Flames, Jets Headed For A Tight Game 2 Affair

Who needs 5-on-5 goals? Not the Calgary Flames, who used a dominant special teams performance to upend the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 and draw first blood in their best-of-five Western Conference postseason qualification series. And it gets worse for the Jets ahead of Monday's Game 2, with co-leading scorer Mark Scheifele not expected to return to the lineup due to injury.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Flames kicked things off as a -125 favorite but were quickly pushed into the -145 to -150 range depending on the sportsbook. The total, on the other hand, hasn't changed at all after Sportsbook at 5.5.

Winnipeg Jets News & Notes

The loss of Scheifele, who left in the first period of Game 1 after suffering a nasty leg injury, could be catastrophic to the Jets' chances of defeating the Flames and advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Scheifele had 29 goals and 44 assists in 71 games to tie Kyle Connor for the team points lead and recorded an assist in his only meeting with Calgary during the regular season.

His absence puts all the more pressure on Connor, who broke out in a big way with a career-best 38 goals – his third consecutive 30-goal campaign. Connor was held in check in the series opener, recording just two shots on goal while posting a minus-one rating in nearly 24 minutes of ice time. Connor also had an assist in his only regular-season encounter with the Flames.

Calgary Flames News & Notes

The Flames couldn't have asked for a better start to their best-of-five series with the rival Jets; they rode power-play goals from Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund, a shorthanded tally from Tobias Rieder and an Andrew Mangiapane empty-netter to their first victory over the Jets since a 4-1 road triumph back on Dec. 28, 2018.

But relying so heavily on special teams is not exactly a recipe for long-term success – and given how the Flames performed at full and even strength during the regular season, they're certainly not a lock to win Game 2. Calgary had just 134 5-on-5 goals this season, 20th in the NHL; the Jets finished one spot ahead of the Flames with 138 5-on-5 tallies.

Betting Pick: UNDER 5.5 Goals

Both teams' season-long 5-on-5 struggles combined with Scheifele's likely absence makes it more likely that this game ends up being a low-scoring affair.