Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction & Preview - 1/17/2026
Updated January 17, 2026
Updated January 17, 2026
The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Manitoba on Saturday to face the Winnipeg Jets in an all-Canada encounter at Canada Life Centre. Both teams are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race in their respective conferences. But this game affords both teams a chance to claim a winnable game against a struggling opponent. Here, I break down this matchup from Winnipeg, and you'll find my Maple Leafs vs Jets prediction below.
Pick: | Jets ML ATS PRO |
Confidence: | 3/5 |
The Jets have been building momentum around the New Year, most recently exploding for a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild with contributions from Mark Scheifele and veteran Jonathan Toews notching career point milestones. Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 32 shots in the win. That result was the fourth consecutive victory for Winnipeg, giving fans hope after a terrible start.
Toronto has lost two straight games coming into this matchup. The Leafs were beaten 6-5 in overtime by Vegas in their most recent outing, and a few nights earlier they suffered a 6-1 defeat to Utah. Defense is certainly an issue lately for the Leafs after those two scorelines.
The Jets have leaned on Connor Hellebuyck in recent starts with solid results, including 32 saves in the Minnesota game, highlighting his ability to keep Winnipeg competitive. Toronto’s net situation has seen a rotation as Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby have both seen action, with Woll making 27 saves in the Vegas loss. With Toronto’s goaltending fluctuating and Winnipeg’s tending to be steadier of late, the netminders could be a deciding factor in this contest.
Auston Matthews remains Toronto’s primary offensive catalyst. Earlier in January, he delivered a hat trick in a 6-5 win over the Jets, showcasing his ability to change a game against this opponent. Alongside Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares figure prominently in Toronto’s scoring plans when healthy. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabriel Vilardi have been reliable producers for Winnipeg this season.
Score Projection: Jets 4 – Maple Leafs 3 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Jets 54%, Maple Leafs 46% ATS PRO
The Winnipeg Jets have all of a sudden started to turn things around lately, winning four games in a row. I think they will continue their winning streak here against a Leafs team that has lost two-thirds of its road games during the 2025-26 campaign.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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