The Phoenix Coyotes are on a three-game losing streak that includes a loss to the lowly Buffalo Sabres—the worst team in the NHL. Phoenix is hoping to redeem itself when it plays the equally-as-bad and worst team in the West, the Edmonton Oilers, on New Year’s Eve. The Coyotes have fallen to the eight spot in the conference after being in the top six for most of the early part of the NHL season. The team cannot afford to have losing months, especially when they play in a deep Western Conference

The Edmonton Oilers have won two of their last three games, which, for one of the worst teams in the league, is a great stretch of hockey. Edmonton currently sits in last place in the conference and has earned only 30 points on the season. The team already has two five-game and a seven-game losing streaks under its belt. Let’s take a closer look at Tuesday’s matchup and figure out which side of the line has the most value to wager on.
 
Oilers at Coyotes Betting Story Lines

Phoenix’s early momentum that it had built over the first few months of the season came to a grinding halt two weeks ago when the team fell into a disappointing slump. The Coyotes have lost six of their last seven games and have two, three-game losing steaks in that span. They have also given up 20 goals during those matchups but managed to score only 13. Goaltender Mike Smith has taken most of the damage during that span but has played well and at least kept the team competitive during its slump.
 
The Coyotes’ main problem has been their offensive inefficiency. The team may be feeling the grind of a long NHL season, and it may be in need of the five-game homestand the squad will be given to start the beginning of January. During Phoenix’s last outing, the team took the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks to overtime, but it was not able to come away with a victory.

The Oilers have lost seven of their last nine games, but they were able to take the Philadelphia Flyers to overtime and shootouts during their last loss on Saturday. Backup goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has gotten three of the last four starts and has unfortunately allowed 12 goals during that span. The team has struggled on the offensive end as well, and outside of a six-goal outburst against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, it has not been able to score goals.

Edmonton’s point’s leader, Taylor Hall, has been the only bright spot during a difficult season for the team. Hall has produced seven points over his last five games with three goals and four assists. The trouble for Edmonton is that there is not much talent to work with outside of Hall. The team is currently last in the league in goals allowed with 3.3 and 19th in goals scored with 2.5

Oilers at Coyotes NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Phoenix opened as a -177 moneyline favorite over the +161 underdog Oilers at BetOnline. The total was set at six goals, with the “under” being favored at -116. Edmonton is 5-1 over its last six games playing on two days of rest and 5-9 over its first 14 games of December. The Oilers have gone “over” four times in their last five overall games and last five Tuesday games.

Phoenix is 6-1 over its last seven Tuesday games and 6-2 over its last eight games played on two days of rest. The team, however, has struggled against the Western Conference and is only 1-4 over its last five games and 1-5 over its last six home games. The Coyotes are also 0-4 against the Pacific Division and 1-6 over their last seven overall games. Head-to-head, Edmonton is 2-7 over the last nine meetings in Phoenix and 3-13 during the last 16 overall meetings. The road team is 5-2 over the last seven matchups.

Free NHL Picks: Oilers at Coyotes Predictions

The Oilers have played relatively well over their last few games, but Edmonton is still a very bad team, and very bad teams lose much more than they win. The Oilers just won a road game against the Flames last week but will probably be overmatched by a very good, yet slumping, Coyotes team. Phoenix is riding a three-game losing streak and will probably use this game to get a much-needed win and build some confidence after a difficult two-week stretch. Edmonton simply does not have the talent to take advantage of a slumping team. Take the favorite on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy