Coyotes vs Devils Picks and Predictions: Value Lies In New Jersey Winning In Regulation

A couple of cellar-dwellers will do battle tonight when the Arizona Coyotes travel to take on the New Jersey Devils.

Arizona is in last place in the Western Conference and while it has been a little frisky lately, it still sits as a massive NHL betting road underdog against New Jersey, which is one point clear of last in the Metropolitan Division (but has five more games played than the last-place Islanders).

Where does the betting value lie when the desert visit to The Rock? Get our thoughts with our best free NHL picks and predictions for Coyotes vs. Devils on Wednesday, January 19.

Coyotes vs Devils odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

This line opened at New Jersey -193/Arizona +168, and as of early Wednesday morning sits more in the Devils -210/Coyotes +175 range. The total sits at a flat 6, shaded to the Under.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Coyotes vs Devils predictions

• Prediction: Devils 3-way ML (-130)
• Prediction: Under 6 (-115)
• Best bet: Jack Hughes Over 2.5 shots on goal (-135)

Predictions made on 1/19/2022 at 11:43 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Coyotes vs Devils game info

• Location: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+, MSG+, Bally Sports AZ

Coyotes vs Devils betting preview

Injuries

Coyotes: Antoine Roussel LW (Out), Barrett Hayton C (Out).
Devils: Dougie Hamilton D (Out), Damon Severson D (Out), Jesper Bratt LW (Out), Jonathan Bernier G (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Coyotes vs Devils head-to-head record (2018-20)

Coyotes: 1-1-2, 9 goals for.
Devils: 3-1-0, 10 goals for.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 4-0 in the Devils' last four games as a home favorite. Find more NHL betting trends for Coyotes vs. Devils.

Coyotes vs Devils picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Moneyline analysis

The Coyotes started the season as the laughingstock of the NHL, losing 11 straight games and 14 of their first 15 — and failing to cover the +1.5 puck line in 11 of those losses.

Now, Arizona is still not a good team, considering it is one point clear of last place in the NHL, but the Desert Dogs have come away with points in three of their last four games (including two wins), with almost all of the thanks going to the exceptional play of goaltender Karel Vejmelka.

A fifth-round pick in 2015, Vejmelka finally got a call up to the big club following injuries on the depth chart and made the most of his NHL time. He already has three games with 45+ saves (including a 45-save, one-goal effort in a 2-1 win over Toronto) as he has shown an ability to keep Arizona in games it has no business being in. His 83.1% high-danger save percentage is equal to (or better than) the number posted by the likes of Cam Talbot, Jack Campbell, Semyon Varlamov, and Robin Lehner — all legit No. 1 NHL goaltenders. 

He should expect to again see a lot of action tonight against a Devils team that is playing better than its recent record indicates. While the Devils have lost three of their last four games, two of those losses came to the Islanders and Bruins (both red-hot teams), all three losses came on the road, and New Jersey had logged wins over Washington and Edmonton prior to this four-game stretch.

Since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Devils are in the middle of the pack with a positive CF% (compared to Arizona sitting third-worst in the league), and with the Coyotes giving up the second-most shots per game since January 1, expect the Devils to generate a lot of pucks in the direction of the Yotes' net.

There's no value in taking New Jersey on the moneyline at nearly -200, and Devils -1.5 scares us as Vejmelka is capable of keeping Arizona close by himself, but we are happy to pay the -130 price on the Devils to win in regulation. 

Prediction: Devils 3-way ML (-130)

Over/Under analysis

If you're thinking of jumping on the Over, let's consider that we'd be betting on a lot of 5-on-5 offense... because we're likely not to get any help from the special teams in this game.

Since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Devils' power play is converting at a measly 15.4% clip (2 for 13), good for 28th in the league. Not to be outdone, the Coyotes are "clicking" at a league-worst 7.7% rate during this span (2 for 26) — and with both teams sporting a penalty kill in the top half of the league in January (New Jersey seventh, Arizona 14th), don't expect much from the man advantage.

Going back to even strength, the Devils this month are averaging 2.72 goals for per 60 minutes of ice time (per Natural Stat Trick), while Arizona comes in a 2.69, ranking 12th and 14th in the league during that span.

Arizona's numbers, however, were buoyed by two offensive outbursts: Scoring six goals against Chicago (third-worst team in the West) on Jan. 6 and five against Montreal (worst team in the NHL) in its most recent game — take away those and the Coyotes have six even-strength goals in their other five games.

New Jersey is by no means a stout defensive squad, nor is Mackenzie Blackwood (tonight's expected starter for the Devils) playing particularly well. But with the Devils likely to control the play — limiting an already-sad Arizona offense to minimal chances — and neither power play doing much of anything, we're looking at needing four or five goals from a Devils team that has topped three goals in regulation twice in their last 15 games... against a hot goalie. 

We're not buying it.

Prediction: Under 6 (-115)

Best bet

We also mentioned above that Arizona has given up the second-most shots per game since January 1 (37.9 per contest), so we're looking in the direction of New Jersey's main offensive piece for our best bet tonight — Jack Hughes.

After basically missing the first two months of the season (he suffered a shoulder injury after just two games), Hughes was eased back into his top-line role in December... but he's finally gotten back into a rhythm.

Seeing more than 21 minutes of ice time per game since January 1 (tops among Devils forwards) and with an offensive zone starting percentage of 64.9%, Hughes is getting every chance to create offense — and he's delivering, with nine points in his last six games and 25 shots on goal (4.2 SOG/G).

With Yegor Sharangovich and Tomas Tatar flanking him, Hughes has had a positive CF% in four of his last six contests. Facing an Arizona team tonight that lacks any true "shutdown" line (and is horrific in puck possession overall), we're banking on another busy night for the Devils main man and taking the Over on his 2.5 sog total — a number he has surpassed in four straight games and eight of his last 10 overall.

Pick: Jack Hughes Over 2.5 shots on goal (-135)

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