Canadiens vs. Red Wings Odds
| Red Wings Odds | +120 |
| Canadiens Odds | -140 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (+100/-120) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Tuesday night, the Detroit Red Wings travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens. It will be interesting to see if Detroit answers the bell, as the Habs throttled them two weeks ago, 6-1.
Montreal is coming off a two game losing streak where they let up four or more goals in both games. To say it’s been a rough season for the Habs is an understatement. They’ve gone from a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final last year to a bottom-two team overnight.
The Red Wings are one of the more fascinating teams in the league right now. With the young talent they have, there’s room for growth, and they’re incredibly exciting to watch. Even though they have lost two in a row, it’s an easier pill to swallow than their counterparts, as both of their losses have been a result of one-goal games.
Canadiens Looking For Momentum
While the Habs’ start of the season has been a disaster, the team they iced last year was a lot different than this year. Star goalie Carey Price is in the NHLPA Wellness Program, captain Shea Weber is essentially retired, Cole Caufield hasn’t performed up to expectations by getting demoted to the AHL, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi was offer-sheeted from the Hurricanes.
It was easy to figure that Montreal wasn’t going to have the same amount of success that they did last year, but it’s hard to imagine this kind of regression. With a 2-8 record, the Habs have a bottom-10 expected goals rate (xGF%) with 48.26, a bottom-five power play, and a bottom-three penalty kill. In case you were wondering, that is not very good.
Since Carey Price has been out, Jake Allen has done his best to pick up the slack. Allen is no slouch as he’s experienced what it’s like to be a starter in St. Louis, but he’s not the superstar that Price is. He’s coming into tonight’s bout with a .907 SV% and a .7 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx). For a goalie on a very poor team, that’s one of the few positives to take from this porous start.
Upstart Red Wings Turning Heads
There’s a lot of hope coming out of the Motor City. The Red Wings are a young bunch led by studs like Lucas Raymond, Tyler Bertuzzi, captain Dylan Larkin, and Moritz Seider. Detroit has come into this season with few expectations, and yet so much promise. So imagine people’s reactions when they opened the season with a 4-3-2 record.
On the offensive end, the Wings are fairly middle-of-the-road. They have an xGF% of 50.72, but their special teams haven't been great. They are eighth worst in Power Play percentage, and seventh worst with their penalty kill. So while special teams certainly could be better, they are fairly decent 5-on-5.
Alex Nedeljkovic was supposed to be the goalie of the future in Carolina. For whatever reason, the Hurricanes had no interest in spending his minimal salary, so Detroit happily took him. So far Nedeljkovic has been OK. He’s posting a .900 SV% and a 0.0 GSAx, and while it could be better, it’s still only the beginning of the season.
His goalie partner, Thomas Greiss, has been decent as well, with similar numbers. Greiss has a .905 SV% and a 1.5 GSAx, so neither him or Nedeljkovic have taken the reins early on. With Detroit, you never know who’s in goal, but based on their stats, it shouldn’t matter when determining whom to pick in this game.
Canadiens vs. Red Wings Pick
Montreal may have the advantage on goaltending, but Detroit has the advantage on everything else (albeit a small one). The Wings do have more flare and can certainly put the puck in the net, and I expect Montreal to play on their heels.
With everything seemingly going wrong for the Habs, I can’t in good conscience pick them against a young and vibrant team like the Red Wings. Even though Montreal demolished the Wings two weeks ago, I’m still backing Detroit for this game.
Pick: Detroit Red Wings at +125
