Detroit Red Wings vs Edmonton Oilers - Odds and Predictions

Where: Rogers Place – Edmonton, AL., Canada

When: Friday, October 18, 9PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Fox Sports Detroit, SN1 | WFAN

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Detroit Red Wings (Away)

Head Coach: Jeff Blashill{All-Time 139-148-47 DET}

Former Detroit Red Wings’ team captain Steve Yzerman’s first season as the team’s general manager has been rather run-of-the-mill thus far as his team sits with a record of 3-3-0.

Sitting below the 20th rank in most major team statistics, it’s clear that the Red Wings are most definitely still within the nitty gritty of their team rebuild.

Offense

The Detroit Red Wings enter this game with a mostly healthy offensive lineup. Johan Franzen is still out with a concussion but for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Adam Erne may make it to the ice come game time. That being said, across the team’s first six games, there is little to be desired when it comes to Detroit’s offensive prowess.

The team ranks at 19th in the league in both their average goals-per-game and average shots-per-game. The team has combined for only 17 goals so far this season and 181 shots. One positive is that they tend to make their shots count as the team has a shooting percentage of 9.4 percent, which shows more promise than most teams.

The real struggles come on the power play. Not only does Detroit rank 30th in the league when it comes to faceoff win percentage, but their power play has only an 11.1 percent success rate – ranking them at number 26 in the NHL.

Defense

What can we say about the Detroit Red Wings’ defense? It’s not good. Where their power play struggles, as does their penalty killing unit. Ranking in as low as 25th in the league, the Red Wings have only been able to kill off 72.2 percent of their penalties.

The special teams have a long way to go for Detroit. It doesn’t help when the team averages 8.3 penalty minutes per game. The Red Wings also allow the 26th-most shots per game, averaging an allowance of 33.5, and the 23rd-most goals against per game, averaging an allowance of 3.5.

Goaltending

For Friday night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, goaltender Jonathan Bernier is expected to get the start. Bernier has started three games this season and has a winning record of 2-1. His numbers don’t look like those of a goalie with a winning record, however. Bernier’s goals against average sits at 3.33 and his save percentage is just as eyebrow raising at .888.

Head Coach: Dave Tippett{All-Time 559-414-28-120 EDM, ARI, PHX, DAL}

Forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have picked up right where they left off last season, already combining for 32 points in only seven games played. Let that sink in.

In Dave Tippett’s first season behind the bench as head coach, the Edmonton Oilers have gone 6-1-0 despite having four defensemen on injured reserve. But as all Oilers fans know, don’t get your hopes up.

Offense

It’s early in the season, but what more can be said: McDavid and Draisaitl have a combined 32 points in seven games. Add James Neal to that and three players have combined for 41 points in seven games played. In fact, James Neal has already scored four more goals that he totaled last season with the Calgary Flames.

The Edmonton Oilers are ranked second in the league in goals-per-game, averaging four. They have the second-most (along with Pittsburgh and Nashville) combined goals scored with 28. This is even more impressive when you consider the fact that the Oilers rank dead last in the league in shots. So it’s no surprise that they rank first-overall in shooting percentage with a ridiculous 15.1 percent of their shots finding the back of the net. The team also have the number-one ranked power play in the league, scoring on 45.5 percent of their powerplays. It’s some of the most entertaining hockey to watch – while we can.

Defense

the defensive end of Edmonton’s game isn’t anywhere near as successful as their offensive end, but they are still playing well. The big issue for the Oilers heading into Friday night’s game is the amount of injuries that are plaguing their blue line – most notably being the loss of Adam Larsson.

The Oilers do find themselves allowing an alarmingly high amount of shots, ranking them at number-21 in the league with an average allowance of 33 shots per game. That being said, they only average an allowance of 2.71 goals against per game and have only allowed a total of 19 goals this season. Like their power play, the penalty killing unit for Edmonton is the defensive strong point. Ranking in with the fifth-best penalty kill in the league, the Oilers have a 88.5 kill percentage so far this season.

Goaltending

Many were concerned with the state of Edmonton’s goaltending tandem heading into the 2019-20 season but so far we have seen consistent play. Former Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Smith is expected to get the nod in net against Detroit. Smith has a record of 3-1-0 so far this season with a goals against average of 2.51 and a .917 save percentage.

This is the first of two meetings between these two teams this season. The last time these two teams faced off was on January 22. It was Detroit that pulled of the victory with a final score of 3-2.

What’s at Stake?

The Detroit Red Wings are clearly in rebuild and thus having nothing at stake in this matchup. Should they be able to hold their own against a team like the Oilers, it will help the team’s confidence and build chemistry towards the future. The Oilers have something to lose here as they have a history of choking.

Regardless of how well their top two forwards play, the Edmonton Oilers have still found a way to disappoint over the last few seasons. Should they lose to the Red Wings, their meteoric start may come crashing back down to earth.

Questions to Answer

Can Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl keep up this, quite frankly put, absolutely ridiculous scoring pace against the Detroit Red Wings Friday night?

Can Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier continue to take baby steps towards the overall improvement of his game?

All listed as day-to-day, will Red Wings skaters Danny DeKeyser, Adam Erne, and Chase Pearson hit the ice come game time or will they remain unavailable against the Oilers Friday night?

Detroit Red Wings Injury Report

D Jonathan Ericsson – IR (upper-body)

F Johan Franzen – IR (concussion)

D Danny DeKeyser – day-to-day (upper-body)

F Adam Erne – day-to-day (upper-body)

F Chase Pearson – day-to-day (undisclosed)

Edmonton Oilers Injury Report

D Adam Larsson – IR (lower leg)

D Ryan Mantha – IR (eye)

D Joel Persson – IR (concussion)

D Logan Day – IR (hand)

F Joakim Nygard – IR (ribs)

Current Odds Listed for Red Wings vs Oilers

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