On Saturday, the New York Rangers will head to Motown to face the Detroit Red Wings. It is a battle of Original-6 teams as we share our NHL odds series and make a Rangers-Red Wings prediction and pick.
The Rangers floundered on Thursday, falling 6-1 to the Buffalo Sabres at home. Unfortunately, Igor Shesterkin struggled, allowing five goals before the Rangers pulled him. The Red Wings are coming off a back-to-back and will have to quickly make a turnaround after their game in Ontario against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In their last meeting, the Rangers defeated the Red Wings 5-2 on October 18, 2024, at Little Caesars Arena. Also, they beat the Wings 4-1 at home on October 15. The Rangers are 8-1-1 over the past 10 games against the Red Wings.
Here are the Rangers-Red Wings NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Rangers-Red Wings Odds
New York Rangers: -1.5 (+136)
Moneyline: -184
Detroit Red Wings: +1.5 (-168)
Moneyline: +152
Over: 6.5 (-106)
Under: 6.5 (-114)
How To Watch Rangers vs Red Wings
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, MSG and FDSD
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Rangers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Rangers have done well, even with some hiccups. Overall, they are 12th in goals and eighth in shooting percentage. The Rangers have also been solid on the powerplay, ranking seventh in the extra-man attack.
Artemi Panarin continues to be consistent. So far, he has nine goals and 10 assists through 19 games, including four powerplay markers. Mika Zibanejad has tallied two goals and eight assists. Furthermore, he has been a wizard in the faceoff circle, winning 104 draws and losing 88. Alexis Lafreniere has been solid, tallying five goals and five assists. Also, he has converted 22.7 percent of his shots. Vincent Trocheck has tallied three goals and six assists. Likewise, he has also been good in the faceoff circle, winning 123 draws and losing 102.
Adam Fox is still searching for his first goal of the season. Regardless, he has generated nine assists. Chris Kreider has seven goals through 12 games this season.
While Shesterkin struggled on Thursday, he has generally been solid. So far, he is 6-3-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a save percentage of .920. Shesterkin has led a defense that is third in the NHL in goals against. Additionally, they have the best penalty kill in the league.
The Rangers will cover the spread if they can find ways to generate scoring opportunities early and continue excelling on the powerplay. Then, they must avoid the meltdown that caused them to fall against the Sabres.
Why the Red Wings Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Red Wings must do more on offense. So far, they are just 29th in goals. The Wings have done relatively decent when shooting the puck, ranking 12th in shooting percentage. Furthermore, they are seventh on the powerplay.
Lucas Raymond joined an exclusive club recently, becoming the third-fastest Red Wing since Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to tally this many points over 250 games. Significantly, he came into Friday with one goal and 11 assists. Alex DeBrincat has been solid, with five goals and six assists. Likewise, Dylan Larkin has also been good with eight goals and two assists. While Patrick Kane is no longer the megastar he once was, he still can produce. Overall, he came into Friday with two goals and six assists and provides great secondary scoring for the Red Wings.
The goaltending situation has been a little murky. Yet, Cam Talbot has held the line, going 4-1-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and a save percentage of .929. Detroit has played solid defense, ranking eighth in goals against. But the penalty kill has struggled, ranking just 29th in killing powerplays. That must change for the Red Wings to excel.
The Red Wings will cover the spread if they can tighten up the angles and make good passes to help their scoring issues. Then, they must avoid taking too many penalties and falling behind the 8-ball against the Rangers.
Final Rangers-Red Wings Prediction & Pick
The Rangers are 6-6 against the spread, while the Wings are also 6-6. Also, the Rangers are 4-1 against the spread on the road, while the Wings are 4-4 against the spread at Little Caesars Arena. Given the Rangers' dominance against the Red Wings, it is tough to see this being any different. Additionally, the Red Wings will be playing on no rest while also having to travel home from Toronto. It will be difficult for them to do this, and they could suffer from such low energy against a significantly better team. Because of this, I see the Rangers covering the spread again.
Final Rangers-Red Wings Prediction & Pick: New York Rangers: -1.5 (+136)
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