Tonight there is a battle in Canada, as the Detroit Red Wings visit the Winnipeg Jets. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Red Wings-Jets prediction, pick, and how to watch.

The Red Wings come to town winners of two straight games, but their playoff hopes rapidly fading. With eight games left to play, they sit nine points behind the Penguins for the final spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings did just knock off the Hurricanes yesterday and had a win against the Penguins before that.

Winnipeg is trying to hold onto their playoff spot. The Flames are right behind them, just two points back, and they have won their last two games. The Jets have lost their last two, and are 5-5-0 in their last ten. On Wednesday night they were shut out by the Sharks, after getting 41 shots on goal, but seeing all 41 turned away.

Here are the Red Wings-Jets NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Red Wings-Jets Odds

Detroit Red Wings: +1.5 (-114)

Winnipeg Jets: -1.5 (-105)

Over: 5.5 (-140)

Under: 5.5 (+114)

How To Watch Red Wings vs. Jets

TV: TSN3/ESPN+

Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Red Wings Could Cover The Spread

The Red Wings this year have not been very good at anything. They do not score well, with only 2.92 goals per game. They are an average team on the power-play, converting 20.9% of the time. The Red Wings are towards the bottom of the league in terms of shots, but the middle of the pack in shot percentage. Detroit is right in the middle of the league in terms of the penalty kill. They give up 3.26 goals per game, which is 19th in the NHL, and the team save percentage is 23rd in the NHL. The team is very average overall. Maybe that is why they are 33-32-9.

In their last two games, they have won in two different ways. They had a 7-4 win which had lots of shots on the net and better goal-scoring than normal. They then had a 3-2 win over Carolina in which they got solid goaltending to secure the win. Tonight is expected to be Magnus Hellberg in the net. Hellberg has played in 15 games so far this year, going 4-7-1 with a .895 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.05. His most recent start went poorly, as he let in three goals in just 32:36 before being pulled. The three goals came on 13 shots, so he will need to have a much better performance to get the win in this one.

Why The Jets Could Cover The Spread

The Jets need to find someone to put the puck in the net for them. In their last seven games, they have been shut out three times, and scored only nine goals total. The wins that they have achieved have been low-scoring close games. If the goaltending has not kept them in the game, they have lost. Mark Scheifele needs to lead that charge for the Jets. He is the team-leading goal scorer but has not had a goal since March 11th. In that time, he also has three games in which he did not get a shot on goal. His time on the ice has been bad for the teams as a whole. His plus/minus in March is negative 16. Something needs to change for him and quickly.

The team leader in points, and second in goals, is Kyle Connor. He has struggled as well. In March he has seven assists, but only one goal was scored on the 23rd against Anaheim. He is -14 in plus/minus on the month, and not helping the team at all currently.

In the net tonight should be Connor Hellebuyck. March has been very average for him overall. He is 6-6 on the month with a 2.92 goals-against average. He has had games in which he only lets in one or two goals, with an over .920 save percentage. He has also had games under .850 where he lets in four or five goals. It has been up and gown for him. Luckily for the Jets, the bad streaks have not lasted more than two games. Sadly for the Jets, he is on one of those right now.

Final Red Wings-Jets Prediction & Pick

This will be about which team can get something going first. In the Jets can figure out how to score, they will start to coast. If the Red Wings jump out early, they should get the win. Hellebuyck has struggled much more when he is down, so a first-period early goal will be big for the Red Wings. Overall, they are just playing better than the Jets, who have been fairly bad going into the final run of the season.

Final Red Wings-Jets Prediction & Pick: Red Wings +1.5 (-114)