Detroit Red Wings vs Minnesota Wild - Odds and Predictions

Where: Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN.

When: Wednesday, January 22, 8PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBC Sports | WFAN

Detroit Red Wings (Away)

Head Coach: Jeff Blashill{All-Time 148-179-51 DET}

What can be said about the Red Wings that hasn’t already been said? The team still sits dead last in the NHL. They are 3-6-1 in their last ten and are currently riding a five-game losing streak heading into Wednesday night.

Offense

No team has scored fewer goals this season than the Detroit Red Wings. They currently sit with 101 combined goals – 76 of them coming at even strength.

The Red Wings have the second-fewest shots on goal this season (averaging under 29 per game) and the second-lowest shooting percentage at just 7.6 percent (only the Los Angeles Kings rank lower).

Things don’t get much easier for this team with the man advantage. Currently, the Detroit Red Wings have the fourth-worst power-play percentage. At 14.97 percent, the Red Wings have only scored 22 power-play goals this season.

Defense

It doesn’t get much better for Detroit defensively – especially with all the injuries.

The Red Wings have allowed more goals than any other team this season – 182 to be exact. That’s 23 more than the second-highest amount, allowed by the New Jersey Devils.

Detroit allows an average of 32.6 shots against per game and have allowed the ninth-most shots against this season. The team’s combined save percentage sits at a league-worst .879.

They also can’t kill penalties. Detroit is tied with the Nashville Predators for the worst penalty-killing unit in the league. The Red Wings currently have a 73.43 penalty-killing percentage.

Goaltending

It is expected that long-time Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard will be in net Wednesday night. Howard has a season record of just 2-18-2. His goals-against average sits at4.11 and he has a save percentage of .883.

Head Coach: Bruce Boudreau{All-Time 562-300-114 MIN, ANA, WSH}

It’ll be tough, but Minnesota can still make the playoffs. They are coming off of a loss to the Florida Panthers and are also 3-6-1 in their last ten, but Minnesota still sits one game above .500 and are, mathematically, only eight points back of a playoff spot.

Offense

Minnesota is not the most efficient offensive team but they are relatively consistent. They are possibly the least flashy team in the league but they have found ways to get the job done.

The team has scored the 12th-fewest goals in the league. But, with the fourth-fewest shots in the NHL, Minnesota is focused on quality shots over quantity. Because of this, the Wild rank with the league’s tenth-best shooting percentage at 10.1 percent.

The team’s power play also ranks well above that of their opponents at 17.93. Still not great, but Detroit averages more penalty minutes and these special teams numbers could make all the difference.

Defense

The biggest defensive weakness for the Wild has been their penalty killing this season. Although they don’t average very many penalty minutes per game, the Wild have the sixth-lowest penalty-killing percentage at just 75.71 percent.

This team has allowed the fourth-most goals against despite allowing the 11th-fewest shots on goal. They round out the bottom five when it comes to combined save percentage this season with a .893 percent.

Goaltending

For the Minnesota Wild, expect to see Devan Dubnyk between the pipes Wednesday night. 8-12-2 this season, Dubnyk has a 3.35 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. He has one shutout.

These two teams haven’t played one another since last season on February 22. Minnesota came out as the victors, defeating the Red Wings by a score of 3-2.

This is Minnesota’s game to lose. Detroit’s season is all but done but the Wild can still see the light that is the playoffs at the end of the tunnel. Currently eight points out, the Wild can easily collect two points Wednesday night.

The challenge beyond that is if they can keep stringing wins together. They have been a somewhat streaky team this season, mostly at the bottom of the league, but they have shown signs that they are capable of winning big games.

Questions to Answer

Detroit in a battered team. In more ways than one. How will they find a way to remain competitive with such a lengthy injury report? Is this game already over?

Will the Minnesota Wild be able to use their home ice to their advantage? The Wild are 13-6-4 at the Xcel Center this season whereas the Red Wings are just 4-18-2 on the road.

Will Minnesota’s tenth-best shooting percentage prove too much for goalie Jimmy Howard to handle? Will Howard’s experience be enough to keep the Red Wings in the game?

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Detroit Red Wings Injury Report

F Johan Franzen – DL (concussion)

G Jonathan Bernier – DL (lower-body)

F Frans Nielsen – OUT (upper-body)

D Mike Green – OUT (upper-body)

D Danny DeKeyser – DL (back)

F Anthony Mantha – DL (ribs)

F Andreas Athanasiou – DL (lower-body)

Minnesota Wild Injury Report

D Brad Hunt – OUT (illness)

Detroit Red Wings vs Minnesota Wild Odds

The latest odds for Red Wings vs Wild are provided by Unibet NJ and 888Sport NJ. For more on betting in the NHL check out guide.

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