Jets to fire on sitting Ducks on Friday

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

Thursday was a monster night on the ice. We swept the entire board, cashing all three player props and both sides en route to a 5-0 night.

Let's take a look at a couple plays I like on Friday.

Kings (-270) @ Blackhawks (+220)

Arvid Soderblom might be the worst goaltender in the NHL. He owns an .879 save percentage and ranks dead last in goals saved above expected per game among the 51 netminders with more than 20 played.

He has lost 10 of his past 12 starts, only picking up a pair of wins against a banged-up Coyotes team that sold several pieces ahead of the deadline.

Multiple goals decided every one of his 10 defeats suffered in this stretch. Soderblom has routinely given up crooked numbers, and the Blackhawks have struggled to give him goal support the occasional time he's held up his end of the bargain.

I expect another ugly performance versus the Kings. Los Angeles is fighting tooth and nail to try and catch the Oilers and earn home ice in the opening round.

Jordan Binnington stole the show against the Kings last time out, stopping 40 of 41 shots and stealing two deserved points. L.A. will be champing at the bit to get back on track and knows it has a golden opportunity to do just that against Chicago.

I don't think the Blackhawks' defense - nor Soderblom - will hold up against Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and some of the Kings stars who are heating up offensively.

Look for the Kings to cover the puck line in Chicago.

Bet: Kings -1.5 (-105)

Ducks (+310) @ Jets (-390)

Earlier in the week, we backed the Jets, citing how well they respond to seemingly every poor showing. They came through in a big way, putting their foot down against the Capitals in a 3-0 victory.

We'll use the same line of thinking, yet take a slightly different approach, versus Anaheim.

The Ducks are one of the league's worst teams. They struggle to score goals, give up plenty of scoring chances, and can't stay out of the penalty box. They are also in the latter half of a road back-to-back, having played in Minnesota on Thursday night.

This is a spot where the Jets - fresh off an ugly loss where they trailed by multiple goals early and never contended - will be looking to pounce on a vulnerable team. And they should have little problem doing so.

The Ducks have conceded 72 goals in the opening period, third most in the NHL. Conversely, the Jets have allowed only 46 goals in the first period, one of the league's best marks.

They should have no problem tightening the screws on the Ducks' weak offense while getting their share of opportunities at the other end.

The Jets are -390 to win this game, indicating they're a far superior team, and they likely take care of business.

Backing Winnipeg to start strong by winning the first period is a creative way to get involved at a more profitable price.

Bet: Jets first period -0.5 (-105)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.