Winnipeg Jets vs Carolina Hurricanes Predictions

Carolina catches Winnipeg in a deep slide

Carolina Hurricanes / NHL.com reports that Carolina enters Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET home game at 11-2-2 after three straight wins. Winnipeg is 4-7-3 and winless in eight, making the Hurricanes the more likely winner despite their -265 moneyline.

The Jets have allowed five goals in each of their past three games while scoring seven in total. They also lost the first meeting with Carolina 3-2 on October 17, but that one-goal result makes Hurricanes -1.5 less convincing than the teams’ current form might suggest.

Unconfirmed lineups limit the wager

Winnipeg Jets / NHL.com says the team changed its lineup during the first two games of this four-game trip and could not project Sunday’s combinations before warm-ups. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi were reunited during the third period of Thursday’s 5-2 loss at Florida, leaving uncertainty around how Winnipeg will respond.

Carolina will be without Jordan Staal because of a calf tear and Taylor Hall because of an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes also had not named Pyotr Kochetkov or Brandon Bussi as the starting goalie, so there isn’t enough information to support a play on the 6.5 total.

Prediction and betting lean

Carolina is the pick to win, but -265 offers little room for lineup or goaltending uncertainty. Winnipeg’s recent defensive results rule out backing the underdog at +215, while the first meeting and the Jets’ unsettled lineup leave too much doubt around either side of the 1.5-goal spread. Pass.