Best Bet: Over 90.5 Points
Worst Bet: Arizona Coyotes to win the Stanley Cup 30/1
The 2018 Arizona Cardinals finished the regular season with a record of 39-35-8 and 86 points. Arizona finished in 9th place in the Western Conference and 4th place in the Pacific Division. The Arizona Coyotes have a young and very talented this season that has the looks of a surprise playoff team. The strength of the group is their defense which allowed 2.72 goals per game last season. If they can show any improvement on offense, then they can challenge for the Pacific Division as well. Their top acquisition in the offseason was the addition of Phil Kessel, via trade, who played for the Penguins last year.
The Arizona Coyotes averaged 2.60 goals per game last season which was the 5th fewest in the NHL. They were tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the 9th fewest power-play goals per game at 0.51 and averaged the 4th most power-play chances per game at 3.16. The Coyotes are hoping the addition of Phil Kessel rectifies those statistics. Kessel, who played for the Penguins, had 82 points, 55 assists and 27 goals last season all of which were in the top three for Pittsburgh last season.
Kessel will likely lead the team offensively this season and should help with some of the development of the younger players on the team. Clayton Keller led the team in points and assists with 47 points and 33 assists. Alex Galchenyuk and Brad Richardson tied for the team lead in goals with 19. Alex Galchenyuk was part of the trade for Phil Kessel, so he will not be back this season.
The Coyotes had one of the best defenses in the NHL last season allowing an average of 2.72 goals per game, which was the 6th fewest in the league. Darcy Kuemper started the majority of the games for the Coyotes last season. Kuemper finished with a record of 27-20-8 with five shutouts, and a 0.925 save percentage on the season. He also saw an average of 30.76 shots per game which was the 11th fewest in the NHL. Defensively the Coyotes didn’t need to make any significant improvements and bring back Kuemper who will be the starter once again for Arizona.
Arizona Coyotes Total Points: O/U 90.5
The 2018-19 Arizona Coyotes finished with 86 points on the season, which was the 4th most in the Pacific Division. Arizona trailed the Golden Knights by seven for the final spot in the playoffs in the division and 21 points behind the Flames for the division lead. The defense of the Coyotes was the strength of the team last season allowing the 6th fewest in the NHL. Meanwhile, the offense was one of the worst scoring the 5th fewest goals per game which prompted the trade for Phil Kessel. Phil Kessel will start on the first line at the right wing for Arizona and will likely lead the team in every offensive statistical category this season. With the addition of Kessel, the team should show significant improvement on offense. As a result, they will finish with 91 points or more this season making the over 90.5 points on the season an easy one to make.
Arizona Coyotes To Win The Pacific Division: 12/1
The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks are tied at 12/1 to win the Pacific Division. The Coyotes are the better team and actually can challenge for the division this season. Defensively the Coyotes allowed the fewest goals in the division at 2.72 but were the 2nd worst team offensively in the division only in front of the Kings. With the Coyotes’ acquisition of Phil Kessel, they will show significant improvement on offense but are unlikely to challenge the Sharks or Flames as the top offense in the division. They do however have the best defense in the division which makes them a contender in the Pacific division. The 12:1 odds are tempting to take for the Coyotes to win the Pacific this season and I would recommend placing a small amount on them to do so.
Arizona Coyotes to Win the Western Conference: 15/1
Arizona has the 9th best odds to win the Western Conference this season, which means they are unlikely to do so according to Vegas. Offensively I agree they have a lot of work to do to become a contender in the conference even with the addition of Kessel. Defensively the Coyotes are one of the elite teams in the NHL and return the majority of the pieces of a team that gave up the 6th fewest goals in the NHL last season. The Blues and Golden Knights have the talent and experience that the Coyotes lack. The Coyotes though are going to improve noticeably on offense this season. However, I don’t think they will improve enough to be considered a contender to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. At 15:1 it might be tempting to take the Coyotes to win the Western Conference, but they still lack the pieces to be a contender in the conference this season.
Arizona Coyotes to Win the Stanley Cup: 30/1
The Arizona Coyotes along with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes are listed as 30/1 to win the Stanley Cup this season. The odds indicate the Coyotes are the 16th team most likely to win the Stanley Cup which translates into it being very unlikely to happen. The Coyotes still have one of the best teams defensively in the NHL this season and will likely move up closer to the league average in terms of goals per game after scoring the 5th fewest last season with the addition of Phil Kessel.
Teams like the Blues, Lighting and even the Golden Knights are all likely better teams than the Coyotes this season. As a result, this makes it extremely difficult to envision them winning the Stanley Cup this season. At 30:1 The Arizona Coyotes are in the bottom half of the NHL according to Vegas in terms of winning the Stanley Cup. They will improve on offense this season. However, I don’t see them improving enough to win the Stanley Cup, so I cannot recommend placing a bet on the proposition.
