The Arizona Coyotes will play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Arizona has lost four of their last five games, while Minnesota has lost seven of their last eight. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Coyotes vs Wild prediction.
Coyotes Preview
The Arizona Coyotes are 20-18-2 this season after they lost to Calgary by a score of 6-2 in their last game. Arizona trailed 4-1 after the first period and never really got back into the game after the poor start. The Coyotes out shot Calgary by a total of 34-30 and went 0-1 on the power play in the game. Arizona defeated Boston by a score of 4-3 in the game prior to Calgary, but lost the previous three games against the Jets, Islanders, and Panthers. The Coyotes are scoring 2.95 goals per game and they are allowing 3.08 goals against per game, while going 23% on the power play and 78.4% on the penalty kill. Clayton Keller has led Arizona with 15 goals, 20 assists, and 115 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Arizona is Connor Ingram, who is 14-8-0 this year with a 2.62 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Wild Preview
The Minnesota Wild are 17-19-5 this year after they lost to Philadelphia in overtime by a score of 4-3 in their last game. Minnesota led 3-1 in the third period, but allowed the Flyers to tie the game and win in overtime. The Wild were out shot by a total of 35-29 and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. Minnesota has also lost to Dallas (twice), Tampa Bay, Calgary, and Winnipeg (twice) during this rough stretch. The Wild are scoring 2.88 goals per game and they are allowing 3.30 goals against per game, while going 18.7% on the power play and 72.8% on the penalty kill. Mats Zuccarello has six goals, 24 assists, and 83 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Minnesota is Filip Gustavsson, who is 10-9-2 this season with a 2.96 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.
Minnesota Wild Team Facts
- The Wild have lost five of their last six games as favorites on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last six games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Wild have lost the third period in each of their last four games against Western Conference opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in 12 of the Wild’s last 13 night games.
Arizona Coyotes Team Facts
- The Coyotes have won each of their last two games as underdogs against the Wild.
- The Coyotes have covered the puck line in each of their last five games as underdogs against the Wild.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 15 of the Coyotes’ last 16 games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The favorites have won the first period in each of the Coyotes’ last eight games.
Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts
- Kirill Kaprizov has recorded at least one assist in each of the Wild’s last seven games against the Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center.
- Kirill Kaprizov has scored at least one goal in each of his last four appearances in night games.
- Kirill Kaprizov has recorded at least one point in each of his last 12 appearances with the Wild as favorites against the Coyotes.
- Kirill Kaprizov has scored the last goal in three of his last four appearances in night games.
Arizona Coyotes Player Prop Facts
- Clayton Keller has recorded an assist in five of his last six appearances with his team as an underdog against the Wild.
- Nick Schmaltz has scored a goal in three of the Coyotes’ last four games as underdogs.
- Clayton Keller has recorded at least one point in five of his last six appearances against the Wild.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Minnesota Wild are one of only two teams to win 3+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
- The Minnesota Wild rank T2nd in the league for Period 2 goals allowed per game this season (0.78).
- The Arizona Coyotes rank 4th in the league in penalty minutes this season (474).
- The Arizona Coyotes are one of only four teams to lose a game when leading by 2 or more goals after Period 1 this season.
Coyotes vs Wild Betting Prediction
Both of these teams come into this game struggling over the last week or so, but the Wild will have the home ice advantage in this matchup. Minnesota may be at home, but they are going to be on a back to back after playing last night. Both teams have really struggled to score in recent games and Arizona is only 7-9-2 on the road this year. I think the Wild have the advantage in this game, despite being on a back to back, and I like them to get the win.