slightly to -125 as of Thursday evening. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.
COVERS CONSENSUS: The Covers Consensus public is supporting the home favorite with 67 percent of wagers coming in on the Golden Knights. The Over is seeing the edge in totals action with 69 percent of the bets. Check out the complete consensus data here.
GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Connor Hellebuyck 44 11 9 2.36 .924 6
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 13 4 2.24 .927 4
INJURY REPORT:
Jets - LW Nikolaj Ehlers (Questionable, Undisclosed), D Dmitry Kulikov (Out Indefinitely, Back).
Golden Knights - LW David Perron (Questionable, Illness), LW William Carrier (Questionable, Upper Body), G Malcolm Subban (Questionable, Illness), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).
ABOUT THE JETS (61-25-9-2, 47-47 O/U): Winnipeg did get the dynamic duo from its top line rolling again, as Mark Scheifele scored twice to give him a league-high 14 goals for the playoffs and Wheeler boosted his NHL-best assist total to 17. But second-line forward Nikolaj Ehlers was scratched with an undisclosed injury and the Jets looked out of sorts, as Hellebuyck got caught behind his net while allowing a goal 12 seconds after Scheifele tied the game in the second period. Hellebuyck finished with 26 saves as Winnipeg lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March and now trails a postseason series for the first time this spring.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (61-26-5-3, 47-44 O/U): Marchessault now has 17 points (eight goals) in the playoffs, and along with linemates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith continue to give the Jets defense all kinds of trouble. Playoff veteran James Neal finished with a goal and an assist in Game 3, ending the night plus-3 and leading the Golden Knights with five shots on goal. Fleury made a handful of highlight-worthy saves with Vegas nursing a one-goal lead in the final period, and got plenty of help as the Golden Knights finished with 18 blocked shots and 18 takeaways.
TRENDS:
* Jets are 19-7 in their last 26 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 33-12 in their last 45 home games.
* Over is 4-0 in Jets' last 4 road games.
* Over is 4-0 in Golden Knights' last 4 home games.
Preview: Jets at Golden Knights
Gracenote
May 17, 2018
The Vegas Golden Knights might be an expansion team, but the play of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in back-to-back victories has lifted them to a 2-1 lead over the Winnipeg Jets entering Friday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at home. Fleury made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, surviving relentless pressure from the Jets in pushing the first-year club to within two victories of the Stanley Cup finals - a place Fleury reached with Pittsburgh the past two seasons.
Fleury, who leads all remaining goaltenders in postseason save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.70), admits nobody thought Vegas would play this deep into May, telling reporters after Game 3: “It’s been a long season. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. Really proud of this team and the way these guys have been working.” Once again it was forward Jonathan Marchessault who sparked the Golden Knights offense, scoring a pair of goals for the second consecutive game and recording his third-straight two-point night in the series. Meanwhile, the Jets looked sloppy and slow in the initial minutes of Game 3 and allowed a goal on a defensive miscue by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but pounded 16 shots at Fleury in the final 20 minutes and came close to tying the score several times. “They’re playing really well because they’re a really good team,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters after recording two assists in Game 3. “You put yourself in a tough position when you’re down by a couple goals on the road, tough environment against a good team. So, the onus is on us to get off to a better start.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA
ABOUT THE JETS: Winnipeg did get the dynamic duo from its top line rolling again, as Mark Scheifele scored twice to give him a league-high 14 goals for the playoffs and Wheeler boosted his NHL-best assist total to 17. But second-line forward Nikolaj Ehlers was scratched with an undisclosed injury and the Jets looked out of sorts, as Hellebuyck got caught behind his net while allowing a goal 12 seconds after Scheifele tied the game in the second period. Hellebuyck finished with 26 saves as Winnipeg lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March and now trails a postseason series for the first time this spring.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Marchessault now has 17 points (eight goals) in the playoffs, and along with linemates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith continue to give the Jets defense all kinds of trouble. Playoff veteran James Neal finished with a goal and an assist in Game 3, ending the night plus-3 and leading the Golden Knights with five shots on goal. Fleury made a handful of highlight-worthy saves with Vegas nursing a one-goal lead in the final period, and got plenty of help as the Golden Knights finished with 18 blocked shots and 18 takeaways.
OVERTIME
1. The intensity ramped up in Game 3 as the two teams combined for 89 hits and 40 penalty minutes.
2. Golden Knights F David Perron, who missed the past two games with an undisclosed illness, skated with the team during Thursday’s practice.
3. Vegas F Erik Haula picked up his first point of the series, assisting on Neal’s goal and finishing plus-2 with four takeaways in 13:33.
PREDICTION: Jets 3, Golden Knights 2
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W/L Trends
Winnipeg
Jets are 7-0 in their last 7 Friday games.
Jets are 23-8 in their last 31 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Jets are 19-7 in their last 26 vs. Pacific.
Jets are 15-6 in their last 21 vs. a team with a winning record.
Jets are 7-3 in their last 10 road games.
Jets are 16-7 in their last 23 vs. Western Conference.
Jets are 35-16 in their last 51 overall.
Jets are 35-17 in their last 52 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Vegas
Golden Knights are 6-1 in their last 7 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Golden Knights are 6-1 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Golden Knights are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Central.
Golden Knights are 4-1 in their last 5 overall.
Golden Knights are 6-2 in their last 8 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Golden Knights are 33-12 in their last 45 home games.
Golden Knights are 36-16 in their last 52 games playing on 1 days rest.
Golden Knights are 43-20 in their last 63 vs. Western Conference.
OU Trends
Winnipeg
Over is 4-0 in Jets last 4 road games.
Under is 4-0 in Jets last 4 Friday games.
Over is 3-0-1 in Jets last 4 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Jets last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 4-1-1 in Jets last 6 vs. Pacific.
Vegas
Over is 3-0-1 in Golden Knights last 4 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Golden Knights last 4 home games.
Over is 14-2 in Golden Knights last 16 Friday games.
Over is 3-1-1 in Golden Knights last 5 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Under is 3-1-1 in Golden Knights last 5 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
NHL
Long Sheet
Friday, May 18
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WINNIPEG (61-26-0-10, 132 pts.) at VEGAS (61-27-0-7, 129 pts.) - 5/18/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 62-34 ATS (+17.9 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 35-18 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VEGAS is 21-12 ATS (+8.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 61-37 ATS (+11.7 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 38-20 ATS (+8.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 32-14 ATS (+13.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WINNIPEG is 20-10 ATS (+7.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
WINNIPEG is 34-23 ATS (+6.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WINNIPEG is 24-13 ATS (+7.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 4-2 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 4-2-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)
NHL
Friday, May 18
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Trend Report
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Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Winnipeg is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Winnipeg is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Winnipeg is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
NHL
Friday, May 18
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Trend Report
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Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Winnipeg is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Winnipeg is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Winnipeg is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg