Here are The Game Day’s Oilers vs Jets prediction and bets for the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, including our Edmonton-Winnipeg Round 1 series preview.
Check out our 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Power Rankings and 2021 Stanley Cup Winner Odds and Best Bets.
Edmonton Oilers vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction: 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Bet Picks Preview
Edmonton Oilers Season Recap
The Edmonton Oilers had an excellent season overall, posting 72 points in the North Division, albeit in one of the weaker divisions in the sport. They wound up with a +29 goal differential, second-best in the all-Canadian North Division.
Edmonton was led by two superstars as they always seem to be — center Connor McDavid (33 goals, 71 assists) and center Leon Draisaitl (31 goals, 52 assists). This team is the Connor McDavid show offensively, but he certainly has help on that end and he quite honestly doesn’t even need it to make his team successful.
The Oilers split time between two veteran goalies in Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, both of whom did well. Smith was better overall with a 2.31 goals allowed average in comparison to Koskinen’s 3.14 goals allowed average.
Winnipeg Jets Season Recap
The Winnipeg Jets had a solid year of their own (not to the level of the Oilers). They finished the season with a +16 goal differential, which was good enough for the third seed in the North Division. They ended the season on a sour note, going 3-7 over their final ten games of the season.
Winnipeg had offensive production this season from a variety of places, including center Mark Scheifele (21 goals. 42 assists) and left wing Kyle Connor (26 goals). Left wing Nikolaj Ehlers and right wing Blake Wheeler both had 46 points and center Andrew Copp had 39 points. The Jets carry a balanced offensive attack that can help them hang with the high-powered offense of the Oilers.
The Jets had 27-year-old goalie Connor Hellebuyck man the post this season and he excelled to the tune of a .916 save percentage and allowed just 2.58 goals per game.
Edmonton Oilers vs Winnipeg Jets Matchup
The Oilers have the offensive firepower to push through the comparatively paper-thin defense of the Jets and can likely get to Hellebuyck with ease. Expect the Oilers and Connor McDavid to get to the Jets early and often throughout this series. I see this series being a five- or six-game square dance, but one the Oilers always have control over.
Edmonton Oilers vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction & Bet Pick
Oilers vs Jets Series Prediction
Edmonton Oilers in 6 games
Oilers vs Jets Bet Pick
Edmonton Oilers to win series (-190) at BetMGM
