Coyotes vs. Rangers Odds
| Coyotes Odds | +240 |
| Rangers Odds | -285 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Coyotes head to the Big Apple to take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Both teams are on the second half of back-to-backs, so we could see some tired legs in this cross-country matchup.
Will we see another low-scoring affair between these two teams, or will the goals pick back up?
Coyotes Face Tough Task of Back-to-Back
The Coyotes continue their East Coast road trip following Friday's tilt against the Islanders. Playing a game the next night immediately after facing Barry Trotz's Islanders is a tough task, as his team plays a grit-and-grind defensive style of hockey that wears on opponents.
All season long, Arizona's offense has been brutal. The Coyotes rank 30th in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and 25th in 5-on-5 shots on net percentage.
The only reason Arizona has even reached the 10-win mark is because of one man, goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Vejmelka has burst onto the scene this season as an extremely talented young goalie, boasting a 0.910 SV%.
Vejmelka has been on another planet recently, stopping 131 of 140 shot attempts in his last four starts, good for a 0.936 SV%. If you take out the poor performance against Colorado in that four-game stretch, that statistic is up to a 0.963 SV%.
Shesterkin Continues To Lock Down Rangers Crease
The Rangers travel back home to defend their home barn after Friday night's matchup against the Hurricanes. Much like the Coyotes, the Rangers' strength is in their goaltending, while their offense leaves a lot on the table, ranking 27th in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF).
Despite the poor offensive play this season, the Rangers are in first place in a stacked Metropolitan Division because of goalie Igor Shesterkin. Currently, DraftKings has Igor as the favorite to win the Vezina this season — which should come as no surprise to anyone following this guy.
Shesterkin has an impeccable 0.938 SV% this season, including three shutouts in his last seven starts. An even more ridiculous statistic than that is the fact that Shesterkin has only allowed more than two goals in three of his last 13 (!!) starts. The guy is a monster in the crease, and I do not see him slowing down anytime soon.
Rangers vs. Coyotes Pick
Both of these offenses rank in the bottom five in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF), while both teams are starting amazing goaltenders. The total has stayed under 5.5 goals in seven straight road starts for Vejmelka and has stayed under 5.5 goals in five of the last seven home starts for Shesterkin.
These two teams played once this season halfway through December, with New York holding onto a 3-2 win. That game featured both teams' backup goaltenders, and there is no reason to think the game will not be low-scoring again with both teams' starters patrolling the crease.
Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (-110) | Play up to -120
