Detroit vs. Pittsburgh: NHL Match Prediction
On January 1, Michigan Detroit hosts guests from Pennsylvania. The Red Wings broke their losing streak and won their first game of the season under Todd McLellan. The hosts are still in the basement of the Eastern Conference, but they intend to get out of their current situation. Pittsburgh is fighting for a place in the playoffs and is one point away from the end zone. What will the matchup between the rivals be like? This is in the forecast for it

Command Analysis

Detroit Red Wings

Current form
Detroit remains in 15th place in the conference standings, having only 32 points after 35 games. The Wings are gradually losing their chances of getting into the playoffs, although there is still a lot, a lot of play left. However, they need to start winning now, because at the moment the club from Michigan is seven points behind Ottawa, which is in eighth place. The hosts beat Toronto (4:2) and Philadelphia (6:4) on their home court, but then lost twice to Montreal (3:4 and 1:5), and before Christmas they were routed by St. Louis (0:4). The Reds were routed by Toronto in the first game after the break (2:5), but the next day they confidently beat Washington (4:2).
The hosts have been doing well in attack lately, although they remain the lowest scoring team in the conference and have not yet scored 100 goals. In the two previous games, Detroit scored six times, which is a good result. Lucas Raymond has found excellent form and has often distinguished himself in recent games. The Swedish forward has scored 36 times (15+21) and leads the club scorers.
Alex Lyon is finally back from injury, but he wasn't able to put together a strong performance against Philadelphia and Montreal. He was good against the Capitals, however, stopping .9260% of shots on his own. However, he still concedes one in every 10 attacks.
Disqualifications and injuries
All Detroit leaders will play against the Petes.
Interesting trends for betting
- Detroit is allowing an average of 3.28 goals per game.
Krylia have failed to improve their defense in recent matches and have not improved their defensive performance.
- The Red Wings win 50.5% of their faceoffs.
Todd McLellan charges began to perform a little better at the point and win the puck for their teammates more often.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Current form
Pittsburgh continues to fight for a playoff spot and is currently on the edge of the end zone. Mike Sullivan men have 39 points in 38 starts and are one point behind Ottawa, but the Canadians have two games in hand. In December, the "Pits" showed good results and won more often than they lost. Before the Christmas break, Sidney Crosby team crushed Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania State Derby (7:3), and at the end of the month they played twice against the Islanders. The Penguins played poorly in defense in New York (3:6), but returned home and took revenge on their home ice (3:2). The Pens were leading 3:0, but let their opponent get close, but held out in the end.
The visitors remain the most conceding team in the conference. On average, the red light behind the Pittsburgh net comes on 3.71 times per game, while in the last five games the Penguins have conceded 18 times. Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the ice in the last game and was not bad. The goalie stopped 93.50% of shots and helped his teammates to an important victory.
Sidney Crosby still leads the team in scoring. The forward is 23rd in the league in scoring and has 40 points (10+30) in the goal+pass system. He is followed by Rickard Rakell (17+14) and Evgeni Malkin (8+23), who have recorded 31 useful actions.
Disqualifications and injuries
Kris Letang and Jack St. Ivanov won't be helping their teammates in Michigan.
Interesting trends for betting
- The Penguins have averaged nearly 6.79 penalty minutes in their last games.
The visitors are often sent off and therefore often concede when they are short-handed.
- Pittsburgh blocks 16 shots per game
The visiting defense doesn't often sacrifice itself for the team goalies and rarely blocks many shots.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In five of Detroit six games, the first period was productive.
1.70Bet 3rd period: Detroit will score
Pittsburgh has conceded in the third period in four of its five games.
1.40Tip and bets
Detroit won their first game with a new coach, leaving no chance for one of the conference leaders. The Red Wings are gradually gaining momentum and have improved their attack a bit, scoring six goals in the previous two games. The hosts need to score points against the worst defense in the conference. Pittsburgh lets their opponents play and wins thanks to strong actions up front. Mike Sullivan charges often lose in shootouts and we think that will happen in Michigan. We offer a bet on a zero handicap for the first. Prediction - Detroit win with handicap (0) for 1.75
Total Bet
The last match between the teams was rather boring, but nine goals were scored in the first game of the teams in Michigan. Detroit is improving in terms of implementation, but the problems in defense have not gone away. Pittsburgh consistently scores and misses a lot, so we expect at least six accurate shots between the two of them.
We take the total over 5.5 pucks for 1.65
Bet on individual total Pittsburgh consistently concedes three or more goals per game, and the last meeting involving the Pens can be considered an exception to the rule. The Pens are extremely poor on their half of the ice and are deservedly the worst team in the conference in defense. We think that the hosts will easily score at least three times. We bet on Detroit individual total of more than three goals with odds of 1.85