The Detroit Red Wings suffered one of their worst losses of the season, if not the worst, on Tuesday. While the Red Wings scored a couple of pity goals to make it seem like it was “a game,” it was an abysmal effort out of the gates.
Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde spoke about the importance of not giving away freebies, aiming to keep the puck out of the back of the net a bit more. For Detroit, they may have climbed back into the game, but their 5-3 loss to the Rangers is problematic.
The Red Wings are back in action on Wednesday, and they have to hit the refresh button and flush their short-term memory. Tuesday’s loss was terrible, but the Red Wings start to the 2023-24 season has plenty of things to focus on.
The Canadiens come to town, looking to snap a four-game skid. Meanwhile, Detroit needs a statement win to get back on track after playing some back-and-forth in their recent games. They have to come out and look like a different hockey team.
3 keys for the Detroit Red Wings to have success vs. the Canadiens.
We may have shifted up our game preview templates and taken a different approach, but we’ll still cover the details. But first, let’s talk through a couple of keys to the game as the Red Wings take on the Habs on home ice.
Key #1: Flushing any memory of Tuesday’s game.
It sounds silly, but there’s no sense in dwelling on the loss. It was a horrific performance and one that should leave the Red Wings players acting like goldfish, flushing it and moving on as they are back in action.
If they want to make a statement, a big win against the Habs would accomplish that. Coming out and trying to overcompensate for things from the loss will only cause them to play recklessly, in the end, doing more harm than good. Flush it, move on, and come ready to play; Detroit must do that.
Key #2: Come out hard and fast; tilt the ice.
The title of the postgame article from Bob Heyrman‘s account of Tuesday’s loss leads off with “sound the alarm.” It’s time to do just that. He talks about how the slow starts to games have been tedious, and they sure have.
It often feels like the Red Wings will not be involved through the first 20 minutes, fending off others rather than coming on the attack in games as of late. If the Red Wings are going to fight, it’s near the end, often playing the come-from-behind strategy.
For Detroit, they need to come out hard and get the ice tilting their way quickly. If Detroit can come out and be relentless on the forecheck, seamless in transition, and be able to finish off scoring chances, things will go well. If they can get things going early, getting ahead, they will look much better, making that so-called “statement.
Key #3: Better play out of the netminders.
At the time of writing, James Reimer has been confirmed to be in net. It’s no secret that Ville Husso has been problematic between the crease, and Lalonde opted for a change. James Reimer has been good as the backup, but if Detroit wants a bounce-back game, they need stellar play from Reimer to keep things manageable. Detroit needs to get ahead early, hold off the Habs, and execute their game plan from start to finish.
With all of this in mind, let’s talk about the game info and the odds for our bettors out there and finish off with a prediction for how things might go and what bets I like.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens Game Information, Odds, Prediction
Game: Detroit Red Wings (7-5-1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (5-5-2)
When: Thursday, November 9th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena
Odds: According to DraftKings, the Detroit Red Wings are the favorite with a -185 payout on the Moneyline, and the Montreal Canadiens have a +154 payout on the Moneyline. On the Puck Line, the Montreal Canadiens are +1.5 with a -162 payout, and the Detroit Red Wings are -1.5 with a +136 payout on the Puck Line. The over/under is set at 6.5. The over has a -125 payout, and the under has a +105 payout.
Prediction: For the Detroit Red Wings, this is a big game. Even though the Habs are not the biggest foe or some crazy opponent, this is a chance for the Red Wings to flush the tough loss and come back strong. They need to come out fast, tilt the ice, and get ahead early, keeping their foot on the gas pedal for 60 minutes. If not, they could succumb to an unworthy opponent and possibly start down a skid of games that would be problematic.
For that reason, I like Detroit on the Moneyline, and I like Detroit -0.5 through the first period (+130 payout on DraftKings.) I also think the over is a good bet to consider with a Reimer vs. Jake Allen match-up. Hopefully, Detroit can bounce back.