The Arizona Coyotes (7-9-2) head to take on the Detroit Red Wings (10-5-4), who will be looking to add to their winning streak, at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. Arizona is coming off a 4-0 win over the Hurricanes on Wednesday, snapping a run of four consecutive defeats.
The Coyotes committed five penalties in the game, though they held Carolina without a power play goal. Lawson Crouse led the Coyotes with two goals. Karel Vejmelka had a great performance with 36 saves to record his first shutout of the season.
Detroit won for the third straight game, beating the Predators 3-0 on Wednesday. Filip Hronek, Michael Rasmussen, and Dylan Larkin scored one apiece for the Red Wings. Hronek added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Ville Husso recorded his second shutout of the season, most in the league, with 26 saves.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Coyotes won both games between the teams last season, including a 9-2 victory in their final meeting in March, their fourth straight win against Detroit. Nick Schmaltz led Arizona with four points (2G 2A). Robby Fabbri and Jakub Vrana were on the scoresheet for Detroit. Vejmelka got the win, saving 26 of 28 shots (.928%).
FACING OFF
Arizona is averaging 2.67 goals per game for the season, 28th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Red Wings team that is allowing 3.00 goals a game (13th). Meanwhile, Detroit has found the net 3.26 times a game on average, 13th in the league, and the Coyotes are allowing opponents to score 3.39 goals per game (22nd).
Both teams average fewer shots per game than most teams in the league. Detroit’s 29.0 average ranks 29th, while Arizona ranks No. 32 with 24.3 shots. When it comes to shot-stopping, the Coyotes have been more successful with a team save percentage of .907% (14th), while the Red Wings have stopped .905% of shots as a team (17th).
Power play opportunities ought to be plentiful for the Red Wings, as the Coyotes are averaging 5.33 penalties per game, most in the NHL. The visitors’ 12.06 penalty minutes a game ranks fifth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.63 times a game (6th-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.26 minutes (3rd-fewest).
The Coyotes’ 25.40% power play percentage ranks eighth in the league, while the Red Wings are 14th with a conversion rate of 21.74%. When it comes to defending power plays, Arizona has the league’s seventh-ranked PK% at 81.82%, while Detroit is 11th at 80.70%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 19 points this season, Clayton Keller is the top skater for the Coyotes. He has seven goals and 12 assists in 18 games. In the net, Vejmelka (5-5-1) is Arizona’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.23 GAA and a .909% save percentage.
Larkin and Dominik Kubalik lead the Red Wings in scoring with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Larkin has nine goals and 14 assists, while Kubalik has nine goals and 12 assists in 19 games. Husso (7-2-3) has the best goals against average for Detroit at 2.55. He has a save percentage of .916%.
HOME AND AWAY
Arizona is 6-7-1 on the road this season. Detroit is 6-2-2 at Little Caesars Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Over 6 Goals (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
