Gila River Arena plays host to an East-West matchup as the Arizona Coyotes face off against the visiting Florida Panthers. This one will get started at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19 and it’ll be televised live on Fox Sports Arizona.
Florida Panthers vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
With a moneyline of -115, Florida heads into the game as the narrow favorite. The line for Arizona sits at -105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
Florida is 12-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 33 regular season matches, 17 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and none have pushed. The Panthers are 6-12 SU as the away team in 2017-18.
Florida has converted on 17.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 79.6 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Panthers have been sent to the penalty box 4.4 times per game overall during the 2017-18 season, and 5.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties 14.6 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
With a .898 save percentage and 27.1 saves per game, James Reimer (6-14-4) has been the best option in goal for Florida this season. If head coach Bob Boughner chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Roberto Luongo (6-9-2 record, .928 save percentage, 2.62 goals against average).
Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Panthers. Trocheck (33 points) has tallied 13 goals and 20 assists, and has recorded two or more points six times. Huberdeau has nine goals and 23 assists to his name, and has registered at least one point in 20 games.
Arizona is 7-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 19.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its outings have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 3-11 SU at home this season.
The Coyotes have converted on just 15.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Coyotes players have been sent to the penalty box only 3.3 times per game in total this season, and 4.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Antti Raanta (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Coyotes. Raanta has four wins, 12 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has maintained a mediocre 2.80 goals against average and a .918 save percentage this year.
Clayton Keller (12 goals, 13 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Coyotes.
Florida Panthers vs. Arizona Coyotes Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Coyotes, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Arizona is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 2-2 in shootouts.
The under has hit in three of Arizona’s last five outings.
Florida’s attempted 34.5 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 34.4 in its last 10 games.
Arizona has averaged 2.2 goals per game this year, but has been averaging 1.2 goals per contest over its six-game losing streak.
Over Arizona’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-6 in those games).
The Coyotes this season have handed the sixth-most hits per game (23.6).
