Gila River Arena will be the site for an East-West showdown as the New York Rangers square off against the Arizona Coyotes. It’s the final time that the two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The action will get underway at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 6, and you will be able to catch it live on Fox Sports Arizona.
New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes Odds
New York is 21-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 21 of its matches have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Rangers team is 6-9 SU on the road.
New York has converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties.
The Broadway Blueshirts, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.7 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 4.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .922 save percentage and 29.2 saves per game, Henrik Lundqvist (18-16-4) has been the top option in goal for New York this year. If New York decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Ondrej Pavelec (3-6-1), who has a .924 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average this year.
The visiting Rangers have relied heavily on Mats Zuccarello and J.T. Miller this season. Zuccarello has 31 points on eight goals and 23 assists, and has recorded two or more points in six different games. Miller has eight goals and 19 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 20 games.
Over on the other bench, Arizona is 10-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 19.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 42 regular season outings, 23 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 5-14 SU as the home team.
The Coyotes have converted on just 16.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Coyotes players have been penalized only 3.2 times per game in total this season, 3.2 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays 11.6 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Antti Raanta (25.6 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for the Coyotes. Raanta has six wins, 15 losses, and two OT losses and has registered a .915 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average this season.
Clayton Keller (14 goals, 18 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Coyotes.
New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Three of New York’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-2 in those games and 2-4 overall in shootouts this season.
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 fourth-most hits per game (24.1), but that number has risen to 28.8 over their last five home outings.
