It is a Western Conference battle as the high-powered Edmonton Oilers play host to Arizona Coyotes. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Coyotes-Oilers prediction and pick.

Edmonton comes in with the best offense in the NHL. They are scoring 3.91 goals per game, and that is on the rise, with 21 goals in their last four games. All four of those games ended up with Edmonton wins. Edmonton has won eight of their last ten, but it has not all been outscoring teams. Three of their losses have seen the Oilers put up four or more goals. At the same time, two of their wins are with only three goals scored. They face a Coyotes team that is on one of their best streaks of the year. They have won six of their last eight and held teams to 2.35 goals per game in that span. 

Here are the Coyotes-Oilers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Coyotes-Oilers Odds

Arizona Coyotes: +1.5 (+160)

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (-194)

Over: 6.5 (-168)

Under: 6.5 (+136)

How To Watch Coyotes vs. Oilers

TV: TNT

Stream: NHLPP

Time: 10:30 PM ET/ 7:30 PM PT

*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Coyotes Could Cover The Spread

The Coyotes have shown in recent games exactly what they need to do to win. They have limited chances for the other team and have gotten great goaltending play. The expected starter tonight is Ivan Prosvetov. He has only three starts on the season, but all three have been fantastic. He has three wins in those starts, has given up only five goals, and has a save percentage of .952. That is a winning formula for any team, and another performance like that will shut down this high-powered Edmonton offense. 

Clayton Keller, the leading scorer on the team, has also been on a hot streak of his own. He has points in 15 of his last 16 games, including seven games with multiple points. Since March 1st, Keller has scored 8 goals and 18 assists. When he has a goal, Arizona is 4-2 in March. When he does not have a goal, Arizona is 2-3. 

Finishing the game strong will also be key tonight. When they scored in the third period in March, they won six games and lost one in overtime. When they failed to score in the third period, they lost all five. Overtime has also been a key to the recent success of Arizona. They have gone to overtime four times in March, winning the most recent two, after losing the two prior. Considering that Arizona just shut down the Colorado offense on March 11th, they are showing they have all the pieces to do it again tonight. 

Why The Oilers Could Cover The Spread

Edmonton is trying to stave off dropping into a wildcard slot in the Western Conference. While they sit only three points ahead of Seattle, they are also in striking distance of the top spot in the west, only six points back. The top eight spots in the West are currently only separated by 11 points. That is a smaller difference than between Boston and Carolina for the top spot in the Eastern conference, which is 13 points. 

Edmonton has won six of seven, including wins against the Kraken, Bruins, and Stars in that timeframe. Connor McDavid is continuing his league-leading points pace as well. He has scored a point in 16 of his last 17, including a goal in 10 of those games. Six of those games have been multi-goal efforts, but he has not had one of those since March 1st against Toronto. 

The Oilers are also getting production from the defensemen on offense. Since Mattias Ekholm came over from Nashville he has had six assists and three goals, including two in his most recent outing against San Jose. He is not a massively high-volume shooter, but when he has shot, he has been creating opportunities. For Edmonton, the key tonight will be to keep up the offense. This is a team that needs to push the pace and put more shots on the cage than the opposition to win. If Edmonton can start strong and then limit Arizona from making a comeback they will get the win. 

Final Coyotes-Oilers Prediction & Pick

Both teams have been playing very well as of late, but Arizona is relying on goaltending that, while good recently, has not always been that great. They are also relying on the third period heavily. Edmonton is a great third-period team, and just have more weapons at their disposal. They are the better team, and they will end the Coyotes’ hot streak, but it may be close. Arizona is playing well enough to keep this within a goal. They have not lost by more than one since March 3rd.

Final Coyotes-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Arizona +1.5 (+160)