TD Garden plays host to a cross-country showdown as the Boston Bruins take the ice against the visiting Arizona Coyotes. It’s the final time that the two clubs will meet in the regular season. This one gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 7 and it can be watched live on Fox Sports Arizona.
Arizona Coyotes at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-215) is currently the favorite over Arizona (+180) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
The Bruins are 12-13 straight up (SU) and have lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Atlantic Division so far in the early season, is a slide from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (44-38). Out of the team’s 25 regular season contests, 13 of them have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the team is 7-6 SU at home.
Boston’s converted on 18.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.0 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Beantown has been penalized 4.2 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over its last five matchups at home. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for just 8.2 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .906 save percentage and 24.1 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (5-11-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Bruins this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy decides to give him a breather, however, the Bruins may turn to Anton Khudobin (7-4-4 record, .922 save percentage, 2.53 goals against average).
The Bruins will continue to rely on offensive production from David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak (24 points) has produced 14 goals and 10 assists and has recorded two or more points on seven separate occasions this year. Marchand has nine goals and 11 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 12 games.
Arizona is 7-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 16 of its contests have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, Arizona is 4-14 SU so far.
Arizona has converted on just 16.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully defended 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Arizona’s players have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Antti Raanta (.914 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Arizona. Raanta is averaging 23.8 saves per game and has four wins, nine losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Coyotes will be Clayton Keller (11 goals, 12 assists) and Derek Stepan (five goals, 13 assists).
Arizona Coyotes vs. Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Boston is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Arizona is 1-1 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Boston’s last five games.
Boston’s attempted 31.1 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 20th in the NHL), and 33.4 in their last five home outings.
Over Boston’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Arizona skaters have accounted for the league’s seventh-most hits per game (23.6) while the Bruins have registered the third-most (24.5).
