The Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to break a six-game losing streak as they welcome the Arizona Coyotes. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Coyotes-Blue Jackets prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Coyotes have alternated wins and losses over their last eight games but earned three points of a possible four in the past week. They had a high-scoring affair with the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, squeezing out a 7-5 victory. Then, the team took a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. However, there is reason to be optimistic after that Tuesday night loss. In recent years, the Coyotes usually wouldn't have a chance against the powers of the Western Conference. Taking the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars to overtime in a tight contest gives Coyotes fans reason to believe they can turn a corner.

The Blue Jackets have lost six games in a row despite having an opportunity to win most of them. Four out of six losses have been by one goal, two came in overtime, and the fifth was an empty-net goal short of being another one-score game. In the last five games, the Blue Jackets held the lead at some point and twice were leading in the third period. What does this mean for the Blue Jackets? Are they a good team that has been experiencing bad luck? Are they an inexperienced team that can't close out games late? There's an argument to be made that it's a bit of both.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Coyotes-Blue Jackets Odds

Arizona Coyotes: -1.5 (+184) ML (-125)

Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-225) ML (+104)

Over: 6.5 (-120)

Under: 6.5 (-102)

How to Watch Coyotes vs. Blue Jackets

Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports

Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Coyotes Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Blue Jackets are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. They have one win in November. They allowed 58 goals, the fourth-worst in the league. People are giving them a moral victory for keeping four of their six straight losses within a single score. If this scares you, you can take the Coyotes on the money line instead of the spread. However, the Coyotes have been in much better form than the Blue Jackets. They just took the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars to overtime. The Blue Jackets are in last place in the Metropolitan division, so the talent disparity is significant.

One of the Blue Jackets' reasons for being unable to hang onto victories is their goaltending. Elvis Merzlikins has allowed three or more goals in three straight games. He has a 3-4-3 record, with a 3.24 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Merzlikins may get the night off tonight after taking two straight losses. If the Jackets put in Spencer Martin, his stats closely resemble Merzlikins, so there isn't much of a difference. Martin has a 3.26 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.

Why The Blue Jackets Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Blue Jackets' six-game losing streak may be a mirage. There have been some positives despite losing six in a row. Their six losses came against the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. They lost to the Panthers in overtime and the Rangers in the shootout. All of these teams are in a playoff spot except the Penguins, who have two fewer games played than the teams above them in the standings. Four of the games were decided by one goal, and in two of them, the Jackets held a lead in the third period.

Being unable to hold a lead in sports is a scary trend for players and fans. A good team can get out to an early lead and play winning hockey to come out with the win. When a team makes a trend out of blowing third-period leads, it can snowball into more losses. The group begins to tighten up and worry about the impending blown victory. The Blue Jackets do not want to continue the trend of blowing third-period leads, so the coaching staff will make a point to ensure that doesn't happen in this game.

Final Coyotes-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick

The Coyotes are an above-average offensive team, ranking 11th in the league with 3.3 goals per game. They have the league's fifth-best powerplay conversion rate at 29.82%. The Coyotes' most significant issue during their inconsistent run in November is that they are taking too many penalties. These penalties are an issue since they have the 23rd-ranked penalty-kill percentage in the league. The good news for the Coyotes is that the Blue Jackets have the 27th-ranked powerplay percentage. Most teams have been taking advantage of the Coyotes on the man advantage, but the Blue Jackets won't do that.

The Blue Jackets goaltending is one of the worst tandems in the league. As a unit, they are 29th in the league, conceding 57 goals for an average of 3.6 per game. The Coyotes are 11th in the league in goals and will be able to capitalize on the Blue Jackets' shoddy defense. The only concern for the Coyotes is that their fifth-best powerplay conversion rate will face the Blue Jackets' third-best penalty kill unit. The Coyotes are a better five-on-five team than the Blue Jackets, so special teams being a wash could also suit the Coyotes better. There may be some value in taking the Coyotes to cover the spread, but the Blue Jackets' ability to keep games close is enough to scare us off here.

Final Coyotes-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick: Coyotes ML (-125)