Don't look now, but some more high-flying hockey is on tap for this Friday as Dallas Stars travel to the Grand Canyon State to face off with the Arizona Coyotes. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Stars-Coyotes prediction and pick will be revealed.
Standing only three points behind the Central Division lead, the Stars will no doubt give it everything they got from here on out in tonight's action and in the remaining games of the season. Overall, Dallas is 40-20-14 and has won six of their last ten games played.
After going 25-50-7 en route to possessing one of the worst records in the league during the 2021-2022 season, Arizona has found improvement only a year as they enter Friday night's completion with a 27-35-13 mark. However, after embarking on a four-game winning streak not too long ago, Arizona has since found itself in the midst of a five-game losing skid and could use a win to get back on track.
Here are the Stars-Coyotes NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Stars-Coyotes Odds
Dallas Stars: -1.5 (+104)
Arizona Coyotes: +1.5 (-225)
Over: 5.5 (-138)
Under: 5.5 (+112)
How To Watch Stars vs. Coyotes
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Stars Could Cover The Spread
All season long and up to this point, the Dallas Stars have proven not only to the rest of the league but most importantly themselves that they are truly contenders rather than pretenders. Even more impressively, Dallas has strived themselves on being a reliable commodity when it comes to finding ways to cover the spread. As a whole, the Stars have accumulated a 40-34 record against the spread this season and are even a not-too-shabby 22-10-5 away from their home building.
Above all else, if the Stars are going to cover the spread, then superstar goaltender Jake Oettinger will need to be at his best like he usually is. After recording his 32nd win of the season in a 17-save outing, it is hard to find a ton of weaknesses in the 24-year-old Minnesota native's game. Believe it or not, the young Oettinger has quickly established himself as one of the top goalies that the NHL has to offer, as he has posted top-ten statistics in save percentage, goals against allowed, and even total shutouts. If Oettinger is clicking on all cylinders from the jump, then the Coyotes could be in for a long night.
In addition, it always helps to be a team that can get the job done offensively as well. In fact, the Stars average 3.39 scores per game which are among the tops in the league, and specifically excel at playing a team brand of hockey with the puck in their possession. Even if the defense struggles to keep the Coyotes in front of them throughout the evening, Dallas can find solace in their offensive prowess that is extremely hard to slow down.
Why The Coyotes Could Cover The Spread
Although the Coyotes are eliminated from playoff contention a while ago, by no means have they stopped playing hard whatsoever. Even though Arizona may struggle statistically in a vast amount of areas on paper, the best part of their games happens to come in the form of keeping contests close as of late. Despite losing five straight, the Coyotes have gone down in defeat in crushing fashion in shootout/overtime losses to both the Oilers and Avalanche and are starving to return to the win column to garner some feel-good momentum heading into next year.
While the Coyotes may be in full rebuild mode, the best chances of them covering the spread at home versus Dallas will be to continue to get their young guns some looks on the offensive side of the ice. Forward Matias Maccelli has continued his strong rookie campaign fresh off the first multi-goal game of his career in the loss to the Oilers. Possibly one of the more dynamic skaters that the Coyotes have out there, feeding Maccelli the puck more often than not could benefit Arizona greatly.
If all else fails on offense, then Arizona will be in a dire position to rely on the Czech Republic native in Karel Vejmelka to give an outstanding effort in net. Since the Coyotes only average an underwhelming 2.77 goals per contest, having Vejmelka be on his A game may need to occur in order for Arizona to at least cover the spread and possibly snap their grueling losing streak.
Final Stars-Coyotes Prediction & Pick
Without a doubt, each one of these teams has been superb at covering the spread this season, but since the Coyotes are on a lengthy losing streak, it would be wise to put your faith in a Dallas Stars squad that is fighting for a division title.
Final Stars-Coyotes Prediction & Pick: Stars -1.5 (+104)
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