With the NHL returning on August 1, the action is starting to pick up on gambling sites around the world. Lines are going up on who is going to win, in how many games, and so forth. Sports Interaction has added some juice to the gambling component. Along with the series prices and props, all eight series’ have top point scorer bets as well as head-to-head matchups with a wager of “who will score more points in the series? Player A or player B.”We here at Last Word on Hockey will be looking at all eight qualifying round matchups from a gambling perspective. Today we will be looking at the Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators and where you can make your money.
Qualifying Round Matchup: Arizona Coyotes vs Nashville Predators
Odds Courtesy of SportsInteraction.com
Series Prices
In a meeting between two underwhelming clubs, the Predators are sitting as a slight favourite at -151 odds. Arizona, only at +110, is the intriguing pick. The Yotes’ may actually have more experience between the pipes with Darcy Kuemper and Juuse Saros expected to start this series off. With Kuemper in, Arizona does have the advantage too.
While both teams struggled at putting pucks in the net in 2019–20, the Predators woes have been more concerning. Nashville ranks in the bottom six of the league in both power play and penalty kill, a recipe for disaster come playoff time. Factor in a neutral playing surface and Arizona has the edge. Coyotes in five at +368 seems about right.
Top Point Scorer
Smart Bets
Nashville’s Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, and Arizona’s Taylor Hall share the co-favourite title — each available at +450. As a defenceman, Josi’s 65 points were 17 more points than any other Predators player, while Hall collected 27 points in 35 games with Arizona. Forsberg led Nashville with 21 goals, so offensive studs on lacker on both sides.
Taylor Hall +450
Hall is your best bet for Arizona given the Coyotes lack of offence. Despite just five career playoff games, Hall has some breakout ability with 21 points in 22 career games against Nashville. Wouldn’t it be something if Taylor Hall went on a run in Edmonton?
Ryan Ellis +850
A Nashville Predators defenceman not by the name of Roman Josi? That’s right! Ryan Ellis ranked fourth on Nashville with 38 points in just 49 games and is lights out against Arizona with 17 points in 22 meetings. At +850, Ellis is a smart and valuable pick.
Phil Kessel +850
No player in this series comes close to Phil Kessel‘s playoff numbers of 33 goals and 44 assists in 87 games. Kessel did see a massive drop in production in 2019–20, but he’s a playoff performer who could do some damage on the Yotes’ top power-play unit.
Not So Fast
Viktor Arvidsson +1100
If 28 points in 57 regular season games isn’t enough to look away from Viktor Arvidsson, how’s three points in 11 games versus Arizona? Or 24 in 55 playoff games? The +1100 odds may seem tempting, but wait for Arviddson to catch fire before locking him in.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson +2000
Even at the bottom of the leaderboard, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a pass. Ekman-Larsson posted his third-lowest point total in his 10-year career, and has a mediocre 16 points in 30 games against Nashville. If you take a defenceman here, look toward the Preds.
Calle Jarnkrok +1600
Calle Jarnkrok was destined for a career-high in points this season, but two goals and 13 points in 54 career playoff games is an ugly stat line to throw some money on. Jarnrok’s only got five points in 16 games against Arizona, so stay away from the Nashville forward.
Head-to-Head Matchups
If there’s any theme here that seems bound to succeed, it’s Nashville defenceman outscoring their head-to-head opponents. Aside from this trend, Nick Schmaltz over Arvidsson is a safe play given the latter’s struggles. In fact, a bunch of these show value.
Smart Bets
Nick Schmaltz over Viktor Arvidsson +155
Schmaltz posted an admirable 45 points in 70 games this season, averaging .14 points per game more than Arvidsson. And while he’s pointless in four career playoff games, Schmaltz is a point-a-game player in eight games versus Nashville. The +155 is the cherry on top.
Ryan Ellis over Conor Garland +125
Ellis is nearly a point-a-game player versus Arizona, while Conor Garland has yet to record both a point versus Nashville and in the NHL playoffs. Garland did pot a team-high 22 goals, but Ellis is going to be a key player for the Preds with a ton of ice time incoming.
Roman Josi over Oliver Ekman-Larsson -135
Josi’s and Ekman–Larsson’s careers are drifting in opposite directions right now. Josi’s up for the Norris Trophy after scoring a team-high 65 points in 69 games. Ekman–Larsson, as mentioned, had one of his worst statistical seasons in 2019–20. It’s a no brainer.
Final Plays
Out of all eight qualifying round series, the Arizona Coyotes may be the most obvious “underdog” pick. Nashville’s underperformed all season and seem to be going into their first postseason without Pekka Rinne starting in net in over a decade. As for my official plays, I’m putting half a unit on Josi to lead the series in scoring at +450, a full unit on Josi to outscore Ekman–Larsson at -135, and half a unit on the Coyotes in five at +368.
The choice is yours and yours alone. But we are here to guide through this difficult process. Again this is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing guaranteed, and please enjoy responsibly.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
