The Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes meet in NHL action from the Mullett Arena on Thursday night. Can the ‘Yotes cool off at home? Or will Colorado freeze out Arizona in the desert? Let’s dive into this Avalanche vs. Coyotes prediction and find out.

Avalanche Win 4th Straight

The Colorado Avalanche come into this one looking to build on their current four-game win streak after a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay last time out. Cale Makar leads the Avs in scoring with 32 points including a team-high 26 assists while Nathan MacKinnon has 28 points with 7 goals and 21 assists. Mikko Rantanen has 27 points with a team-high 12 goals and 15 assists and Valeri Nichushkin has 20 points split between 10 goals and 10 assists this season. Alexandar Georgiev has started 18 games for Colorado, going 13-5 with a 2.84 GAA and an .898 save percentage this season while Ivan Prosvetov is 2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and a .919 save percentage this season.

Colorado Avalanche Team Facts

• The Avalanche have won seven of their last eight games.
• The home team has covered the puck line in each of the Avalanche’s last five games.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Avalanche’s last 13 games following a home win.
• The Avalanche have won the first period in each of their last four games as favorites.

Coyotes Upend Lightning

The Arizona Coyotes come into this one looking to build on a solid pair of back-to-back wins after a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay last time out followed their 2-0 win over Vegas the game prior. Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes with 19 points including a team-high 8 goals and 11 assists while Nick Schmaltz has 16 points with 5 goals and 11 assists. Matias Maccelli has 16 points with a team-high 13 assists while Nick Bjugstad has 14 points with 4 goals and 10 assists. Lawson Crouse and Logan Cooley each have 13 points as well with Crouse adding a team-high 10 goals and Crouse chipping in 11 assists. Connor Ingram has posted a 8-3 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .924 save percentage in goal for Arizona while Karel Vejmelka is 2-6-2 with a 3.45 GAA and a .892 save percentage this season.

Arizona Coyotes Team Facts

• The Coyotes have lost each of their last eight games against opponents on a winning streak.
• The Coyotes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four home games against Western Conference opponents.
• The Coyotes have won the first period in each of their last four games at Mullett Arena following a win.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Coyotes’ last eight night games at Mullett Arena.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Arizona Coyotes ranks 6th in the league in power play percentage this season (24.66%).
• The Arizona Coyotes ranks 31st in the league for shots per game this season (27.2).
• The Colorado Avalanche ranks 3rd in the league for goals per game this season (3.76).
• The Colorado Avalanche ranks 4th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (87.95%).

Avalanche vs. Coyotes Prediction

I’m backing the Avs here. I’ll give the ‘Yotes credit for what they’ve pulled off in recent games, but the problem is that Colorado in my eyes is just the far better team and they’re playing far better hockey right now, winning 4 straight and 7 of their last 8 games. I just don’t see the Coyotes staying in this game and as such, I’ll back Colorado here.