Coyotes vs Stars Predictions, Preview, Stream, Odds and Picks

Battling for Final Wildcard Spot, Stars Hope to Avoid Letdown Against Coyotes

Central Division rivals will clash Wednesday night when the Dallas Stars host the Arizona Coyotes.

With two games remaining on its regular-season schedule, the Stars are looking to hold on to a wildcard spot in the Western Conference. The Stars have won two in a row, looking to fend off the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the wildcard hunt.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes are playing out the year, sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings. Arizona’s 53 points are only two points better than the NHL’s lowest point total, held by the Montreal Canadians with 51.

Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Coyotes vs Stars. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.

Stars Look to Find Offense During Playoff Push

This season, the Stars have struggled to score goals, averaging 2.84 GF/G, which is 21st in the NHL. Recently, the Stars have scored two goals or fewer in six of their last eight games. Remarkably, the Stars have gone 5-2-1 over that stretch, including two one-goal victories. The Stars are 28-6-5 in games decided by a goal or fewer on the year.

“We were 18th in goals,” said Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill. “Can we get better? Yes, we have to be better. Scoring goals, we have to get better. Now, looking back, if you have Seguin in the lineup, Radulov in the lineup, Roope Hintz was playing injured, you take those guys out of the lineup, that’s a first-line on any team, so you’re going to lose some goals.”

Two youngsters have led Dallas’ offense; 22-year-old Jason Roberston leads the team with 40 goals, while 25-year-old Roope Hintz is second with 37 goals.

Another young player, Jake Oettinger, has led the way for the Stars in between the pipes. The 23-year-old has made 45 starts, going 28-15-1 with a .914 SV% and 2.56 GAA.

Defensively, the Stars allow 2.99 GA/G, tied with the Nashville Predators for 15th in the NHL.

Coyotes Playing for First Overall Pick in NHL Draft

The 2021-22 season has been rough for the Arizona Coyotes. As the season comes to its merciful end, the only thing the Coyotes are playing for is the first overall selection in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft.

The Coyotes recently avoided tying its longest losing streak of the season, upsetting the Minnesota Wild, 5-3, on Tuesday night, breaking a ten-game losing skid.

The Coyotes have struggled to find offense all season, averaging 2.43 GF/G, the worst scoring rate per game in the NHL. Heading into its final two games, Arizona has only three players with 20 or more goals on the year in Clayton Keller (28), Nick Schmaltz (23), and Lawson Crouse (20). Keller, the Coyotes’ leading scorer, is out for the season with a lower-body injury, while Arizona’s third-leading scorer, Crouse, could miss the final two games with a broken bone in his right hand.

While Arizona’s offense has struggled, the team’s defensive outcomes haven’t been much better. The Coyotes allow 3.78 GA/G, the worst in the Western Conference and third-worst in the NHL behind only the Detroit Red Wings (3.80 GA/G) and Montreal Canadian (3.90 GA/G).