NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Coyotes vs Canadiens (Tuesday, February 27)
(Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) Pictured: Connor Ingram
Coyotes vs. Canadiens Odds
| Coyotes Odds | -110 |
| Canadiens Odds | -110 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 +102 / -115 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Arizona Coyotes vs. Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, February 27 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Prior to their current 12-game losing streak, the Coyotes were right in the thick of the wild-card race. Now, they rank 28th in the league in points, even below the host Canadiens.
The Coyotes are 8-15-5 on the road and have lost 12 straight, so it might look confusing to see this game priced as a pick'em. Well, let's look over the NHL odds and make a Coyotes vs. Canadiens pick.
The Coyotes gave the Western Conference leading Jets all they could handle Sunday as they owned 59% of the high danger chances and tied with 32 shots apiece.
They eventually lost in painful fashion as Sean Durzi nearly scored a beauty before crashing into Nick Schmaltz, leading to a 3-on-1 going the other way.
The Coyotes have played in a lot of competitive games, but haven't been able to get any breaks in what has been a nightmare schedule. Minnesota is the only non-playoff team the Coyotes have played over this 12-game skid, and the Wild own a 7-2-1 record over their past 10 games.
For those who have watched the Coyotes recent play, it's clear that coach Andre Tourigny's side hasn't simply given up. I don't believe they are an entirely different group than we saw early on this year, but rather that they're a team that hasn't gotten a break versus a slate of elite teams.
Part of the problem has been the play in goal. However, with Connor Ingram healthy, Arizona's goaltending should become less of a flaw moving forward. He is confirmed as tonight's starter and has played to 8.8 GSAx and a .911 save percentage across 36 appearances this season.
The Coyotes will also be without top scorer Clayton Keller in this matchup.
The Canadiens are on a five-game losing streak of their own and are just 2-7-1 over the past 10 games. Their two wins came against non-playoff teams in the Ducks and Capitals and they're suffering from a below average team save percentage of .882.
The top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky has been excellent in the second half and is helping to keep the positivity up in a clear rebuilding year. The depth of the offensive core beyond that trio is lacking significantly and I believe even the Coyotes are getting some favorable matchups in the depth minutes tonight.
Samuel Montembeault is confirmed as the Canadiens starter for this matchup. After a tough spell of play recently, he owns a -1.2 GSAx rating and a .902 save percentage across 27 appearances, though most observers would argue that those lesser marks are not a fair take on his overall sample of work this season.
(NHL fans: NC sports betting launches soon. Get the latest details.)
Coyotes vs. Canadiens
Betting Pick & Prediction
Arizona is at its absolute lowest in terms of betting value, but I think is going to stabilize moving forward. The Coyotes nightmare recent schedule is making things look worse than they are. Close calls like we saw Sunday in Winnipeg have routinely gone against Arizona and Karel Vejmelka has struggled in goal.
Keller leaves a significant hole in the lineup, but offensive depth hasn't actually been the Coyotes greatest problem recently. They have under the radar guys, such as Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther, who can step up on the offensive side of things. The greater is for Ingram to bounce back and make some saves in goal.
This feels like a spot for Arizona to snap it's 12-game losing streak.
Pick: Arizona Coyotes Moneyline -110 (Bet365, Play to -115)
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