Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators Game Preview and Prediction 2/13/2023

The Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes face off on Monday in an NHL showdown at Bridgestone Arena. The Coyotes will play another game without star defenseman Jakob Chycrun after rumors of him being traded. Speculation continues to grow regarding Chychrun’s future with the Coyotes, who scratched him before a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday for what they said was trade-related reasons. The Predators are looking for key points against a team who’s aiming to land Connor Bedard in the draft this year.

The Matchup

The Predators are 4-1 in their last five games. When these two teams faced off on November 21, it was Nashville that secured the 4-3 victory. The Predators have won six of eight (6-2-0). Forward Filip Forsberg is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. While the Coyotes have a clear path in front of them, the Predators’ future is unknown. The Predators are on the prowl for the playoffs. They are currently four points out of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with two games in hand.

Players To Watch

For the Coyotes, Karel Vejmelka is the player to watch. Vejmelka has been the true star for the Coyotes this year. The Coyotes have gotten good goaltending, to counter their bad offense, bad defense, bad shooting luck, and truly hideous special teams play. While Karel Vejmelka’s .906 SV% doesn’t look that great, he’s been doing a lot with very little.

For the Predators, Roman Josi is the player to watch. Since December 21, Josi has only failed to score in four of the past 20 games. Josi continues to show his scoring prowess with seven points in his past five games and is top 10 in scoring for defenseman with 43 points on the season.

Prediction: Predators 5, Coyotes 2

The Coyotes are going to have to get past the Predator’s defense, which has been really solid of late. They suppress quality chances, which will make it difficult for an Arizona squad that can have some issues scoring. Not to mention getting any chances past Juuse Saros.

Odds Presented By Betfred Sportsbook

Spread – Arizona Coyotes +1.5 (-130) / Nashville Predators -1.5 (+110)

Moneyline – Arizona Coyotes (+190) / Nashville Predators (-240)

Total –  6.0 – Over (-110) / Under (-110)

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