LAS VEGAS — The Detroit Red Wings went to Tampa on Jan. 18 and was smacked out of town when the Lightning won, 5-1. One week later, the Wings hosted the Bolts and got revenge with a 2-0 win. Those two games are part of a pattern that has seen the home team in this series win five of the last six meetings.
The two meet tonight in Detroit’s final game before the 4 Nations Faceoff break, and there’s plenty to play for with these squads.
The Lightning are in third place in the Atlantic Division, holding off the Ottawa Senators, who have the same number of points (62) but have been relegated to the No. 1 wild-card slot thanks to two extra losses.
The Red Wings hold the second wild-card spot with 61 points, and would love nothing more than to head into the break with momentum when play resumes.
Let’s do a deep dive into this one:
WHY TAMPA BAY: The Lightning have won two straight and appear to be playing better after losing 11 of 18 from Dec. 29 through Feb. 1. Tampa Bay took back-to-back home games against the Senators on Tuesday and Thursday, and will have momentum on its side with this one. The Bolts finish play before the break with a game in Montreal tomorrow, and the last thing they’ll want to do is head into the second leg of a back-to-back off a loss.
WHY DETROIT: The Wings have won seven straight, outscoring the competition by a combined final of 25-13. Going back even further, to Dec, 29, the Wings have won 15 of 19 while outscoring teams, 67-49. Nobody can deny how well they’re playing, either, as they’ve registered wins over the Capitals, Jets, Senators, Panthers, Lightning and Oilers – all teams that would be in the playoffs right now – along the way.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: RED WINGS +125 — It’s hard not to jump on board the home dog in this spot, all things considered. From the home win streak in the series to how well Detroit is playing, one could say the Bolts are being overvalued simply because of who they’ve got in net. And just because Andrei Vasilevskiy is 15-5-0 against the Wings, to go along with a 2.03 goals-against average and .933 save percentage, keep in mind how bad Detroit has been for years. This is a different team that is playing well. The 31 points Detroit has accumulated since Dec. 29 ranks No. 1 in the league, just as its 3.42 goals per game. The Wings also rank No. 2 with their power play in that span. The Lightning have two games left, but this is it for Detroit, which has won seven of 10 in this series, and the Wings will be in must-win mode at home tonight.
(Season Record: 15-24-1, Net: -1120$, based on 100$ units)
