Coyotes vs. Canucks NHL Odds, Pick: Expect Plenty of Offense

Coyotes vs. Canucks Odds

Arizona has hit a rough patch and dropped seven of its past eight games to fall to 7-11-3, but it's not like Vancouver has fared much better. The Canucks enjoyed a run of five wins in six games in late November, but they've lost their past two contests to fall to 9-12-3.

In a game between two struggling teams, who has the edge?

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Arizona Coyotes

So little was expected of the Coyotes that their 7-11-3 record might be considered a pleasant surprise, which is saying something because Arizona is tied for 28th place.

With a team like Arizona, it's quicker to talk about the silver linings than the shortcomings. For example, Clayton Keller is having another great season. After finishing with 63 points in 67 contests in 2021-22, he's well on his way to topping that with seven goals and 21 points in 21 contests.

Matias Maccelli is shaping up to be an early Calder Trophy contender. He has two goals and 15 points in 19 games and has been particularly effective lately, providing five points in his past three contests. Meanwhile, J.J. Moser is taking a big step forward this season. The 22-year-old defenseman has three goals and 13 points in 21 contests after finishing last season with 15 points in 43 contests.

But that's about it as far as positives go. Even with those bright spots, Arizona ranks 28th offensively with 2.71 goals per game. The depth just isn't there.

The Coyotes are also 24th in the league in goals allowed per game with 3.48. That's in no small part because they're allowing an average of 35 shots per game. Karel Vejmelka has faced over 40 shots more times this season (three) than he's dealt with under 25 (once). As a result, he has an unappealing 3.04 GAA, despite also sporting a respectable .913 save percentage. Arizona's backup goaltender, Connor Ingram, hasn't fared nearly as well with his 1-5-1 record, 4.02 GAA and .882 save percentage.

Vancouver Canucks

If the Coyotes are a team that had rock bottom expectations and have managed to elevate slightly above them, then the Canucks are the other side of the coin. They're a team that entered this season with some room for optimism, especially given that they posted a 32-15-10 record in 2021-22 after Bruce Boudreau took over as the head coach. However, Vancouver has managed to crush those initial hopes with its poor play.

It's not like the Canucks' star players are underperforming. Through 24 games, Elias Pettersson has 11 goals and 27 points, Bo Horvat has 17 goals and 24 points and J.T. Miller has 11 goals and 24 points. Any contending team would be happy to get those kind of results out of their top three forwards, but Vancouver's success doesn't end there.

Andrei Kuzmenko has seamlessly made the transition from the KHL to the NHL and has scored 11 goals and 21 points in 21 contests. Quinn Hughes doesn't have a goal yet, but he's tied for the league lead in assists for a defenseman with 21. Brock Boeser missed some time because of a hand injury, but he's healthy now and has a solid three goals and 14 points in 18 contests.

And yet, in spite of all those high-end offensive threats, Vancouver ranks 13th offensively with 3.38 goals per game.

The Canucks' goaltending has been terrible and that's really at the heart of Vancouver's struggles. Thatcher Demko went 33-22-7 with a 2.72 GAA and .915 save percentage in 64 contests last season, but he's been a disaster in 2022-23 with a 3-10-2 record, 3.93 GAA and a .883 save percentage. He left Thursday's game with an undisclosed injury and Vancouver's alternative, Spencer Martin, hasn't been that good either. Martin has a 6-2-1 record, but also has a 3.21 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

Unless Vancouver's goaltending starts turning things around, this will continue to be a frustrating season for the Canucks.

Coyotes vs. Canucks Pick

Taking Arizona on the puck line is tempting because the gap between these two teams, while significant on paper, hasn't been much on the ice this season.

I don't feel comfortable picking a side between these two slumping squads and will instead recommend taking the over, which offers a better potential payout than selecting Arizona on the puck line.

Vancouver has been allowing 3.83 goals per game, while Arizona has been surrendering 3.48. Between Arizona's questionable defense and Vancouver's leaky goaltending, it seems reasonable to believe this will be a high-scoring game.

Pick: Over 6.5

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