NHL Wednesday best bets: Coyotes to keep it close

We started the week off right, successfully backing the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings to pick up wins against the New York teams on home ice.

We'll look to build on that with our best bets for tonight's three-game slate.

The Rangers aren't as great as their 18-7-3 record would have you believe. Their numbers are trending upward, but they've controlled only 46.96% of the expected goals at five-on-five this season. That slots them 26th in the NHL, sandwiched between the Sabres and Flyers.

New York looks even worse in terms of scoring chances. The club's minus-124 at five-on-five and their share of 45.02% is 29th in the NHL.

Essentially, lights out goaltending from Igor Shesterkin - and a strong power play - has led to the team's success. There's no harm in that; there are different ways to win games.

But Shesterkin is out of the mix right now. The Rangers can't rely on Alexander Georgiev or Keith Kinkaid to provide anywhere close to the level of goaltending Shesterkin has given them.

That makes it harder to win on any given night, especially when fatigue is such a big factor. Wednesday's contest will be New York's sixth game in nine nights.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes have been off since Saturday and have played just one road contest this month. They're well-rested and have enjoyed the comfort of playing a string of home games.

I'm not backing Arizona to win, but I like its chances of keeping this game close. So long as Shesterkin doesn't make a surprise return, I'd back the Coyotes on the puck line.

Bet: Coyotes +1.5 goals (-135)

We haven't picked against the Kraken all that often, but we're making an exception in this game.

Seattle isn't playing good hockey right now. The team's posted a 43.16 xGF% over the last 10 games, which puts them 29th in the NHL.

The Kraken's low share of the xG stems from their inability to create opportunities. At five-on-five, they rank 31st in generating high-danger chances per 60 minutes and 32nd in expected goals.

Now they find themselves playing their second road game in as many nights and against a solid Ducks team that ranks 11th in xGF% over the last 10 contests.

Despite John Gibson's absence, Anaheim looks to have a clear edge in goal. Anthony Stolarz has stopped 2.9 shots above expectation through nine games.

Seattle's projected starter Philipp Grubauer sits at minus-19.1 through 22 contests - quite the contrast.

Back the Ducks to get it done within 60 minutes.

Bet: Ducks in regulation (-105)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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