Stars vs. Coyotes: NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction

Stars vs. Coyotes Odds

With playoff seeding in the Central Division still very much up for grabs, the Dallas Stars will look to sweep their season series against the Arizona Coyotes when they visit Mullett Arena on Friday night.

The Coyotes are 18 points out of a playoff spot, but have been tough to beat in their intimate new home, where they are 20-12-4 this season. However, the Stars skated away with a 7-2 win as one of the arena's first visitors in early November, and Arizona is 0-1-1 on its current four-game homestand.

Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for the game.

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Dallas Stars

After leading the Central Division for much of the season, the Stars have lost some ground to the surging Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche. Dallas is 9-4-1 this month, but Minnesota has built a three-point cushion at the top of the division and Colorado is tied with Dallas with 94 points.

While the Stars have slid a bit, they're still playing very good hockey. They're scoring a lot of goals and are second only to Edmonton at 4.29 goals per game this month. Their special teams have been on point, and they haven't allowed a goal while shorthanded over their past five games. If there's an area of concern, it's on the back end. Dallas is allowing 3.29 goals against per game over the past month, which is a significant spike from its 2.73 season average.

The Stars are also heading into a back-to-back set and will face the Avalanche on Saturday night. Coach Peter DeBoer may save starter Jake Oettinger for that tougher matchup, which would mean the Coyotes are likely to see minor-league call-up Matt Murray. While Scott Wedgewood has been sidelined with injury, Murray has made two starts in the past two weeks. He gave up eight total goals in a pair of losses to the Vancouver Canucks and has an .844 save percentage on the year.

Arizona Coyotes

Earlier this month, the Coyotes played spoiler for a seven-game stretch. They went 6-0-1 and may have played themselves a bit higher up in the standings than they'd prefer as optimal draft lottery positioning is a prime organizational goal. However, the past two weeks have been different as Arizona is 0-3-2.

Clayton Keller has been putting up points with impressive consistency lately. He's up to 81 points through 75 games this year, a new career high, and is on a 13-game point streak, during which he's logged 11 goals and 11 assists.

Despite thinning out their roster at the trade deadline, the Coyotes have continued to be a tough out.

Stars vs. Coyotes Pick

Bettors should be cautious when fading the Coyotes on home ice — but the Stars appear to be an exception.

Dallas has easily handled Arizona in all three previous meetings this season, winning each by multiple goals. Additionally, one of those wins came with Wedgewood in net, so even the backup-goalie effect shouldn't be a factor.

Both the Coyotes and the Stars will be well rested Friday. Dallas dispatched Chicago 4-1 on Tuesday, and Arizona's last game was a 5-4 loss to Edmonton on Monday.

The Stars won't be taking this game lightly as they look to enhance their divisional positioning. Look for another decisive win and take the puck line at plus money.

Pick: Stars -1.5 | Play to -105

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