NHL best bets: Rangers vs. Coyotes odds, preview, prediction for 3/30 

Rangers vs. Coyotes Odds

Saturday, March 30, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Odds via BetRivers. Get up-to-the-minute 

New York Rangers

The Rangers head to Arizona riding a four-game winning streak that includes three straight overtime victories. New York’s difficult schedule of late hasn’t proven to be an issue as the Rangers are 9-2-0 since the trade deadline. 

Despite a rocky January, New York is in the driver’s seat for the Presidents’ Trophy and continues to sit atop the Metropolitan Division. But, the Rangers will likely need to stay hot over the final nine games to fend off the surging Carolina Hurricanes and win the division title.

The key for the Rangers will be to continue building on their improved defensive play. Since the trade deadline, they have played to a 5-on-5 xGA/60 of 2.40, a stark contrast from their 2.70 mark before the deadline. In the past two weeks, they’ve held the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche to two goals apiece and shut out the Carolina Hurricanes. Keep in mind, New York has been without shut-down defensemen Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren of late.

With the number of high-end forwards the Rangers employ, offense is rarely a concern, despite their below-average underlying numbers at even strength. Artemi Panarin is over 100 points, Alexis Lafreniere’s impact appears to grow by the night and Adam Fox is heating up with 15 points this month. However, the Rangers are still looking for more from Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Igor Shesterkin continues to shine between the pipes, but New York could turn to Jonathan Quick on Saturday with Shesterkin having started the past three games. Unlike most teams, there is little drop-off between the Rangers’ starter and backup.

Arizona Coyotes

Since snapping their 14-game losing streak, the Coyotes have played decent hockey. Arizona is 8-6-0 over this stretch and has picked up wins over some potential playoff teams — the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators. The Coyotes have won two straight and scored 14 total goals across those victories. 

The underlying numbers, though, suggest Arizona hasn’t actually played all that well lately. The Coyotes’ 2.83 xGA/60 at 5-on-5 over this span ranks fifth-worst in the NHL. Their 46.66 xGF% at 5-on-5 indicates they haven’t generally gotten the better of even-strength play. Perhaps Arizona’s third-ranked PDO since March 1st partly explains its recent success.

If the Coyotes continue rotating goaltenders, look for Karel Vejmelka to get the nod Saturday. He owns a 3.24 GAA and a .902 SV% on the season, but has been much better of late. Vejmelka owns a 1.99 GAA and a .934 SV% in seven starts this month.  

It’s also worth noting that Arizona has been a much better team at home this season. The Coyotes are 20-17-0 at Mullett Arena, but just 11-20-5 elsewhere.

Rangers vs. Coyotes

Betting Pick & Prediction

While both teams' goaltenders have played well of late, I'm not sure why the over in this game isn't set at 6.5 across the board.

Arizona's recent defensive play hasn't been particularly strong, and despite the Rangers' lack of consistent 5-on-5 offensive pressure, they certainly have the talent to exploit this matchup. New York has begun to defend at a higher level, but has also proven susceptible to track-meet-type games against lesser opponents.

Although the Rangers have shut down the Bruins, Hurricanes and Avalanche, recent contests against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers produced 11, nine and 11 total goals.

I'm expecting a similar script against the Coyotes, so I'll take the over at plus money.

Pick: Over 6 (+102 at BetRivers | Play to -110)

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