Detroit Red Wings vs. Lightning Game 58 Preview, Prediction, Odds
In a wild turn of events, the Detroit Red Wings have come out and looked like the team to beat in the second half of the season. They have churned out wins and are 7-3-0 in their last ten games. Don’t look now, but the Red Wings control the second spot in the Eastern Conference Wildcard race.
It’s crazy to think that the Detroit Red Wings are competing for a postseason berth in the 2022-23 season, but they are. They got the best of the Rangers in Thursday evening’s contest, capturing a 4-1 victory over New York.
They now have another divisional opponent coming to town in, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be a tall task to defeat Tampa, but they are not immune to a loss, and the Red Wings are looking to keep their snowball of momentum rolling in the right direction.
Winning these games against big opponents makes them look more like a postseason competitor. If the Red Wings can overcome a very seasoned Lightning team, the fanbase might lose their minds, even in a regular season game.
Detroit Red Wings game information and prediction vs. Lightning
Getting the puck behind Andrei Vasilevskiy will not be easy, but the Red Wings’ offense continues to find ways to get it done. While Tampa has not announced if Vasilevskiy will be in net or not, the Red Wings’ offense needs to keep tapping into the scoring.
Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos lead the Tampa Bay offense. The Red Wings must keep Tampa to the outside and trust Ville Husso to get it done. He had a great game on Thursday and is expected to be between the pipes again for this match-up.
Tampa Bay has a dangerous group on the blue line, too; Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev can provide a boost in the offensive zone. Still, both are big, physical, and going to be a problem for the Red Wings as they try to get the offense rolling in the offensive zone.
Game: Detroit Red Wings (28-21-8) v.s. Tampa Bay Lightning (36-17-4)
When: Saturday, February 25th
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena
Where to Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: According to DraftKings, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorite with a -150 payout on the Moneyline. The Detroit Red Wings have a +130 payout on the Moneyline and can be taken at +1.5 for a -180 payout on the Puck Line. Tampa Bay has a +155 payout at -1.5 on the Puck Line. The over/under is set at 6.5. The under has a -120 payout, and the over has a +100 payout.
Prediction: This may be crazy, but I’m “drinking the kool-aid,” as Lions fans would say. The Red Wings have competed against some tougher competition. The Red Wings have had a kryptonite in the Lightning in year past, but I like the Red Wings’ odds of staying in this one.
The kool-aid does not have me convinced they can take down the Lightning, but I like the chances of staying competitive. Therefore, I’m taking the Red Wings +1.5, assuming they will stay in this game and compete against the Lightning. With the projected netminders being Husso and Vasilevskiy, I like the under.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.