In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings and the Nashville Predators clash at Bridgestone Arena in an East-West matchup. The game gets started at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 17 and it can be caught live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators Odds
Nashville (-230) is currently favored over Detroit (+190) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
The Predators are 34-22 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 7.0 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 41-41 record from last years regular season campaign. Among its 56 games this season, 28 have gone over the total, while another 28 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 19-9 SU at home this year.
Nashville’s converted on 22.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Nashville has been penalized 4.6 times per game overall this season, and 3.4 per game over its last five games home outings. The team has been forced to stave off opposition power plays for just 7.5 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 29.0 saves per game with a .925 save percentage, Pekka Rinne (29-13-4) has been the primary option in goal for the Predators this season. If they, however, decide to give him a breather, Nashville could roll with Juuse Saros (5-10-10 record, .924 save percentage, 2.44 goals against average).
P.K. Subban and Filip Forsberg will both spearhead the attack for the Predators. Subban (44 points) has tallied 15 goals and 29 assists and has recorded multiple points in 11 different games this year. Forsberg has 17 goals and 22 assists to his name and has notched a point in 28 games.
Detroit is 23-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 32 of its contests have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and none have pushed. As the away team, Detroit is 11-15 SU so far.
Detroit has converted on 18.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 77.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit’s players have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 3.1 per game over their past ten match ups. The teams had to kill penalties just 7.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jimmy Howard (.910 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Detroit. Howard is averaging 26.3 saves per game and owns a 16-26-6 record.
For the visiting Red Wings, the offense will be coordinated by Dylan Larkin (nine goals, 34 assists) and Henrik Zetterberg (seven goals, 32 assists).
Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators Betting Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The total has gone over in three of Nashville’s last five games.
- Nashville’s attempted 31.6 shots per game overall this season (ranked 19th in the NHL), and 36.2 across their last 10 games.
- Power plays and penalty kills may prove to be extremely important tonight. The Red Wings are 8-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-22 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Predators are 14-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-11 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Two of Nashville’s last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 5-5 overall in shootouts this season.
- Nashville has averaged 8.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 13th in the NHL).
- Detroit skaters have averaged 10.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.6 takeaways per game (ranked 23rd).
- Nashville could hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The teams 17-12 in games decided by one goal, while Detroit is 8-15 in such games.
