Predators vs. Red Wings Odds
| Predators Odds | -115 |
| Red Wings Odds | -105 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+, Hulu |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Nashville heads to Detroit on Tuesday looking to find consistency after alternating wins and losses the last eight games. The Predators' most recent game was a win, 4-3 in OT against Montreal on Saturday.
The Red Wings are looking to build on their season-high five-game winning streak, including a very strong effort against a desperate Islanders bunch in a 4-3 win.
Detroit holds one of the league's top home records at 9-2-2, while Nashville enter just 5-5-1 on the road. Are oddsmakers right to price the Predators as a slight favorite here?
Predators Led By Saros
The Predators are scoring 2.79 goals for per game, the league's 23rd-highest mark, and hold a goal differential of exactly zero The numbers are underwhelming, but similar to last season, Nashville is riding Juuse Saros's tremendous play to a wild card spot in the West.
Nashville has seen notable bounce-backs from Mikael Granlund, Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen up front, which has been crucial as beyond them the team certainly does not hold a lot of offensive talent, and the depth lines appear to mainly be looking to play low event, break-even hockey.
Filip Forsberg's recent return certainly offers a boost, as the ultra-talented Swede likely bound for the Olympics has posted 16 points in 15 contests so far.
The team still features a strong top four on the back end, led by Norris winner Roman Josi and Dante Fabbro's strong top pairing. The duo is well-supported by a middle pair of Mattias Ekholm and Alexandre Carrier.
Nashville's greatest strength however comes in the net, and when this club is on point it is looking to minimize shots to the quality that Saros can handle. Barring complete defensive breakdowns, he is going to give the Preds a very strong chance to win.
Saros has posted a .921 save % and stopped +6.7 goals saved above expected (GSAx) so far this season throughout 20 games played.
Red Wings Continue To Surprise
Upstart Detroit put together yet another big statement that its early start is no fluke on Saturday as Moritz Seider continued his spectacular rookie season with an excellent shot after a strong effort altogether.
He and rookie Lucas Raymond are certainly giving Detroit fans a ton of optimism looking toward the future, and have powered the Red Wings into a surprising playoff spot.
However, beyond those two and a couple other strong pieces such as captain Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi (who is currently out due to COVID), I am still unsure there is enough talent to continue to produce results at such a high level.
The Wings have produced just a 47.53 xGF% during their winning streak, and although the team certainly seems to be buying into what Jeff Blashill is preaching, I'm not sure we will see a handful of guys skating through career years (or first seasons) continue to drag some of the notably lesser pieces to such positive results all season long.
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic appears to be another smart addition from GM Steve Yzerman, and has built on a strong season last year in Carolina with a .920 save % and +3.1 GSAx so far this year.
Predators vs. Red Wings Pick
The Red Wings' winning streak has come with a number of very close results, all coming by a one-goal margin outside of a 4-2 win over St. Louis which featured an empty netter, as well as three wins past regulation.
I think Nashville will look to play to its defensive strengths and allow Saros a good chance to shine against a Red Wings team that has dominated at home.
At -115, I don't quite see enough value on the Predators, but certainly lean toward them as a side and will watch to see what prices are available closer to game time.
However, at -110 I do think there's enough value to back the under at 5.5 in a game that I feel is likely to be tightly contested between two offenses I see finishing in the bottom-third this season, and featuring two excellent goaltenders in Saros and Nedeljkovic.
Pick: Under 5.5 -110, (Play to -122)
