Red Wings vs Ducks NHL Odds, Pick, Prediction

Red Wings vs. Ducks Odds

The Detroit Red Wings will be looking to snap a three-game winless skid when their four-game road trip continues Tuesday night with a visit to the Anaheim Ducks.

With a 7-5-3 record so far this season, the improved Red Wings are one of four teams caught in a logjam in the middle of the Atlantic Division standings. At 4-10-1, the Ducks sit last in the Pacific. They're closing out a homestand where they've lost the first three games.

Somebody will have to get a win on Tuesday. Here's a look at the latest on both teams and your best bet for the game.

A Mixed Bag for Detroit

The Red Wings opened their current road trip with a 4-3 loss in Los Angeles on Saturday night. They fell into a 1-0 hole just nine seconds into the game, then let their hosts build a 4-1 lead before answering back with two late tallies to keep it interesting.

Alex Nedeljkovic made his sixth start of the year on Saturday and saw his record drop to 2-3-1 after giving up four goals on 21 shots. So while there's no declared starter for the Wings as of Monday night, there's a good chance that Ville Husso will draw back in. The 27-year-old Finn is 5-2-2 so far this season, with a .920 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average. He did get burned for eight goals by the New York Rangers in his last outing, on Nov. 10.

All told, the Wings are near the middle of the pack in goals allowed this season. That actually reflects pretty well on their goaltenders, considering the club sits 28th in expected goals share, controlling just 43.49% of the scoring at 5-on-5.

Offensively, they're also just below average, scoring 2.93 goals per game. But Detroit should get a boost on that front on Tuesday, with last season's 30-goal-scorer Tyler Bertuzzi set to return to the lineup after missing 13 games with a hand injury. Bertuzzi suited up for just the first two games of the season, and will be looking for his first goal of the year.

Other Red Wings forwards who remain unavailable include Robby Fabbri, Filip Zadina and Jakub Vrana.

Not Much to Write Home About in Anaheim

Though the Anaheim Ducks have been sleeping in their own beds in sunny Orange County for more than a week, they're still looking for their first point of their current homestand. So far, they've dropped a 5-3 decision to the Florida Panthers, lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild and fallen 3-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks are allowing 4.47 goals per game — the most in the league. They're 31st in expected goals share at 5-on-5 (39.51%), on the penalty kill (64.3%) and on the power play (9.8%) and tied for 28th with 2.67 goals scored per game.

Anaheim also has yet to win a game in regulation this season. They have two shootout wins over the San Jose Sharks and overtime victories against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken.

Much like with the Red Wings, backup Anthony Stolarz got the start in the Ducks' last game. So it's likely that we'll see starter John Gibson draw back in. The 29-year-old is struggling with an .888 save percentage and 4.47 goals-against average behind Anaheim's loose defensive structure this season.

Offensively, Troy Terry continues to get the job done. He's leading his team with 19 points in 15 games while Trevor Zegras is the goals leader, with seven.

Injury-wise, the Ducks have a couple of noteworthy absences on the blue line. Twenty-year-old phenom Jamie Drysdale is sidelined for the long term, while veteran Kevin Shattenkirk could miss his second game with a lower-body issue.

Wings vs. Ducks Pick

This date with the Ducks is perhaps the most winnable game the Red Wings have seen on their schedule for a couple of weeks. They've recently faced a series of squads like the Kings, the Rangers (twice), the Islanders and the Canadiens which all have good structure, good goaltending or both.

So far this season, Anaheim has neither. That can sometimes lead to crazy high-scoring affairs but in this situation, Detroit should be able to skate out of the Honda Center with a tidy two points.

The oddsmakers at BetMGM have the Red Wings slightly favored, which still makes for decent betting value. Nothing fancy here, folks.

Pick: Red Wings moneyline (-115); play down to -125