Starting Over
After its franchise record-tying winning streak was halted, the Detroit Red Wings look to rebound Tuesday against the slumping St. Louis Blues as they continue a long stretch of games against Central Division foes.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Detroit -148 money line favorites (NHL Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 5 goals (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 94% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -148 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
The Red Wings (13-3-1), whose 27 points are the most in the Western Conference, failed to set a team mark for consecutive victories Sunday with a 3-2 loss at Chicago. The defeat, which snapped a three-game road win streak, was Detroit’s third of the season to the Blackhawks and first overall since a 6-3 loss at Anaheim on Oct. 15.
"We’ve been on a good stretch and it’s hard to win every night in this league," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Sometimes a loss is a good reminder to get you back on track.
"I don’t think we had any spunk. They were outracing us to pucks in one-on-one battles."
The Wings dropped to 2-1 during a nine-game stretch against Central opponents.
Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg recorded an assist Sunday, extending his team-record season-opening point streak to 17 games. He’s among the league leaders with 27 points.
In 24 games against the Blues, Zetterberg has 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points – his best totals in all three categories against any club. However, he’s been held to one assist over his last four games at the Scottrade Center and has no points in the last two – both Detroit losses.
Zetterberg’s seven points against the Blues last season tied Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom for the team lead and helped the Red Wings win the series 4-1-3.
Lidstrom scored his second goal of the season Sunday and has 10 points in the last nine games following a five-game drought. The five-time Norris Trophy winner has a career-best 65 points in 90 games against the Blues, the second-best such point total among Red Wings to Steve Yzerman’s 133.
The Wings could have Dominik Hasek back in goal Tuesday after he watched Chris Osgood make 24 saves Sunday. Hasek sat out against the Blackhawks after making 15 saves in a 4-1 win over Columbus on Friday, his first game since missing five with a hip injury. The six-time Vezina Trophy winner is 6-2-2 with a 1.86 goals-against average in 10 starts at St. Louis.
The Blues (7-7-0) are looking to snap a season-high three-game losing streak after falling 4-2 to the Blackhawks on Friday. They haven’t dropped four in a row since an 11-game slide from Nov. 25-Dec. 17, which included two defeats to Detroit.
St. Louis, outscored 10-4 during its skid, has totaled 35 goals, better only than the New York Rangers’ league-low 34.
The Blues went 2-for-6 on the power play Friday, but they’re among the worst teams in the NHL with the man advantage at 13.2 percent. St. Louis has nine power-play goals, two better than NHL-worst Edmonton.
The Blues hope Brad Boyes can get back on track Tuesday. The right wing scored nine goals in his first 11 games this season but will be looking to snap a four-game goal drought.
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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