NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Red Wings vs Devils (Saturday, December 23)
(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) Christian Fischer #36 of the Detroit Red Wings battles for position with Brendan Smith #2 of the New Jersey Devils.
Red Wings vs. Devils Odds
| Red Wings Odds | +162 |
| Devils Odds | -200 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -148 / +120 |
The Red Wings coughed up a 5-1 lead Friday, but they still managed to eke out a 7-6 shootout win over Philadelphia to end their four-game losing streak. Still, Detroit lost Olli Määttä (upper body) in the process and will get no rest before playing again tonight. So let's discuss if that's enough to prevent Detroit from making it two in a row as we preview the upcoming contest and offer a Red Wings vs. Devils prediction.
It's not clear if Määttä will miss Saturday's contest, but if he does, it will likely result in Jake Walman returning to the lineup, which isn't a problem. So at least that injury shouldn't set Detroit back too much. The absence that will likely be felt more is that of James Reimer, who had to save 43 shots in regulation along with another three in the shootout, and consequently isn't expected to be in net tonight.
Granted, he wasn't at his best against Philadelphia anyway, but with Ville Husso (lower body) and Alex Lyon (upper body) both injured, the Red Wings have to turn to journeyman goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who had a disastrous 4.29 GAA and .875 save percentage in 16 contests with Columbus last year. More recently, he's posted a 2.98 GAA and .895 save percentage in 13 AHL outings with Grand Rapids. You'd have to go back to 2020-21 to find the last time he finished with a save percentage above .900 in either the AHL or NHL. Meanwhile, the Devils rank eighth offensively with 3.42 goals per game, so it would not be surprising if Detroit surrenders a significant number of goals Saturday.
As we saw Friday, though, Detroit is capable of overcoming shaky goaltending. Detroit did have a stretch from Dec. 14-20 in which it scored just six goals over four contests, but the Red Wings' offense still ranks fifth with 3.50 goals per game.
Patrick Kane, in particular, looked great last night, scoring two goals and registering an assist to jump to four goals and nine points in nine contests since returning from hip resurfacing surgery. He's had three straight multi-point games, so it's fair to assume he's back to 100%. It helps that the move to Detroit has reunited him with his former Blackhawks linemate, Alex DeBrincat, who assisted on both of Kane's markers before earning his third helper of the night on a Shayne Gostisbehere tally. Mixing that forward duo with top-scoring threats like Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin as well as high-end offensive defensemen Gostisbehere and Moritz Seider is at the heart of the Red Wings' offensive success.
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A potent offense like that is a nightmare for the Devils, who can't seem to keep anything out of their own net. New Jersey ranks 30th defensively with 3.61 goals allowed per game. It's not clear who will start in net for New Jersey, but it barely matters. After all, neither Vitek Vanecek (3.35 GAA, .883 save percentage) nor Akira Schmid (3.25 GAA, .893 save percentage) have been able to hold their own this season.
New Jersey has a mediocre 16-13-2 record because of that poor goaltending, but it'd be even worse if not for its amazing offense. Jack Hughes leads the charge with 14 goals and 38 points in 26 contests and Jesper Bratt isn't far behind with 13 tallies and 37 points in 31 outings, but the strength of the Devils is their scoring depth. They have eight players with at least seven goals this year.
Detroit was indeed able to earn a 4-0 shutout victory over New Jersey on Nov. 22, but that's the only time the Devils have been silenced this year. The Red Wings were also rested for that game, playing at home and utilizing the now-injured Alex Lyon in goal while New Jersey was missing two important and now-healthy forwards in Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. It's unlikely that Detroit will be as effective in containing New Jersey tonight.
Red Wings vs. Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Red Wings are regarded as heavy underdogs in this one, which feels a little unfair given the Devils' own issues, but is nevertheless understandable with Detroit being on the road and on the second half of a back-to-back. I think there's still a decent chance Detroit will win, but my recommendation is instead going to be the over of 6.5 goals. Given the quality of these two offenses combined with the weak goaltending being sent out, I strongly believe this will be a high-scoring affair.
Pick: Over 6.5 (Play to -140)
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