The Winnipeg Jets will be looking to stay perfect against the Ottawa Senators when they open a two-game home set with their North Division rivals on Thursday as strong minus-190 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winnipeg tallied wins in three January meetings with the Senators, and has claimed victory in nine of its last 11 dates with Ottawa going into Thursday night’s matchup at Bell MTS Place.
Early season success against Ottawa has played a big role in the Jets’ climb into fourth place in the North Division. Winnipeg has also consistently turned in steady performances on home ice this season, going 5-2-1 overall while averaging a respectable 3.75 goals per game.
Conversely, it has been a rough start for the Senators, who look to Thursday’s matchup as plus-165 underdogs at online betting sites. Ottawa hits the road for a five-game road trip buried in last place in the standings with a 2-11-1 record, including losses in their past three outings.
But while the Senators fell to defeat by multi-goal margins on six occasions during a 1-8-1 stretch, they have shown signs of a turnaround over the past week. The team stunned Montreal with a 3-2 win at the Bell Centre last Thursday, and pushed the Canadiens to the brink in a 2-1 home loss two days later. The Senators also outplayed Edmonton in a 3-2 loss on Tuesday, outshooting the Oilers by a wide 42-22 margin. However, the team allowed 4.60 goals per game while losing four of its past five games in Winnipeg.
Elsewhere on the NHL Thursday odds, the Calgary Flames will try to win three in a row for the first time this season as they visit Vancouver as minus-140 favourites, while the Canadiens host Edmonton as similar minus-140 chalk.
The Flames travel to Vancouver for three games after posting a 3-2 victory over the Jets as a minus-130 wager. Overall, Calgary has won four of its past six contests, but has stumbled to a 2-3-1 record in six road dates so far this season.
High pre-season expectations have quickly evaporated for the Canucks, who enter Thursday’s contest as plus-120 home underdogs. Vancouver returns home after closing out a six-game road trip with five straight losses while getting outscored by a heavy 26-10 margin. The Canucks have been far steadier on home ice, winning four of their first six outings, but have scored just 10 total goals while going 1-5-0 in their last six dates with the Flames.
The Oilers, meanwhile, travel to Montreal on a steady 5-1-0 run, and have earned the win in seven of their past nine road dates with the Canadiens.
