Monday’s five-game slate kicks off the last week before the holiday break. Today’s focus is in Detroit where both teams are missing some key forwards.
Larkin’s absence is killing Detroit
It was a tough week for the Red Wings who only managed two points on the standings after four games. That wasn’t much of a surprise, since the Red Wings had to push through the whole week without Dylan Larkin and David Perron. Larkin has already returned to practice but is likely to be sidelined for this game as well. Perron has two more games left of his suspension.
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The absences have left a whole in Detroit’s offense. Even with their best lineup, the Red Wings are just an average team. Add Larkin’s absence to the mix, and you have a team really struggling to score.
Their latest addition has yet to make a positive impact. After six games, Patrick Kane has a goal, an assist, and a -7 plus/minus that says a lot.
Third in four for the Ducks
Anaheim picked up a win over New Jersey last night, led by former Devil Adam Henrique’s hat trick. John Gibson had to leave the game after two periods, so backup Lukas Dostal should get a start in this match. The Ducks can’t dress their best lineup even if Gibson starts. Jamie Drysdale is still needed in defense while Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish are missing from offense. The latter two are close to returning.
It’s been an exceptionally rough end of the year in Anaheim, with only two wins in the previous 15 games. There will be no playoff hockey at the Honda Center this spring either. In this game, in addition to injuries, Anaheim must find a way to battle fatigue. Playing a third game in four days is always tough, even if you are only facing an average team.
Small bet for under
Given their rest advantage, Detroit is the favorite to win about seven times out of ten. With this estimate, there are no acceptable odds on the team side. However, we do get a wager for totals.
The lineup situation for both teams is somewhat difficult with several key forwards likely to be sidelined. While Dostal is a likely starter for Anaheim, expected goals per game falls short of the NHL average in this situation. Unibet has +145 for under 5.5 which is just slightly too high. Let’s start the week small and hope for even better picks later.
Tip: Under 5.5 @ +145
Units: 2/10
The match will start on 12/18/2023 at 7:00 PM EST.
The odds are from the time of publication of the article and are subject to change.
Esa Kostet
X: @konekostet
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Register and Bet $25 on any match (min odds +100). Win or lose, you’ll get $100 in bonus bets!
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