Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings face off at Little Caesars Arena in an Eastern Conference matchup. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 20, and it can be seen live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
With a moneyline of -115, Carolina enters the matchup as the slight favorite. The line for Detroit sits at -105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 for the over and -115 on the under.
Carolina is 20-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 45 regular season contests, 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the road team in 2017-18, the Canes are 10-15 SU.
Carolina has converted on 17.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 24th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 78.9 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Carolina has been penalized just 2.8 times per game overall this season, and 1.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .895 save percentage and 24.6 saves per game, Scott Darling (9-19-6) has been the best option in goal for Carolina this year. If head coach Bill Peters decides to rest him, however, Carolina may go with Cam Ward (11-8-2 record, .904 save percentage, 2.85 goals against average).
Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Hurricanes. Aho has 37 points on 16 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded multiple points 10 times. Teravainen has 11 goals and 24 assists to his credit (and has registered at least one point in 21 games).
On the other side of the rink, Detroit is 18-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 23 of its matches have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the team’s 10-14 SU as the home team.
Detroit has converted on 18.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is also ranked 18th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
Detroit players have been whistled for penalties 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jimmy Howard has stopped 26.7 shots per game as the top selection in goal for Detroit. Howard has 14 wins, 22 losses, and six OT losses and has recorded a pedestrian 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this year.
The Wings will be led on offense by Dylan Larkin (seven goals, 28 assists).
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Detroit’s last five outings.
The Hurricanes have averaged the league’s fourth-most shots on goal (34.5) and Detroit has attempted just the 26th-most (30.0).
The extra-man advantage could be critical tonight. The Hurricanes are 11-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-21 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Red Wings are 6-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-17 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Carolina is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 3-1 in shootouts.
Detroit skaters have averaged 5.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 6.3 takeaways per game (ranked 23rd in the NHL).
Carolina has managed 5.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 10.5 takeaways per game (ranked second in the league).
