Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and the Florida Panthers will face off against Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena for a divisional tilt. Fox Sports Detroit will air the action, which gets going at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 22.
Florida Panthers at Detroit Red Wings Odds
The Panthers (-135) are the favorite over the Red Wings (+115), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Earning 0.8 units for moneyline bettors, Detroit is 15-21 straight up (SU) overall in the 2018-19 season. That early-season winning percentage isn’t too far off from to the 30-52 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Among its 36 games this season, 17 have gone over the total, while another 17 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the team’s 8-11 SU at home.
The Red Wings have converted on 19.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 78.7 percent of all penalties.
With a .922 save percentage and 29.9 saves per game, Jimmy Howard (10 wins, 13 losses, and four OT losses) has been the top goalkeeper for the Wings this season. If Detroit chooses to rest him, however, the team could roll with Jonathan Bernier (5-11-11 record, .898 save percentage, 3.38 goals against average).
In the other locker room, Florida is 13-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 33 regular season matches, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under the total and just three have pushed. As an away team, the Panthers are 6-11 SU so far.
The Panthers have scored on 27.8 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 23rd overall and it’s successfully killed off 77.2 percent of all penalties.
James Reimer (.888 save percentage and 3.48 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Florida. Reimer is averaging 22.4 saves per game and owns a 6-13-3 record.
Florida Panthers vs. Detroit Red Wings Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Two of the Red Wings’ last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-4 overall in shootouts this year.
- Florida’s attempted 35.1 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 30.6 in its last five road games.
- Florida skaters registered 20.2 hits per game last season, while the Wings accounted for 19.6 hits per contest.
