The Coyotes have a 17-16-0 record at home this season and look to get past the Kraken Friday night
Friday night offers an exciting ending to the week with four great matchups that should excite hockey fans. The Hurricanes look to stay hot against one of the most intriguing stories this season in the Capitals while the Avalanche and Stars look for important wins in the Central division race as they are in a three-way tie with the Jets.
The night caps off with the Kraken looking to bounce back after a loss last night as they travel to the desert to take on a Coyotes team that has been hot since ending their horrid losing streak.
It’ll be an exciting end to the week and with fewer games to bet on, you’ll want to be sure of your picks for this evening. Lucky for you, we are riding a red hot 8-0 record over the past few days and look to extend our winning ways into the weekend.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Capitals +1.5 (-150)
The Hurricanes are the second-hottest team behind the Predators since mid-February with a 14-3-1 record and the fewest goals allowed with just 33 over their last 18 games. It’s hard to go against them but the Capitals have been an anomaly for most of this season and have been very hard to predict.
They are bottom five in scoring this season with just 181 goals and rank 18th in goals against per game with 3.10 but they are still in the playoff race as they are just three points behind the Lightning.
Washington also plays their best when at home with a 17-11-5 record and have a 8-4 record against the spread in their last 12 home games. They’ve covered against some of leagues best teams like the Rangers and Canucks.
It’ll be tough but the Hurricanes are playing their second leg of a back-to-back and could win but in a low-scoring game that allows the Capitals to cover.
Bet: Penguins Stars Under 6.5 goals (-115)
The Penguins have had a disappointing season as they are on pace to likely miss the playoffs despite captain Sidney Crosby having possibly the greatest season for a 36-year-old player of all time with 33 goals and 69 points this season.
He’s been one of the teams only contributors on the offensive front with the Penguins ranking 26th in scoring with just 197 this season. Their strength was their defense led by stars Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang but that too has started to fall off with a 3.55 goals against average since the All-Star break that has ballooned thanks to a few blowout losses.
If they want to stay in a game with Dallas, who are top six in scoring since the All-Star break, they will have to find a way to rebuild their defense and get it back to the form it was in earlier this season when they were one of the best in the league.
If they can get it together I think the game goes under but if they can’t figure out how to stop Jason Robertson and company, they will likely lose in a decisive two or three goal loss where they can’t find any momentum.
This may happen as the Stars are also elite on the defensive end with the 11th best goals against average of 2.86 over their last 21 games.
Bet: Coyotes Kraken Over 5.5 goals (-120), Coyotes -1.5 (+225)
The Kraken lost on Thursday night in a tight game with the Golden Knights where they were merely edged by a late goal from Keegan Kolesar followed by an empty net goal that landed them a 3-1 loss.
They now have to travel to the desert to take on the Coyotes, who had previously made headlines for a lengthy losing streak of 14 games but since have found stable ground with five wins over their past ten games. They are also a very different team when they play at home with a 17-16-0 record that trumps their 11-20-5 road record.
Seattle will also be without defenseman Vince Dunn who has been a pivotal point of the Kraken’s backend as the team has lost six straight since his injury.
They will be tired and without their best defensive man which makes the over feel like a great play as their four all-time meetings in Arizona have all seen five or more goals which is one off the total we are looking for.
I think Arizona gets out to an early lead as they are tied for ninth in first period goals and will have the Kraken chasing the game but ultimately not having enough gas in the tank