Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames - 2020 NHL Playoff Series Picks and Predictions

The Winnipeg Jets, led by head coach Paul Maurice, had an up and down regular season, to say the least. There were many times throughout the season where some speculated that coach Maurice was on the hot-seat, but luckily for him and his team, he will enter the postseason as the ninth seed. Winnipeg's leading scorer in the regular season was LW Kyle Connor, as he scored 38 goals and 35 assists for 73 points. The Jets goaltender is none other than G Connor Hellebuyck, who has been one the Western Conference's best goaltenders this year. He had a .922 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average in the regular season. 

The Calgary Flames are coached by interim head coach Geoff Ward. Ward was the assistant coach for the Flames, Devils, and Bruins before. He was a Stanley Cup Champion with the Bruins in 2011, so he does have some playoff experience, just none as a head coach. The Flames leading scorer during the regular season was LW Matthew Tkachuk, who scored 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 points. The Flames goaltenders are G David Rittich and Cam Talbot, with Rittich most likely being the starter in game one. 

The Flames and Jets were only able to play one of their three scheduled games in the regular season, as the other two games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jets were victorious in that game, 2-1 in Overtime. 

This series has to be in the top-five most anticipated series of the Qualifying round, as both teams are almost even skill-wise. This series has five games written all over it, and it could be the closest series of them all. I expect many overtime games and tough battles down the stretch, and I will take the Winnipeg Jets to win the series in five games. I trust Hellebuyck a lot more than Rittich/Talbot, and I think the Jets have more firepower on offense as well. Bet This NHL Series Here