Roope Hintz couldn't mark the score sheet in Game 7 vs. Colorado, but he'll leave his mark in Game 1 against Winnipeg.
This article contains predictions for an old game!
The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars will square off in a battle of Central Division powerhouses that advanced by the skin of their teeth in the opening round.
Roope Hintz played a prominent role in Dallas’ series win, and tonight’s Stars vs. Jets predictions expect more of the same in Game 1 of the 2nd round.
Let’s dive deeper into my NHL picks for May 7.
I like the Dallas Stars to take care of business in the series opener. They have more scoring depth to overcome injuries than the Jets, and Jake Oettinger drastically outperformed Connor Hellebuyck in the opening round despite much tougher competition.
My Stars vs Jets pick: Roope Hintz Over 0.5 points (-135 at BET99)
Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen started their opening-round series on different lines. After a few quiet performances, Pete DeBoer reunited the Finns on the top unit, and the results spoke for themselves.
Rantanen understandably gets all the headlines following his heroic effort against his former team, but Hintz had six points over the series’ final three games. Dating back further, Hintz recorded five shots on goal in three of the final five games.
He looked like a much more threatening player with Rantanen by his side. Hintz didn’t have his best season — he put forth his lowest goal total since 2020-21, and his second lowest point total in that span — but he ended the year scorching hot, piling up 36 points over his final 30 games.
And, again, he carried that forward in the playoffs after a couple of quiet nights out of the gate. Playing on the top line and No. 1 power play alongside one of the most prolific playoff point producers in the sport in Rantanen, who is now at the top of his game, Hintz is in a prime situation to produce offense.
He’ll also be going up against Hellebuyck, who, for whatever reason, always seems to struggle when the games matter most. Of the 16 starting goaltenders to play in the opening round, Hellebuyck ranked dead last in save percentage (.830) and high-danger save percentage (.692).
If Hintz helps create a handful of opportunities — and there’s every reason to believe he will — at least one should find the back of the net.
Roope Hintz Over 0.5 points
Mikko Rantanen Over 0.5 points
Gabriel Vilardi Over 0.5 points
Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz are heavily correlated. They’re playing on the same line at 5-on-5, share minutes on the power play unit, and they finished first and second on the team in shots and scoring chances during the opening round.
If one finds the score sheet, it’s likely the other will as well. Going the other way, I like Gabriel Vilardi’s chances of making his presence felt for the Jets. He recorded 11 scoring chances in three games after returning from injury, but did not hit the scoresheet once.
Vilardi’s game is built upon creating offense around the net, and he’s done just that. It’s only a matter of time before he’s rewarded for his efforts.
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Roope Hintz has points in four of his last six games against Winnipeg. Find more NHL betting trends for Stars vs. Jets.
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Todd Cordell is a data-driven betting analyst. He uses numbers to help identify value across a wide variety of sports, with NHL being his specialty. Shot props, in particular, have proven to be a very fruitful market. Todd has served as a betting analyst in the public sphere for many years, most recently with theScore covering the NHL and MLB.
When not writing about sports betting, Todd stays busy analyzing the New Jersey Devils with a fine-tooth comb for InfernalAccess, his Devils-centric blog. Todd attended Sheridan College and graduated in 2014 with a diploma in print journalism.
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