League-leading Winnipeg Jets shrug off lukewarm reception from Stanley Cup bettors

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 9:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Mark Scheifele is known arsenic a "hockey nerd," whose knowing of the crippled has turned him into an elite NHL player.

But the Winnipeg Jets prima centre isn't losing slumber trying to fig retired wherefore his league-leading squad is being snubbed by betting sites arsenic Stanley Cup favourites. Many fashionable outlets don't adjacent person the Jets (53-21-4) successful the apical four.

"I don't truly deliberation astir it astatine all," Scheifele told The Canadian Press earlier Monday's crippled against the red-hot St. Louis Blues. "Honestly, it's not successful our brains astatine all.

"We're conscionable going to spell retired determination and play nary substance what and it doesn't substance what each that says."

Winnipeg defeated St. Louis 3-1 to not lone notch its club-record 53rd triumph of the play but drawback the Blues' 12-game triumph streak. However, that didn't look to determination the needle connected the DraftKings betting site.

On Tuesday, it had Winnipeg tied for 5th with Toronto astatine +1200 (12/1 odds). Dallas was favoured to hoist the Cup astatine +600, followed by defending-champion Florida and Colorado (both astatine +800). Tampa Bay and Edmonton were some astatine +900, portion Washington (second wide successful the league), Vegas and Carolina each came successful astatine +1100.

BetMGM's latest likelihood past week are similar.

The Jets, Capitals and Lightning are tied for sixth astatine +1100 portion the Maple Leafs were seventh astatine +1200. Dallas topped the likelihood astatine +600 and the Panthers were adjacent astatine +650.

The Avalanche sat astatine +750 portion the Oilers were astatine +850. The Hurricanes and Golden Knights were some astatine +1000.

"I don't cognize however they bash it," seasoned Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo said erstwhile asked if helium could explicate the odds. But helium shrugged disconnected immoderate deficiency of respect for what the Jets person accomplished truthful acold this season.

"No substance what the betting likelihood are, we conscionable privation to win," DeMelo said. "We conscionable privation to enactment ourselves successful the presumption wherever we're successful the playoffs and springiness ourselves a bully accidental to hopefully marque a agelong run.

"We're not excessively disquieted astir everybody else's cognition of us."

Maybe it has thing to bash with being a Canadian squad playing successful the league's smallest market?

"It may," DeMelo said. "I don't know.

"I similar our chances."

'I don't cognize a happening astir betting': Jets GM

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was asked during Monday's crippled connected Prime TV astir a deficiency of respect.

"If I knew what betting was each about, possibly I'd beryllium upset, but I don't cognize a happening astir betting," helium said. "That's fine.

"You know, we're Winnipeg, we person to punch supra our value and we're looking guardant to support connected playing the mode we're playing."

Heading into their last 4 regular-season games — including a showdown successful Dallas Thursday that could plaything the likelihood successful Winnipeg's favour — the Jets are poised to acceptable much franchise records.

Winnipeg has ne'er won the Presidents' Trophy for finishing atop the league standings. They're presently 3 points up of Washington.

Winnipeg has topped the Western Conference standings since Jan. 14 and has ne'er achieved that milestone, either. Same with winning the Central Division, which the Jets led by 5 points implicit Dallas, who hosted the Vancouver Canucks connected Tuesday.

Even if the oddsmakers aren't respecting the Jets, the aforesaid can't beryllium said for their league counterparts.

Vancouver defenceman Tyler Myers, who played for Winnipeg from February 2015 done the 2018-19 season, dismissed betting odds.

"I don't cognize who makes those odds, but it's usually radical who don't cognize overmuch astir hockey," Myers said pursuing Vancouver's 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Winnipeg connected March 30. "I wouldn't enactment excessively overmuch banal successful immoderate team's likelihood astatine immoderate clip of the year."

Winnipeg is successful a bully spot heading into the playoffs and could marque immoderate noise, helium added.

Canucks manager Rick Tocchet agreed.

"That's a bully hockey squad that has a accidental to triumph a Cup and I thought we went head-to-head connected them truly well," Tocchet said.

'They're a hard squad to play'

Robert Thomas, St. Louis's starring scorer, weighed successful connected the Jets earlier Monday's loss.

"I don't truly travel excessively overmuch connected the betting sites and each that crap, but they're a hard squad to play," helium said.

Thomas, of Aurora, Ont., didn't correlate Winnipeg's playoff likelihood with competing successful Canada and the smallest market.

"I deliberation a batch of radical cognize however unsafe this squad is," Thomas said. "They've got the offence, they've got the defence, they've got the goalie."

Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck is connected his mode to capturing his 2nd consecutive Vezina Trophy and 3rd of his career. He tied his franchise grounds for wins (44-12-3) against the Blues and leads the league successful prevention percent (.924) and goals-against mean (2.02)

Winnipeg was tied with Colorado for third-most goals successful the league with 265, down Washington (277) and Tampa Bay (276) earlier Tuesday's league action. The Jets besides person the lowest goals-against mean (2.32).

"They're precise committed defensively, 1 of the champion teams," St. Louis manager Jim Montgomery said. "And past … [Hellebuyck is] going to triumph the Vezina this year.

"So, [it] speaks for itself. They've done a large occupation each year. They're the measuring instrumentality successful the West."