Coyotes vs Devils Odds
| Coyotes Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -118 | 6.5 -108o / -112u | +195 |
| Devils Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -102 | 6.5 -108o / -112u | -240 |
As the NHL's opening week continues, Friday's slate features just two games with two more teams making their season debuts.
At the Prudential Center in Newark, the New Jersey Devils will look to improve to 2-0 as the Arizona Coyotes kick off a four-game road trip to start their season.
The two sides were separated by 42 points in the standings last season, but the Coyotes are poised to make a move up the ranks that could mirror what New Jersey accomplished last season.
Meanwhile, the Devils are looking to solidify their spot as one of the elite teams in the Metropolitan Division.
Arizona Coyotes
On paper, the Coyotes look to be one of the most improved teams in the NHL. GM Bill Armstrong went on an offseason shopping spree that included the acquisition of steady vets like Jason Zucker and Alexander Kerfoot up front, along with Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi and Travis Dermott on the back end.
The Coyotes are also welcoming a rookie of the year candidate to their roster in Logan Cooley and are expecting another big season from Clayton Keller, who had a career-high 86 points last season.
In net, the Coyotes welcome back the tandem of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram.
In a difficult environment, both stoppers came out on the plus side of goals saved above expected last season, with Vejmelka at an impressive 11.1. As of Thursday night, he's expected to start in the opener in Newark.
Despite a wild preseason where they played every game on the road, including two in Australia, the Coyotes finished exhibition play with a 4-5-0 record – pretty decent, under the circumstances.
New Jersey Devils
After taking a huge step forward last season with 112 points and their first playoff series win since 2012, the Devils have picked up where they left off.
They ran the table as the only team with a perfect preseason record (7-0-0), then kicked off the regular season by gutting out a 4-3 home win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
After scoring 43 goals last season, Jack Hughes started the new campaign with a pair of goals while Vitek Vanecek logged the win. That likely sets up Akira Schmid for the start in net against the Coyotes.
The 23-year-old put up a .922 save percentage and 8.8 goals saved above expected in 18 regular-season games last year.
Coyotes vs Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Devils are the better team on paper, and won both games in last year's season series.
New Jersey is rolling but is also on the second half of a back-to-back after an intense game against Detroit, where the total hits were 32-24 in favor of the Devils.
Arizona is tracking to be much improved this season, but that's not reflected in the moneyline as there's no sample size yet for this season.
The Coyotes are at +200 or more at all outlets, and as high as +215 at FanDuel.
That implies just a 31.8% chance of winning for the visitors. And for as good as New Jersey has been, this matchup has the makings of a game where the home side could take its foot off the gas and underestimate an Arizona team that should be much tougher to play against.
With the line where it is, it makes sense to back the Coyotes to start their 2023-24 season on a winning note.
