Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, and the Detroit Red Wings will face off against Eric Staal, Ryan Suter, and the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in an East-West showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 22, and fans at home will be able to watch the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Minnesota Wild Odds
Detroit (+220) is entering this one as the underdog to Minnesota (-260) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 money on the over and +100 on the under.
Losing 4.7 units for moneyline bettors, Minnesota is 22-27 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage hasn’t moved much from what the team posted during last year’s regular season (37-45). Through 49 regular season contests, 24 of its games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just four have pushed. This year, the team’s 13-10 SU at home.
The Wild have converted on 20.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 75.2 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 25.4 saves per game with a .903 save percentage, Alex Stalock (12-13-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Wild this year. If head coach Bruce Boudreau decides to rest him, however, the team could roll with Devan Dubnyk (8-15-15 record, .892 save percentage, 3.35 goals against average).
In the other locker room, Detroit is 12-38 straight up (SU) and has lost 19.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 50 regular season matches, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under the total and just five have pushed. The Red Wings are 4-20 SU as a road team this season.
The Red Wings have converted on just 14.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully killed off 73.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jonathan Bernier (.904 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Detroit. Bernier is averaging 26.0 saves per game and owns a 10-18-2 record.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Minnesota Wild Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Five of Minnesota’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 1-4 overall in those games.
- The Red Wings are 6-12 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-26 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Detroit is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Minnesota is 1-2 in shootouts.
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in three of their last five outings.
- Detroit skaters have averaged 8.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 12.2 giveaways per game (ranked 27th overall).
- Minnesota skaters have averaged 5.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.7 giveaways per game (ranked 1st in the league).
- Detroit skaters have dished out the 10th-most hits in the league (22.7 per game).
