A Western Conference showdown in the heart of the Mile High City will take place on this Friday night as the Arizona Coyotes travel to Ball Arena to face-off with the defending champion Colorado Avalanche. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Coyotes-Avalanche prediction and pick is revealed.
Although participating in this year's playoffs is an afterthought for these Coyotes, Arizona has at least played well down the stretch of the final games of the regular season despite being in the midst of a mini two-game slide. With the next two games coming at the hands of the Avalanche, can the Coyotes play the role of spoiler by inflicting some harm to last year's Stanley Cup champs?
After it appeared that the Avalanche were like a high-speed freight train with no plans of stopping during their furious six-game winning streak, Colorado finally found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard in a 5-2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Nevertheless, the Avalanche have overcome a slew of season-long injuries and are clicking at the perfect time prior to postseason play beginning in a few week's time.
Here are the Coyotes-Avalanche NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Coyotes-Avalanche Odds
Arizona Coyotes: +1.5 (-140)
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (-170)
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-118)
How To Watch Coyotes vs. Avalanche
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Coyotes Could Cover The Spread
Although the Coyotes are entering this contest as massive underdogs, their excellent 42-30 record against the spread has some hockey bettors second-guessing whether or not they should put a few dollars on Arizona to at least cover.
Not only has Arizona been more than trustworthy in covering the spread despite their overall record sitting at an underwhelming 27-33-12, it is important to keep in mind that the Coyotes actually have edge over the Avalanche so far this season as they have defeated Colorado twice in three games dating back to the beginning of the campaign.
Without a doubt, if Arizona is going to find a way to cover on the road, they will have to avoid critical mistakes in the penalty department to avoid being shorthanded on the ice more often than not. On paper, Arizona only kills off roughly 76% of opponent power-plays and will end up struggling against Colorado and their elite extra-man advantage if they cannot play cleanly. While Colorado possesses an incredible amount of blazing speed, the Coyotes can't afford to get caught flat-footed when the Avalanche attack with the puck in Arizona's own zone.
However, if there's one thing that the youthful and rebuilding Coyotes should excel in, it's that they should play with a type of carefreeness and stress-free hockey since Arizona has nothing to lose in this contest. Clearly, the pressure will be on the play-off worthy Avalanche to avoid a letdown versus the Coyotes, and as long as Arizona doesn't shoot themselves in the foot, then they may be able to catch a tight Colorado squad off guard from the opening face-off.
Why The Avalanche Could Cover The Spread
All expectations are for the Avalanche to bounce back from their loss to the Penguins by punching the Coyotes in the mouth, but the unpredictability of the NHL could beg to differ. Even though the Avs are still not 100% healthy with roughly ten games remaining in this year's regular season, Colorado is playing like that team that hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time since 2001.
Not to mention, but the Central Division out west is clearly still up for grabs, and the Avalanche have as just a good of shot to be crowned division champs by season's end. With that being said, the playoffs technically start now for Colorado, and covering the spread will require a full-blown effort against a Coyotes team that will most likely be playing fairly loose in an attempt to gain some positive momentum heading into next season.
Simply put, the Avalanche could cover the spread this evening because of their All-Star center in Nathan MacKinnon. As it stands, the swift playmaking skater for Colorado is playing his best hockey of the season, as he is in the middle of a ten-game point streak with six goals and 11 assists over that span. Clearly, when Mackinnon is clicking on all cylinders, it is an extremely frightening thought for opposing teams.
If there's any area of concern for this team heading into tonight's action, it is that same injury bug that has plagued them all season long. Regardless, the Avs are an electric team on offense and can even stand firm on the defensive side of the ice as well. With the fourth-best conversion rate on power-play's in the league, the Avalanche could end up doing major damage if they force the Coyotes to some costly penalties.
Final Coyotes-Avalanche Prediction & Pick
For some odd reason, Arizona has had Colorado's number this season, but this will be short lived after tonight's bout. Expect the Avalanche to be too much of handful for the Coyotes to control especially at Ball Arena where the Colorado fans will be rocking.
Final Coyotes-Avalanche Prediction & Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (-170)
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