Red Wings Coyotes Betting – Coyotes Finally Make It To Second Round At Detroit’s Expense
Online betting players have watched a thrilling regular season in the NHL, and the playoff race in the West was one of the best in recent years, in any sports. We’ll go to the West for a matchup between third-seeded Detroit and sixth-seeded Phoenix in a rematch of a first-round series from last season, in which the Red Wings came out on top. This year, look for the Coyotes to take advantage of a major Detroit injury and finally progress to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
- What: NHL Betting
- When: Game 1 begins on Wednesday, April 13th at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Games 1,2,5,7 (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit); Games 3,4,6 (Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix)
- Pick: Phoenix Coyotes
Why Bet On Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are an experienced bunch that knows what it takes at this time of year, and even though they weren’t at their best this season they still finished third in the Western Conference. They’ve battled injuries a lot this season, and they could be without Henrik Zetterberg for this series due to a knee injury. That robs Detroit of their leading scorer and one of the best two-way players in the game, but it’s encouraging that Pavel Datsyuk has picked up the slack down the stretch, and the Red Wings will need him to continue that. The defense is in good hands with captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who is as good as he’s ever been at 40 (he’ll be 41 at the end of the month), Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall, but Detroit’s blue line has been hit by injuries this season, so that is something to watch. Again, injuries have reared its ugly head in goal, but it looks like Jimmy Howard is back and healthy for the Red Wing, starting the last five games of the season. Last year, Howard was shaky in his first playoff run, posting a 5-7 record with a 2.75 ERA and a .915 save percentage, and he hasn’t been all that great during the regular season. If the Red Wings are going to make any noise during the playoffs, it all rests with Howard.
Detroit’s injuries have raised a red flag and coach Mike Babcock has done a great job of working in some new players with the veterans, but getting the Red Wings to the finals this year may take his best coaching job. He needs more out of Johan Franzen, who has two goals in his last 27 games, and veterans like Mike Modano, Todd Bertuzzi and Tomas Holmstrom need to pick it up for one last run.
Why Bet On Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes are still looking for their first victory in the opening round of the NHL playoffs, and two of those losses have come at the hands of the Red Wings, so revenge will play a factor in this series. Captain Shane Doan is one of the best leaders in the league, and the pickup of Ray Whitney was one of the top moves of the offseason as he is third on the team in scoring behind Doan and defenseman Keith Yandle, who has emerged as one of the best blueliners in the NHL at 24 years old. The defense has been boosted by the return of veteran Ed Jovanovski, who missed a couple of months with a fractured orbital bone, while Derrick Morris has also been immense. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov should be Phoenix’s player of the year, and he’s even improved his numbers after the All-Star break, which should earn him some consideration when it comes to the Vezina Trophy.
Phoenix doesn’t really have any big names outside of Doan, Whitney and maybe Bryzgalov, but coach Dave Tippett has gotten the best out of this squad by making them play a team-first game. The Coyotes never get too high, or too low, and that temperament will be crucial in the playoffs, especially in the first round.
How The Series Will Play Out
Given their history, look for the Red Wings to be the NHL betting favorites in this series against the Coyotes, who lost to Detroit in six games in 1998, and then in seven games last year. However, we’re going with Phoenix to make their third time a charm as the Red Wings have been disjointed down the stretch, and they’ve looked old for the first time in a while. The loss of Zetterberg really hurts them because that puts a lot of pressure on Datsyuk, who has been injured himself this season, and we’re not sure if Howard can carry them through a series. Bryzgalov gets the edge in goal, and while Babcock is a better coach than Tippett, it isn’t by a large enough margin to put Detroit in the next. Bet on Phoenix in a sports betting upset.
Red Wings Coyotes Betting Pick: Phoenix Coyotes
