The Winnipeg Jets will be looking to extend their lead atop the Central Division standings when they host the free-falling Colorado Avalanche on Thursday as heavy -190 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winnipeg has won two in a row, capped by Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting New York Rangers that extended the club’s division lead over second-place Nashville to four points going into Thursday night’s matchup at MTS Centre.
The Jets’ rise to the top of the divisional standings has been built on an impressive performance on home ice. Winnipeg has won eight of its last nine on home ice, and now leads the Western Conference with a 21-6-3 home record.
Currently mired in an eight-game losing streak that has dumped them out of the Western Conference playoff picture, the Avalanche arrive in Winnipeg as lengthy +160 underdogs. Colorado has struggled at both ends of the ice during its longest slide in over two years, potting two or fewer goals on five occasions while surrendering 4.38 goals per game.
The Avalanche have also fallen to defeat in 11 of 12 road dates since Dec. 6, and are winless in seven trips to Winnipeg since January 2016, but remain just four points back of Minnesota in the hunt for the second Western Conference wild card.
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While the Jets soar, the Calgary Flames will be searching for an end to a three-game slide that has knocked them from their perch atop the Pacific Division standings when they continue a four-game road trip in Florida as slim -125 betting favourites.
The Flames were outclassed in a 6-3 loss in Tampa Bay as a +130 wager on Tuesday that marked their third defeat in four outings. The club’s recent dip leaves them trailing San Jose by one point in the divisional standings. However, the Flames have managed to hold steady as +280 favourites on the Western Conference championship odds, and could be poised to rebound against a Panthers squad that has lost four of six on home ice.
Elsewhere on the Thursday NHL odds, the Montreal Canadiens look to rebound from Saturday night’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs as they open a three-game road trip in Nashville as +145 underdogs at sports betting sites.
The Maple Leafs continue their six-game road trip in Vegas as small -100 underdogs, and the Ottawa Senators try to end a three-game road slide as they visit the Detroit Red Wings as +110 underdogs, while the Vancouver Canucks continue a three-game California swing in Los Angeles, also as a +110 wager.