The Florida Panthers (3-1-0) and Detroit Red Wings (2-1-0) meet in an Eastern Conference battle tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Panthers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (+100o / -120u). The Panthers are a -150 favorite to win outright, while the Red Wings are +125 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Panthers vs. Red Wings predictions and NHL picks.
Panthers vs. Red Wings Odds, Pick
| Panthers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +175 | 6 100o / -120u | -150 |
| Red Wings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -210 | 6 100o / -120u | +125 |
- Panthers vs. Red Wings Spread: Panthers -1.5 (+175), Red Wings +1.5 (-210)
- Panthers vs. Red Wings Over/Under: 6 (+100o / -120u)
- Panthers vs. Red Wings Moneyline: Panthers -150, Red Wings +125
Panthers vs. Red Wings Preview
The Florida Panthers are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. However, prior to that, they won their first three games, all at home.
This version of the Panthers is a lot different than what we’re used to seeing. Matthew Tkachuk will be out for a few more months, and Aleksander Barkov is already done for the season.
But luckily for the Cats, they've built a deep Stanley Cup contender.
The Brad Marchand deal continues to be an absolute steal, both the trade they made to get him, and the insane six-year deal they signed to keep him in town.
He and Anton Lundell lead the team in scoring, averaging a point per game, with sniper Sam Reinhart potting two goals in consecutive games.
So Florida may not have its two most important players, but this team can carry the water for them while they’re out.
The 5-on-5 offense is nothing special, which shouldn’t be surprising with the two stars out, but the Panthers currently rank 13th in expected goals with a solid 51.9 xGF%, but defensively, they’re fifth with a 2.19 xGA/60.
And as he continues to get older, the more I worry about Sergei Bobrovsky and just how many more miles he has in him.
The 37-year-old’s numbers look solid as usual, holding a .924 SV%, but the defense has been so exceptional that a lot of pucks have been fairly easy. However, the stats would seem to refute that, given that he has a 0.6 GSAx. So who’s telling the truth here?
I ripped Detroit a new one on Opening Night because I didn’t see the vision. On paper, the defense looks like it was put together by Pierre McGuire and I wasn’t so sure how the Wings would fare on the offensive end.
I am the first person to eat crow when I think I’m wrong, but I won’t do it yet.
The Wings have looked fantastic to start, minus a brutal Opening Night loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Don’t want to jinx it, but Patrick Kane looks like he’s back to his old self, and Alex DeBrincat is showing a different side of his game with exceptional playmaking.
I’m also not surprised that Lucas Raymond picked up where he left off. I love the way he plays and after averaging just under a point per game last season, I’m predicting he gets over that mark this season.
Detroit’s 5-on-5 offense is playing to a solid 53.77 xGF%, while the defense is really sticking it to me. The Red Wings are currently fourth in 5-on-5 defense with a 2.02 xGA/60.
Not only that, they’ve done really well on the power play, scoring at a 25% clip, albeit in limited action, and it’ll be interesting to see if they crack Florida’s perfect penalty kill.
Panthers vs. Red Wings Prediction
Nothing between these two teams stands out to me, so I’m going to put some eggs into Andrew Copp’s basket.
As I dove deep into the numbers, no offensive player on the Red Wings has been more active than Copp. He leads all forwards in Corsi, High Danger Chances, Scoring Chances, and is second amongst forwards in Expected Goals.
Copp was always a nitty-gritty type of player, who plays a strong defensive game and chips in on the offensive end when needed.
But for the most part, he’s been a driving force for the Wings to start the season. Players like Kane, DeBrincat and Raymond usually steal the spotlight, but Copp has always been a reliable forward in this league, and at +575, I think it’s great value to sprinkle some cash on him.
Pick: Andrew Copp Anytime Goal Scorer (+575)
