The Detroit Red Wings will take on the Ottawa Senators in the second game of the back-to-back contests on back-to-back nights. Both games being in Ottawa after wintry weather postponed a game from late 2022 and had it pushed until now.
With both the Detroit Red Wings and Senators being hot coming into the game, it made for a good match-up, but one that the Red Wings were looking for four points out of. They need every point they can get as the Wildcard race continues.
The Red Wings dropped game one of the back-to-back, letting Ottawa come out and physically outplay them. The Senators scored six goals and made it a 6-2 victory, but they were able to earn the win by outplaying them physically.
The Red Wings had too many powerplays against them, allowing Ottawa to get their powerplay rolling, which was a problem. The defensive positioning left goaltender Magnus Hellberg out to dry, allowing this game to get much uglier on the scoresheet.
The good news? Detroit and Ottawa square off again tonight, and the Red Wings can redeem themselves.
Detroit Red Wings game information and prediction vs. Senators
The physicality became an issue in Monday night’s game; the Red Wings must come out and set the tone. The Senators’ offense should be able to be cooled down slightly with Ville Husso in net, but they will have to be able to keep the physicality matched or at least be able to set the tone early.
Avoiding getting too emotional and taking penalties is also going to be important. While the calls in Monday night’s contest were pretty soft, there is room for the Red Wings to try and avoid these calls, avoid these plays, and avoid taking the lousy penalty because of an emotional reaction.
Game: Detroit Red Wings (28-23-8) v.s. Ottawa Senators (29-26-4)
When: Tuesday, February 28th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Canadian Tire Center
Where to Watch: Bally Sports Detroit/ ESPN+
Odds: According to DraftKings, the Ottawa Senators are the favorites with a -130 payout on the Moneyline. The Detroit Red Wings have a +110 payout on the Moneyline but are -215 at +1.5 on the Puck Line. The Senators have a +185 payout at -1.5 on the Puck Line. The over/under is currently set at 6.5, with the over having a -105 payout and the under having a -115 payout.
Prediction: The Detroit Red Wings will have their hands full with the Senators. Ottawa brought the physicality in game one of the back-to-back game. It will be physical once again, but Detroit has to come out and adjust to set the tone and play their game.
Staying out of the box, creating some offense, and shaking off the physicality will be critical. I think the Red Wings can pull it off; I’m trying to be positive here and expect them to make adjustments. My pick is Red Wings +1.5 and the under.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.