New Jersey Devils at Arizona Coyotes

By Sam Batz

The New Jersey Devils will travel through the desert to face the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, March 5th (7 PM EST, ESPN+). The Devils beat Arizona 4-2 in New Jersey earlier this season,  and must now venture inside the Coyotes den for their final matchup with Arizona. New Jersey is miles ahead of Arizona in the standings and will be expected to win this one. Odds Shark has the Devils currently favored at -375 (ML), while the Coyotes are priced at +285 (ML). The Jersey Devils need a win in order to keep up with their division leaders, the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Coyotes play for nothing but their pride. 

New Jersey Devils Breakdown (-375)

The Jersey Devils are currently 40-15-6 with 86 points through 61 games. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and will almost certainly make the playoffs, barring any catastrophic meltdown in the last leg of the season. The statistical analysis website, FiveThirtyEight, projects the Devils will end the season with 110 points, and while they are giving them a 99% chance to make the playoffs, they have just a 4% chance to make it to the Stanley Cup final. The East is stacked with talent, and the Devils will have to fight tooth and nail in order to emerge as the conference champions. But with 21 games left on their schedule, New Jersey will be looking to end the season on a high note, and carry that momentum into the postseason. 

The Devils should feel good about their chances against the Coyotes. New Jersey has scored 53 more goals than Arizona, while allowing 56 fewer goals against them. The Devils outmatch the Coyotes in nearly every statistical metric, and will certainly be expected to win on Sunday. New Jersey is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, but lost 3-4 in a shootout with the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, snapping a 3 game winning streak. The Devils will look to get back into the win column against a lowly Arizona side. 

Arizona Coyotes Breakdown (+285)

The Coyotes are currently 21-32-9 with 51 points through 62 games. They are 7th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference, and while not officially eliminated from the playoffs, are being given <1% chance to see the postseason. Arizona is projected to finish with 70 points, which is 16 fewer points than New Jersey’s current total. The Coyotes have made the playoffs just once (2020) in the past 10 years, and have finished the last two seasons with less than 30 wins. However, with 20 games remaining in their season, Arizona needs just 9 more victories in order to reach 30 wins and break the cycle of mediocrity. 

The Coyotes have been the underdogs in 90.3% of their matchups this season, and on Sunday against the Devils, will embrace the role once again. Arizona wins 32.1% of the time in games where they are considered the underdog, meaning the odds will certainly not be in their favor against the top-three ranked Devils. In their last 10 games, the Coyotes posted a 4-2-2 record, and are coming off back-to-back losses in their last 2 matchups. Over that 10 game stretch, Arizona recorded a per game average of 2.9 goals for and 3.8 goals against. They have the 3rd worst goal differential (-55) in the Western Conference, and will likely struggle to keep the Devils at bay. 

Devils vs. Coyotes: Season Stats

New Jersey Devils (40-15-6) 86 217 (T-5th) 163 (3rd) +54 3.56 (4th) 2.67 (7th) 18-11-2 (58.1%) 22-4-4 (73.3%)

Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate)

Arizona Coyotes (21-32-9) 51 164 (28th) 219 (25th) -55 2.65 (28th) 3.53 (24th) 14-11-2 (51.9%) 7-21-7 (20.0%)

Devils vs. Coyotes: Betting Trends

New Jersey Devils 32-29 20-10 (Away) 15-13 (vs. West) 30-27-4 6-2-2 27-12-4 (as Favorites) 10-3-3 (Favorites Away)

Betting Trend ATS (Season) ATS (Home/Away) ATS (Conference) O/U (Season) O/U (Last 10) ML (Favorite/Underdog) ML (Home/Away)

Arizona Coyotes 32-30 14-13 (Home) 14-17 (vs. East) 31-30-1 6-3-1 18-31-7 (as Underdogs) 11-10-1 (Underdogs Home)

Devils vs. Coyotes: Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
New Jersey Devils	-1.5 (-136)	Ov 6.5 (-110)	-375
Arizona Coyotes	+1.5 (+115)	Un 6.5  (-110)	+285

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Devils vs. Coyotes: Key Players

• New Jersey Devils; Center, Jack Hughes: 2019’s first overall pick, 21-year old Jack Hughes, leads the Devils with 75 player points (36 goals, 39 assists). Hughes is averaging 0.6 goals, 0.9 assists, and 1.5 points in his last 10 games. I predict Hughes will score at least 1 goal against the Coyotes on Sunday. 

• Arizona Coyotes; Right Wing, Clayton Keller: 24-year old Clayton Keller leads Arizona with 59 player points (25 goals, 34 assists). Keller is averaging 0.6 goals, 0.8 assists, and 1.4 points in his last 10 games. I predict Keller will record at least 1 player point on Sunday. 

Devils vs. Coyotes: Prediction

Take the New Jersey Devils (-136) to cover the spread, or if you are looking for a safer bet, take the Devils (-375) moneyline. Either way, you will need the Devils to win the game, which they will. New Jersey is a far better team than the Coyotes, and it would be a massive upset if Arizona somehow pulled off the win. You may be thinking home-court advantage will give the Coyotes the edge, but on the road, the Devils have collected many souls, winning 73.3% of their away games. New Jersey already beat Arizona once this season, and are primed and ready to do it again. 

Prediction: New Jersey Devils (-136) Cover the Spread (-1.5) by the Over. Final Score: 5-2

 

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