The first round of the East Division begins Wednesday night as the Winnipeg Jets travel to Alberta to take on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Both clubs haven't played since last weekend, leaving them plenty of time to heal up. The Jets will need all the help they can get as the Oilers have dominated the season series and have won six straight meetings by a combined score of 21-7.
Oddsmakers have the home side as -155 favorites with the total opening at 6 and trending to the Under. Edmonton is paying -175 to win the best-of-seven series.
Here are our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Jets vs Oilers on May 19.
Jets vs Oilers game info
• Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
• Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSN, Sportsnet
Jets vs Oilers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonEdmonton landed on PointsBet USA's odds board as -140 chalk Friday, spent most of the past few days at -150 and is up to -160 on game day. As of 5:30 p.m. ET, ticket count and money are both running beyond 4/1 on the Oilers. The total opened at 6 and stayed there until this morning, when the number dropped to 5.5 (Over -120), although the Over is drawing 71 percent of tickets/79 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameJets vs Oilers series odds
Jets: +155
Oilers: -175
Jets at Oilers betting preview
Injuries
Jets: Bryan Little F (Out), Nikolaj Ehlers F (Questionable), Andrew Copp F (Questionable), Pierre-Luc Dubois F (Questionable), Paul Stastny F (Questionable).
Oilers: Zack Kassian f (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Oilers have won the last six meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Jets vs. Oilers.
Moneyline pick
When pricing playoff underdogs, the Jets easily stand out. They have the reigning Vezina winner in Connor Hellebuyck and... that’s about it. The Jets don't have a lot going for them these days and finished the regular season on a 5-10 SU slide, which was the worst record out of any playoff team and the second-worst record in the league over that stretch.
The Oilers washed the Jets this season, taking seven of the nine meetings and outscoring the third-place Jets 12-2 over the three most recent matches.
Edmonton goalie Mike Smith enjoyed his best season in over a decade and stymied the Jets over his four starts in 2021. The veteran netminder went 4-0 SU versus his North Division opponents and allowed just nine goals while getting one shutout. If you’re looking for some plus money on the underdog, maybe look elsewhere.
Speaking of Hellebuyck, he was not at his best down the stretch. Over the final month, Helly went 3-6 SU and gave up three or more goals six times. He finished the season with an adjusted GAA of 2.86 and finished 19th in xhigh-danger save percentage. More importantly, he had no answer for the Oilers this year and went 2-5 SU with a sad .877 save percentage to go along with an equally disappointing 3.96 GAA.
The Jets’ special teams have also faltered of late as they own a Bottom-10 PP and PK since the trade deadline. That’s not a recipe for success, especially when the Oilers have the league’s second-best powerplay over the last month (30.2 percent).
A big part of handicapping the Oilers is how well teams can bottle up soon-to-be league MVP, Connor McDavid. All McJesus did this season versus the Jets was score seven goals and add another 15 helpers over nine games — good for 2.44 points per contest. Fellow game-changer, Leon Draisaitl, added another seven goals in his nine games. McDavid and Draisaitl could have plenty of ice if Winnipeg’s Pierre-Luc Dubois can’t suit up. The physical forward didn’t practice Monday and also missed Sunday’s skate.
The Jets seem to have forgotten how to win heading into the playoffs and even at +135, we can’t get behind them. Edmonton is a surprisingly physical club and could win a lot of battles against an inferior Winnipeg team that is too reliant on a goalie who is not in great form.
PREDICTION: Edmonton 3-way ML (+110)
Over/Under pick
Game 1 is the only playoff series with an opening game with a total of 6. Every one of the nine meetings this year closed at 6 or 6.5 and finished at 4-4-1 O/U. But looking at the more recent games — over the last two months — the Under is 1-3-1 as the Jets’ offense has struggled to light the lamp.
In the six most recent meetings (all Edmonton wins) the Jets have failed to score more than two goals and netted one or fewer goals four times. The Winnipeg powerplay is 3-for-16 over those six games which isn’t a terrible number but at 2.67 powerplay opportunities per game, the Jets sure aren’t drawing a lot of penalties.
Smith has stonewalled Winnipeg in net this season and has stopped 91 of 94 shots over his three most recent meetings. This month, the 39-year-old goalie is 4-0 SU with a 2.09 GAA. Smith has also posted stellar playoff peripherals in limited action, boasting a glorious .934 save percentage across 25 postseason games.
Yeah, we know McDavid and Co. can rack up the points, but with a high total of 6 and not expecting much from the Winnipeg offense, we have to hit the Under in Game 1. The push is a great buffer here, as well. We're thinking an outcome similar to Colorado's 4-1 win on Monday is comparable.
PREDICTION: Under 6 (-120)
Jets vs Oilers betting card
- Edmonton 3-way ML (+110)
- Under 6 (-120)
Picks made on 5/18/2021 at 11:12 a.m. ET
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NHL Jets vs. Oilers picks, you could win $28.50 on a $10 bet?
Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on the NHL?
You can bet on NHL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NHL moneylines, puck lines, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NHL prop odds. Head over to our best sportsbooks for NHL betting in your area.
