This series was destined for seven games. The Predators and Jets have alternated victories, neither team able to wrest control from the other. As a result, Bridgestone Arena will host its first Game 7 on Thursday.
There have been 170 previous Game 7s in Stanley Cup playoff history. The home team has won 100 times, but home-ice advantage has meant little to the Predators and Jets. Winnipeg has outscored Nashville 14-8 in winning two of three at Bridgestone Arena, highlighting the unpredictability of this series.
"The games have been played so many different ways that I can't even venture to guess what (Game 7) might be," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said.
More: Predators' Peter Laviolette knows what matters, what doesn't for Game 7
The Predators, unlike the Jets, have been here before. They split two Game 7s in 2016, though they're not resting on that experience.
"I'm glad our guys have some experience," Laviolette said. "I'm glad they've got some scars on them. I think scars make you a little bit tougher. But at the end of the day, it still comes down to those 60 minutes."
More: Predators' Filip Forsberg building reputation as 'big-game player' with insane goals
The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators put a cap to an epic playoff series with Game 7 on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The host Predators are -150 on the money line, meaning you'd need to risk $150 to win $100, while Winnipeg is +130 (risk $100 to win $130). The Over-Under, or total number of goals Vegas thinks will be scored, is 5.5.
Before you make your pick, you need to see what SportsLine expert David Kelly has to say. A Toronto-born hockey analyst with multiple advanced degrees, Kelly has been one of the nation's premier hockey handicappers, earning more than $5,000 for $100 bettors this season.
He knows the ins and outs of these two teams, going 31-11 on Nashville games and 17-9 on Winnipeg.
Now, using his proprietary data models and unmatched knowledge of the game, Kelly has examined Game 7 from every angle. We can tell you Kelly is leaning Over, but he has a strong money line pick, and you won't discover his reasons buried in any box score. He's sharing it over at SportsLine.
Kelly knows Nashville is back home after taking Game 6, a 4-0 shutout in Winnipeg. But the Jets have taken two of three in Tennessee this series. The teams have swapped wins all series long.
The series couldn't be any closer. Each team has exactly 338 shots, and exactly 177 shots on goal at even strength.
"Winnipeg's only possible flaw was their collective lack of playoff pressure experience, which they got slapped in the face with to the tune of a 4-0 whiteout at home," Kelly told SportsLine. "I consider [Game 6] to be a major wake-up call."
Mark Scheifele has nine goals and five assists in the postseason for Winnipeg, while Nashville has been driven by Filip Forsberg, who leads the team in both playoff goals (7) and assists (8).
Kelly noted before the series that these were the two best teams in the NHL. His feelings on that haven't changed after six games.
