Edmonton Oilers vs. Arizona Coyotes Prediction, NHL Odds
-
Edgar Chaput
The challenge of turning around Arizona’s precipitous fall won’t be easy with the red-hot Edmonton Oilers in town. What’s more, the Coyotes are coming off a back-to-back after playing the Avalanche tight on Sunday with a 4-3 defeat. The Oilers continued their road swing in Dallas on Saturday, winning 4-3 in extra time.
Given the current trajectory of both clubs, it’s no surprise that the NHL odds have the Oilers as heavy -200 favourites on the moneyline.
Oilers vs. Coyotes NHL Betting Odds
Things typically don’t go well for the Coyotes when they play the Oilers. Granted, both franchises have headed in different directions in recent seasons, but the desert dogs haven’t earned a win over Edmonton since just before the pandemic in February 2020. The Oilers have strung together six consecutive wins, four of which were by two goals or more.
Edmonton comes into this game looking good. They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games. What interests betters is how the club fairs against the puckline. In that respect, not everything is rosy. The Oilers are only 26-25 and have recently put together inconsistent performance befitting of that record. The results of their last six games have alternated between beating the spread or not.
More misery is poured onto the Coyotes’ lot. Goalie Connor Ingram is listed as out with an injury. The club has also fallen in nine straight games. What little hope and ambition might have been felt surrounding the team around Christmas has all but evaporated. Arizona has conquered only four of its last 18 matches. Amazingly, since they lose by a single goal often enough, they’ve mustered an honourable 28-26 ATS tally.
Edmonton Oilers
Saturday’s bout against the Dallas Stars in Texas was a litmus test for the Oilers. Their climb in the standings had come at the expense of some rather pour clubs, so facing a hot Stars team in Dallas would be revealing, especially with the Oilers as healthy as they currently are.
The contest was worthy of the pre-game excitement. After a scoreless first period – albeit with no shortage of scoring opportunities – the fireworks erupted in the middle frame. Edmonton and Dallas went back and forth. Evan Bouchard played a pivotal role in the contest, scoring his 13th to level the terms at 1-1. The Stars were hungry to take the initiative, and did so again for a 2-1 lead, only for new Oiler Corey Perry to tap in his sixth through a brilliant Connor McDavid pass in the crease. A Derek Ryan (fifth) shorthanded goal provided a 3-2 lead that lasted all but 20 seconds before Dallas tied it at 3-3.
The arresting affair would require overtime when special teams and Evan Bouchard came through, sniping a superb wrister for the game winner.
Arizona Coyotes
Some credit should go to the Coyotes for playing tough against some of the best the NHL has to offer. Such was the case on Sunday versus the Colorado Avalanche.
It was the sort of match in which the superior outfit (Avalanche) had a world of trouble putting away the team they should have handled more easily. The Coyotes, surely sensing desperation amidst a run of eight defeats, played with intensity and nearly skated away with a victory. Fate went against them when a reviewed offside call nullified an otherwise very clever third-period goal that would have made it 4-3 in their favour. Going down 1-0 early didn’t affect them as both Matt Dumba (fourth) and Lawson Crouse (20th, power play) provided the visitors a 2-1 advantage. Logon Cooley (ninth) then made it 3-2 Coyotes in the second period.
A good effort, overall. Not good enough to win, but perhaps the Coyotes can carry some momentum into a big home game versus the Oilers.
