by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Jan 13, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Where to watch: NHLN, ATTSN-PT, SN, TVAS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Penguins -180, Jets +155
FanDuel: Penguins -178, Jets +146
BetMGM: Penguins -190, Jets +155
Caesars: Penguins -179, Jets +152
Season record
Jets: 27-14-1
Penguins: 21-13-6
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Jets - Penguins preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Jets: won 4-2 at Sabres on Thursday
Penguins: won 5-4 vs. Canucks on Tuesdsay
The Winnipeg Jets will be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday in Pittsburgh.
The Winnipeg Jets won against the Buffalo Sabres tonight, January 12, in Buffalo with a score of 4-2. The Winnipeg Jets are ranked 2nd in the Central Division. Kyle Connor broke a tie on a third-period breakaway. Nikolaj Ehlers intercepted Rasmus Dahlin’s pass and passed the puck to Connor who then scored. Dylan Samberg, Josh Morrissey, and Karson Kuhlman scored the other three goals for Winnipeg, while Connor Hellebuyck made 39 saves.
“It was a great performance. He’s been great all year,” Connor said about Hellebuyck. “I think he’s been great ever since he got into this league and he just continues to show, even after a night like in Detroit (six goals allowed in a 7-5 loss), that his confidence never wavers. He comes right back out and plays one of his best games of the year.”
"We had everyone in there battling and wanting that win," said Hellebuyck. "When you have everyone, and those fine details, that's the result you get."
The Winnipeg Jets have won six of their last 10 games. They have won the last six of their last seven games and are hoping to continue their winning streak this Friday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins won against the Vancouver Canucks last Tuesday, January 10, in Pittsburgh with a score of 5-4. The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 5th in the Metropolitan Division. Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added two assists as they came back from an early deficit to plow past the Vancouver Canucks. Malkin started the comeback with Pittsburgh’s first power-play goal in nearly two weeks. Jason Zucker, Sidney Crosby, and Rickard Rakell also scored for Pittsburgh.
"On the bench, we believe we can come back," said Malkin. "Guys support each other. It was a live bench tonight. Everything works. Power play worked; PK worked. It's a huge win for us, for sure."
The Pittsburgh Penguins won two straight games after a six-game losing streak. All in all only won three of their last 10 games.
On what led to the Penguins' comeback in their game against the Canucks, the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan had this to say. "I just think a lot of it, for me, starts with our leadership. Those guys, they were pretty vocal on the bench. They played an inspired game. Even though we were down a few goals, we felt like we were carrying a lot of the play. We just tried to stay with it. The special teams were good on both sides tonight. That was a big part of it. But I think the character of our leadership steps up in those types of occasions, and they did it again for us tonight."
Prediction
The Penguins are in need of a win to keep the momentum going. Pittsburgh has won nine of their last 10 against Western Conference teams and the over has hit in 3 of its last 4 home games. The Jets, being on the second night of a back-to-back and with travel from Buffalo, will need exceptional goaltending from David Rittich. Winnipeg is just so good right now. Jets 4, Penguins 3
Betting trends
Jets are 14-9 after winning 4 or 5 of their last 6 this season.
Jets are 5-3 revenging a loss where they got shut out the last 3 seasons.
Penguins are 12-4 after a non-conference game this season.
Projected lines
Jets:
Cole Perfetti -- Mark Scheifele -- Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Nikolaj Ehlers
Morgan Barron -- Adam Lowry -- Karson Kuhlman
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby -- Kevin Stenlund -- Sam Gagner
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon -- Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg -- Nate Schmidt
David Rittich
Penguins:
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Rickard Rakell
Danton Heinen -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen
Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Brock McGinn
Marcus Pettersson -- Jan Rutta
Brian Dumoulin -- Ty Smith
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Chad Ruhwedel
Casey DeSmith
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Winnipeg Jets - Pittsburgh Penguins prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
