NHL Playoffs Series Odds: Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators
The Arizona Coyotes were one of the big winners of the NHL’s expanded 24-team playoff format as the Yotes wouldn’t have been in a typical 16-team field. The are the Western Conference’s No. 11 seed and will face the No. 6 Nashville Predators in a best-of-5 series in Edmonton. Nashville is a -152 series favourite on the NHL odds with Arizona at +111. The teams split two regular-season meetings, each winning at home.
Arizona Coyotes Odds
Arizona finished the regular season at 33-29-8 with 74 points, which in a normal year would have been four points out of the West’s second Wild-Card spot. Even though the Coyotes are lucky to be in the playoffs, they did have a goal differential of plus-8 that was tied for the sixth-best in the West. This is the first post-season appearance for Arizona since 2012.
The Coyotes ranked 23rd in the NHL in averaging just 2.71 goals per game and 28th in allowing 2.61. Arizona would have had a much better record if No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper didn’t miss more than two months due to injury. Keumper was 16-11-2 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .928 save per centage. He’s healthy now. Nick Schmaltz leads the team with 45 points. He was a co-leader during the season vs. the Preds with three points. Kuemper won his lone start in the series, allowing two goals.
To win the Western Conference, the Coyotes are +2800 longer-shot on the NHL odds, while to win the Stanley Cup they are +5500.
Nashville Predators Odds
Nashville is in the post-season for a sixth straight year but this is almost surely the worst team of that group with a regular-season mark of 35-26-8 (78 points). The Predators’ points percentage of .565 is the worst over that span, and Coach Peter Laviolette was fired in early January and replaced with John Hynes – who was fired by New Jersey in early December.
The Predators averaged 3.07 goals during the season (16th) and allowed 3.10 (11th). Blueliner Roman Josi leads the team in scoring with 65 points and is a top Norris Trophy candidate. Josi had two points this year (tied for team lead vs. Arizona). The surprise has been the disappointing play of former Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne. He had a goals-against average of just 3.17 and SV of .895. Rinne essentially had lost his No. 1 job to Juuse Saros (.270 GAA, .914 SV). Saros did lose his lone start vs. the Coyotes, while Rinne won is.
On the Stanley Cup odds, the Predators are +3300 and to win the West are +1700.