NHL Betting Preview (April 12): Coyotes vs. Oilers Odds

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15 days ago

Edmonton will host two back-to-back games against the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks on Friday and Saturday. The Oilers will play the Coyotes twice in their final five regular season games and this article breaks down the odds and trends that make this matchup interesting.

Be sure to check out the latest NHL playoff odds with online sportsbook Betway.

Coyotes vs. Oilers Odds

Arizona Coyotes Moneyline Odds: +240
Edmonton Oilers Moneyline Odds: -300
Puck Line Odds: Arizona Coyotes +1.5 (+100), Oilers -1.5 (-125)
Game Total: 6.5 goals (over -105, under -115)

All odds courtesy of Betway.

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Last Matchup

These two teams last met on February 16th the Oilers earned a 6-3 victory against the Coyotes at Mullett Arena, scoring four goals in the third period. Evander Kane’s two goals, alongside Zach Hyman’s game-winner, propelled the Oilers to victory within a span of just 123 seconds. Arizona led 3-2 after 40 minutes, and it was a rather low-event game, with just 51 shots on goal combined. Stuart Skinner allowed three goals on 25 shots.

Check out Daily Faceoff to get updates regarding the line combinations and goaltenders for Friday’s matchup.

Handicapping the Coyotes (34-45 SU, 41-38 ATS, 42-32 O/U)

Arizona has been scoring a lot lately, ranking eighth in goals per 60 minutes in all situations over the last month, scoring four or more goals in six out of their last eight games. Edmonton could just as easily shut them down, but it’s important for bettors to consider other scenarios, where the Coyotes make this game interesting, rather than write them off altogether. Arizona lost 14 games in a row between Jan. 24th and Feb. 29th, but the Coyotes have gone 11-10 straight up since then. However, it’s been a few months since they’ve defeated an elite team.

The Coyotes rank among the bottom-10 in both goals against and expected goals against on a per-60 minute basis, and there’s a big difference between likely starter Karel Vejmelka, and Connor Ingram. The latter has saved the team almost 20 goals above expected, according to Evolving Hockey, while the former has allowed roughly three goals more than an average goaltender would have had they faced the same shots. Ingram ranks among the top-10 goaltenders in that category, while Vejmelka ranks 72nd out of 95 eligible goaltenders.

Vejmelka is 0-3 straight up against the Oilers in his career, allowing five goals each time he faced them, despite the fact that Edmonton never generated more than 30 shots on goal in any of the three games.

Handicapping the Oilers (48-29 SU, 37-40 ATS, 33-41 O/U)

With Vancouver on deck, it looks like the Oilers will save goaltender Stuart Skinner for Saturday’s game, leaving backup Calvin Pickard to make his fourth start in the last seven games on Friday against the Coyotes. Pickard is coming off a strong performance against the Calgary Flames, where he stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced. Since the All-Star break, he’s saved the team as many goals above expected as Skinner has, according to Evolving Hockey, despite playing half as many minutes. Pickard is 3-2 against the Coyotes in his career, but he hasn’t faced off against them since the 2018 season during his brief stint with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Oilers are 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Coyotes. Edmonton has scored four or more goals in six out of its last eight games, and that doesn’t bode well for Arizona, given that the Oilers have scored five goals or more in seven out of their last 10 meetings versus the Coyotes. Arizona has scored three or more goals in seven out of the last 10 games against Edmonton, though, which means eight out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams have featured at least seven goals combined.

Of course, Edmonton will likely be without their best player, Connor McDavid. The Oilers did well without No. 97 in the lineup on Wednesday, and they should be able to beat the Coyotes without him on Friday, but it would make sense if Edmonton struggled a bit offensively.

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Team Betting Trends

Edmonton is 9-1 straight up in its last 10 home games. The Oilers have covered the puck line in seven out of their last 10 games as the favourite. Arizona is 5-5 straight up in its last 10 games as the underdog, and 5-5 in its last 10 games on the road. The Coyotes are 6-4 against the puck line in their last 10 games as the underdog.
The Oilers are 6-4 to the over in their last 10 games as the favourite, while the Coyotes are 6-4 to the over in their last 10 games away from Mullett Arena.
Arizona is 1-9 straight up, and 3-7 against the puck line, in its last 10 games versus Edmonton.

Player Prop Betting Trends

With McDavid questionable, Leon Draisaitl is the team’s top scorer, with six goals and eight assists in his last 10 games. Draisaitl is listed at even money (+100) to score a goal and -150 to register an assist. Bettors can also bet on Draisaitl to score at least two points at +115, or three-plus points at +300.
Zach Hyman has cooled off, with just two goals in his last seven games, but he’s been shooting the puck as much as he’s been all season so the goals should come. Hyman is listed at -106 to score a goal on Friday.
Bettors can also consider betting on both Hyman and Draisaitl to score at least one goal each at +275 odds.
Outside of Draisaitl, bettors will have to look at the Oilers’ blue line to find another point-per-game player, as Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm have scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, over their last 10 games. Bouchard is priced at -200 to score a point, but Ekholm is not listed.
Arizona has four players that have scored a point-per-game or more over their last 10 games: Clayton Keller (5-8-13), Logan Cooley (6-5-11), Nick Schmaltz (3-8-11), and Dylan Guenther (5-5-10). Cooley is the longest shot of the bunch to score a goal at +250 odds, while Keller, Guenther, and Schmaltz are priced at +140, +187, and +200, respectively.

Best Bets for Oilersnation

Edmonton and Arizona are on opposite sides of the spectrum in virtually every category, including first period scoring. The Oilers rank among the top-10 teams in first period goals for this season, and the Coyotes rank among the bottom-10 teams in first period goals against. Bet on Edmonton to win the opening frame combined with over 1.5 goals scored in the first period for +250 odds. This can be found listed under the first period section at Betway.