NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Coyotes vs. Jets (November 29)

Jets vs. Coyotes Odds

The Arizona Coyotes hit the road to face off against the Winnipeg Jets in what is the first game of a short two-game road trip for Arizona.

The Coyotes' disappointing season has yet to turn itself around. Arizona enters the matchup with an overall record of 4-15-2 and has just 10 points for the season. Meanwhile, the Jets have found a little more success and enter this game with a record of 10-7-4 and find themselves in third place in the Central Division.

Both teams have been sliding in the standings recently, but Winnipeg recently turned things around with a 4-2 win over Calgary on Saturday. Will the Jets be able to bring some of that momentum into their matchup on Monday, or will Arizona pull out the upset on the road?

The Jets Are Trending Down

As previously mentioned, the Winnipeg Jets picked up a great win on the road against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. However, their level of play over the last two weeks has been significantly worse than what we have been accustomed to seeing up to this point in the season, and I'm not sure if that win is going to be what gets them back on track.

Prior to their win against the Flames, the Jets went on a five-game losing streak to the Oilers, Canucks, Penguins, Blue Jackets and Wild. In that span of five games, Winnipeg was outscored 18-5 by their opponent and was held to one goal or less in four of those five games.

Arizona presents them with a much easier matchup when compared to their recent slate of games, but the low scoring output is a reason for concern for this team.

Despite those sluggish performances, the Jets still rank inside the top-10 in Expected Goals For per 60 minutes with 2.46, and they are generating scoring opportunities close to the net as they average 11.43 High-Danger Scoring Chances per 60 minutes in 5-on-5.

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to get the start in net, which would be a great sight for this squad. In 5-on-5 situations this season, Hellebuyck has an SV % of .937 and 8.8 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx), which happens to be the sixth most in the NHL.

The Coyotes Are Less Terrible These Days

Obviously Arizona is one of the worst teams in the league, if not the worst. However, they have been keeping the score close in many of their contests and are becoming a much more competitive team as of late.

Five of Arizona's last six games have all been one-score contests, and the Yotes have been able to get wins against the Blues and the Red Wings in the last two weeks.

They have been playing much better hockey when compared to their historically bad start to begin the season, but it is going to be hard to trust this team on the road, where they are just 2-9-1 on the season.

Furthermore, the Coyotes simply don't score the puck enough. As a team, they are averaging 1.85 Expected Goals For per 60 minutes and only 8.69 High Danger Chances For per 60 minutes, both of which rank in the bottom three of the league.

No starter has been named in net, but it looks like it is either going to be Scott Wedgewood or Karel Vejmelka. In 5-on-5 this season, Wedgewood has an SV % of .933 and 4.5 Goals Saved Above Expected, while Vejmelka has an SV % of .923 and -0.5 Goals Saved Above Expected.

Coyotes vs. Jets Pick

Arizona has struggled all season to score the puck on a consistent basis, and it is clear that the Winnipeg offense finds themselves in the midst of a cold streak on that end of the ice.

A four goal performance in their last outing is great news for Winnipeg, but I'm not sure if that kind of scoring output is going to be seen in this matchup from them.

Arizona has two goalies in net that have played good hockey this season despite what their records show, and as a team they are averaging 2.29 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes, which is the 15th best mark in the NHL.

I think defense and goaltending are going to be the stories in this matchup as it is tough to trust either team to score the puck at high rate right now. Winnipeg has seen a total under 5.5 in four of its last six, and Arizona has had the total stay under 5.5 in five of its last eight. I like those trends to continue in this matchup.

Pick: Total under 5.5 (+100)