Leafs' netminder Ilya Samsonov looks to shut the door once again on Winnipeg but will have to out play the league's hottest netminder in the Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck
The Jets and Leafs go for round two after a hard-fought 1-0 game Wednesday night where the Buds came out on top at home in overtime thanks to a deflection goal scored by Auston Matthews. The Jets backend saw a tough loss with Josh Morrissey out day-to-day with a lower body injury that has him join Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi on the sidelines of a battered Jets team. They’ve dropped two straight since losing their two of their best forwards and will need to find a way to keep the Leafs top five road offense at bay with now losing their best defenseman.
It should make for an exciting game with the Leafs looking for their fifth straight win in this matchup while the Jets look for their ninth win in 12 games since the start of the new year. If you want to get in on the Hockey Night in Canada action, here is our best bet for tonight’s exciting all-Canadian matchup.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Pick: Under 6.5 goals (-140)
The Jets have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this season when playing at home with the third-fewest goals against per game average with only 2.33 goals getting past the Jets stellar backend. The loss of Morrissey will be tough but they have kept opposing teams to under three goals in eight straight home games and in 15 of their 24 home games this season. It’ll be tough for the Leafs to get past Hellebuyck who’s been the league’s hottest goalie with a goals against average at 2.17 and a .925 save percentage that outranks every goalie who’s started 20 or more games this season.
The Jets will also have to get past a hot goalie in Ilya Samsonov, who is one of the most streaky goalies in the league. He’s starting to find his game however with two straight wins and most recently shutting out the Jets Wednesday, stopping all 32 shots in the process. He made headlines across the hockey world stopping a two on none chance by the Jets where he didn't allow a goal in a key part of the game. Both goalies should look great again in this game and help hit the under once again with possibly overtime as well.