Coyotes vs. Lightning prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
It is time to continue our NHL odds series with an Arizona Coyotes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Arizona Coyotes finish off a trip to Florida on the second night of a back-to-back when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Coyotes face the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Coyotes-Lightning prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Coyotes will feel good about their chances when they visit Tampa Bay. They won two straight games as underdogs against Nashville and Pittsburgh before the Florida trip. They also took two consecutive games against Tampa Bay, including their first matchup this season in Arizona. Connor Ingram has taken over the net for Arizona and will be the starting goalie against the Lightning. The Coyotes are starting Karel Vejmelka against the Panthers on Wednesday night. The superior goalie has been Ingram, boasting a 17-9-1 record and a .919 save percentage.
The Lightning's climb up the Atlantic Division standings is boosted by six wins in the last seven games. They passed the Toronto Maple Leafs off for third in the Atlantic and sit 12 points back of the Boston Bruins for first place. Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn't been his self since returning from an off-season injury. Vasilevskiy has a 14-10 record and a .901 save percentage. Vasilevskiy will likely be the starter in this game, as Johansson only has four starts since November 28th.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Coyotes-Lightning Odds
Arizona Coyotes: +1.5 (-150)
Moneyline: (+160)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+125)
Moneyline: (-194)
Over: 6.5 (+110)
Under: 6.5 (-134)
How to Watch Coyotes vs. Lightning
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports
Why The Coyotes Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Coyotes' best chance of stealing a third-straight win over the Lightning is for Connor Ingram to play lights out for them. Ingram allowed just two goals in three-straight starts, and Alex Lyon shut down the Lightning two games ago with a 2-1 loss. The Coyotes will need to grind out a low-scoring win to beat the Lightning here, but the question will be if they can do it on the second night of a back-to-back.
Why The Lightning Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Lightning's home-ice advantage this season will contribute to them winning this game. The Coyotes have fared much better at home this season, as teams can't seem to get used to playing at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena. The Lightning are 15-5-3 with a +22 goal differential at home this season. The Coyotes are 8-10-3 away from Mullett, sporting a -3 goal differential.
They are 11th in the league, averaging 3.38 goals per game. Their defensive game hasn't been their usual top-of-the-league form, as they rank 22nd, allowing 3.29 goals per game. The good thing for the Lightning is that the Coyotes are 20th in the NHL, averaging three goals per game. A more alarming stat for the Coyotes is that they generate the third-least amount of shots per game. Vasilevskiy hasn't been in good form this season, but if you don't bombard him with shot attempts, he isn't going to allow many goals.
Final Coyotes-Lightning Prediction & Pick
We will try to toe a fine line when making our predictions for Coyotes-Lightning. It typically isn't profitable to bet a team to cover the spread and for the total to go under concurrently. However, there is reason to believe it could happen in this game. The Coyotes are one of the worst teams at generating shot opportunities, and when they do in this game, they will be facing Vasilevskiy, who is beginning to return to form. The Coyotes will have Connor Ingram in the net, who can shut down the Lightning to a certain extent, but not enough to win the game. It isn't outside the realm of possibility to think this could be a 3-1 or 4-1 final for the Lightning.
Final Coyotes-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning -1.5 (+125) and Under 6.5 (-134)
