Written by Scott on Thursday, July 16th, 2020
Follow @BetNHL
The only all Canadian matchup of the opening round and it should be a good one. It’s two teams who have an existing rivalry so already off to a good start.
But who is going to win the series and how many games will it take?
In this article I will go over the series and say who I think will win and in how many games.
Jets vs Flames Series Prediction
The Jets played in 71 games and went 37-28-6 for 80 points and finished in 4th place in the Central Division. The Flames played in 70 games and went 36-27-7 for 79 points and finished in 3rd place in the Pacific Division.
This should be a great series and since it features two Canadian teams it will most likely be one of the most watched in Canada. They played once this season and it was the Jets winning 2-1 in overtime
The Jets have an amazing top line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor who are talented enough to carry the team. Behind them they have plenty of others who can step up with Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and if healthy Bryan Little.
On defense they have a decent group. Neal Pionk, Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov are their top 3 defensemen. In goal is where the Jets really shine. Conner Hellebuyck is a star and started 56 games winning 31 with a 2.57 GAA and a .922 save percentage. The Jets have no questions about their goaltending as Hellebuyck is their unquestioned number 1.
The Flames have a solid group of forwards. They are led by Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan. They also have Mikael Backlund and Andrew Mangiapane who round out the Flames top 6.
On defense the Flames are deep. Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, TJ Brodie and Rasmus Andersson are their top 4. Travis Hamonic has opted out of the playoffs due to the ongoing pandemic so his absence will sting. In goal the Flames have questions. The use David Rittich as their 1A with Cam Talbot the backup. Both are decent goalies but aren’t game changers.
This is going to be a great series and I expect it to go the distance and it’s a tough one to predict. They are similarly built with highly skilled forwards. The Flames have the edge on defense but in goal the Jets are favored. With this being a strange year for playoff hockey I am going to go with the team that has the better goaltending.
Jets in 5 Games
You can bet this series currently at:
Canada: Bovada, BetOnline...
Everyone Else: 888 Sports, BetOnline..
