Winnipeg Jets @ Edmonton Oilers Tips - Oilers too slick for low flying Jets

The Winnipeg Jets take on the Edmonton Oilers in an NHL North Division regular season game on Sunday, March 21. This will be the sixth meeting this season between the Jets and the Oilers, with Edmonton leading the series 3-2. 

On Friday (March 19) the Oilers eked out a 2-1 win over the Jets, with all of the action taking place in the second period of the game. It was a far cry from the eleven goal thriller they took part in back in February. In fact Friday’s game was by far the lowest scoring of all of their matches this season. 

I’m backing Edmonton to continue with this ultra-disciplined approach, and score another close, low-scoring win over Winnipeg on Sunday. 

These two teams have played each other 46 times previously, with Edmonton leading their head to head 26 wins to 20. However, in the ten matches they have played since the start of 2018, Winnipeg lead 7-5. They have played each other five times in 2021, with the Oilers leading 3-2. In their most recent game on March 19, Edmonton were victorious 2-1. 

The Winnipeg Jets are currently 3rd in the NHL North Division, with 38 points, two off the joint-leaders the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Jets have won 18 games and lost 12, two of those via overtime shootouts, which grants them a point each time. 

Until recently, Winnipeg were second in the North Division, and very much one of the most feared teams in the league. However, the Jets have started to lose as many games as they win, literally alternating a win with a loss over their last ten games (5-5), which has cost them precious points and dashed their air of invincibility.

The Edmonton Oilers are level on points with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the top of the NHL North Division. Edmonton have 40 points, having played 33 games, of which they have won 20 and lost 13.  No team in the NHL has won more games than Edmonton except the Tampa Bay Lightning (21). 

It’s a far cry from the nightmare that was January for Edmonton. At the end of that month, the Oilers were bottom of the division, with a 3-6 record. Since then they have gone 17-7 and become a major force in the NHL this season, and one of the favorites to lift the Stanley Cup. Friday’s 2-1 win over Winnipeg showed just how far Edmonton have come in a few weeks, going from 1-2 down vs the Jets this season to 3-2 up.