Two original six clubs are set to face off tonight from Little Caesars Arena, with the Detroit Red Wings playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Chicago Blackhawks (+195) vs. Detroit Red Wings (-235) Total: 5.5 (O-128, U+104)It’s been a year of positive development and growth for the Red Wings, who have still seen their organization head in a much more positive direction despite falling off of late. On the other hand, the Blackhawks have been intentionally heading in the opposite direction, trying to increase their draft lottery chances at generational phenom Connor Bedard. The Red Wings are listed as sizable home favorites in this matchup on the moneyline at -235, while the Blackhawks are at +195.
This will be the second meeting between these clubs, which saw the Hawks post a 4-3 victory back on October 21. Chicago enters this matchup playing some good hockey, posting a 6-4 record over their past ten games. The same can’t be said for the Red Wings, who sit at 3-6-1 over that same sample size.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Blackhawks are expected to start Petr Mrazek, while the Red Wings should counter with Ville Husso. The Blackhawks netminder has posted an 8-18-2 record, paired with a .891 save percentage, while Husso is sitting at 23-16-6, with a .904 save percentage. It’s hard to give a big advantage in goal for this matchup, but the Red Wings should have a slight edge in that department.
With the struggles the Red Wings have faced of late and the recent hot stretch from the visiting Blackhawks, there’s value in backing Chicago here. The Hawks are priced at a very appetizing number of +195, and there’s really no merit in backing the Red Wings at their price tag, meaning siding with Chicago is the path we’ll be taking.
Best Bet: Blackhawks moneyline (+195)
The earlier matchup saw these two teams combine for seven goals, yet the total for tonight is set relatively low at just 5.5. In saying that, the over is juiced up at -128, while the under is sitting at +104. Both the Blackhawks and Red Wings ultimately sit in the bottom third of the NHL in goals scored per game. Over the Blackhawks’ past five games, they’ve seen six or more goals scored in two matchups, while the Red Wings have seen that transpire in three contests. With the recent trends and what we already saw in their original matchup, backing the over is the direction we’ll lean in tonight.
Best Bet: Over 5.5 (-128)
There are not a lot of directions you can take in this matchup that inspires confidence in the goal-scoring department, especially for the Blackhawks. Still, there’s some younger talent looking to prove themselves in the Chicago lineup, and we’re planning to target one of those players to make a difference here tonight. Lukas Reichel has tallied five points in his first seven games for Chicago, and he’s set to play a bigger role moving forward. Reichel has a ton of skill and should play a significant role in this matchup, leading us to back his longshot price of +390 to find the back of the net.
Best Prop: Lukas Reichel to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+390)
