Eric Staal, Jason Zucker, and the Minnesota Wild are set to do battle against Nick Schmaltz, Taylor Hall, and the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena in a Western Conference tilt. Fox Sports Arizona will air the matchup, and the opening face-off is at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 19.
Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
Arizona (-150) is currently the favorite over Minnesota (+130), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Arizona is 20-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked 1st in the Pacific Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 39-43 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Out of the team’s 36 regular season contests, 21 of them have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 8-9 SU at home this season.
The Coyotes have converted on 20.2 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.6 percent of all penalties.
Boasting a .935 save percentage and 28.8 saves per game, Darcy Kuemper (15 wins, nine losses, and two OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for Arizona this season. If head coach Rick Tocchet decides to give him the evening off, however, the team could turn to Antti Raanta (5-7-7 record, .919 save percentage, 2.72 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Minnesota is 16-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. A total of 17 of its contests have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under the total and just four have pushed. As the road team so far, the Wild are 7-15 SU.
The Wild have converted on 18.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 23rd overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.0 percent of all penalties.
Alex Stalock (25.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Minnesota. Stalock owns a 10-9-2 record, and has registered a .907 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average this year.
Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Two of the Coyotes’ last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 5-2 overall in shootouts this season.
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their past five outings.
- Minnesota has managed 24.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Arizona is averaging 34.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Minnesota skaters registered 19.5 hits per game last season, while the Coyotes forced 24.7 hits per matchup.
