Showdown between 2 original 6 teams tonight on this 2-game slate. The Detroit Red Wings (21-16-5) will face the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-11-8) for a Divisional matchup. The Wings are currently 2 spots behind the Leafs in the division as we hit the midway point of the season. Both teams met once this season so far and the Leafs won 3-2.
Toronto sits in the 3rd spot in the Atlantic so far. The Leafs are coming off a bad loss last night to the Avalanche where they blew a 3-goal lead. It puts them on a 2-game losing streak and are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games.
At home, the Leafs aren’t terrible, sitting above .500 with a 10-8-2 record. We all know this team is powered by their big 4 players on offense – Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares.
Coming of a loss or not, these boys have been playing well. Their offense ranks 4th in the league for goals forced (3.55) and 6th for shots on goal (33.4) per game. They also convert their power play chances 26.5% of the time, also ranking 6th best in the league.
Now on the other hand, their defense could use some help. The Leafs are allowing 3.23 goals and 31.4 shots on goal per game, which both rank in the bottom 20 of the league. Their penalty kill is just as sad, ranking 25th in the league. Only killing off 76.7% of the kills they face.
Goaltending has been crazy for the Leafs. They have 3 goalies that have all evenly split the starts this season. Ilya Samsonov was the team’s original starter for the season but was later sent down to the AHL due to his poor play. Joseph Woll and Martin Jones are the other 2 goalies the Leafs have leaned on this season.
Despite his play, Samsonov will get the start in net due to an ankle injury that Woll is nursing. He has a 5-2-6 record with a 3.94 GAA and a .862 save percentage. His stats show his struggles that hopefully he’ll be able to overcome today…at least for the Leafs sake!
Now let’s look at the Red Wings. They’re in 5th place in the Atlantic Division and currently sit 1 point out of the 2nd Wild Card position. This newly revamped Wings team has looked good this year.
After being off to a decent start, the Red Wings grabbed free agent and future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane. In the offseason, they also added Alex DeBrincat from the Senators, Shayne Gostisbehere from the Coyotes and JT Compher from the Avalanche.
GM Steve Yzerman really stacked this team up. Captain Dylan Larkin along with guys like Lucas Raymond and Mortiz Seider have welcomed their new teammates and are playing well together.
Detroit is currently 10-9-1 on the road this season, just above .500 like the Leafs at home. They’re coming off a nice 5-3 win last night vs the Kings, putting them at 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Wings are tied with the Leafs for goals scored per game with 3.55, but only put up 29.5 shots on goal per game, which ranks 23rd in the league. Now, they may not shoot a lot, but they make it count when they do with a shoot percentage of 12%, 3rd best in the league.
Expected in goal tonight is James Reimer, who has had a rough start to the season. He has a record of 3-6-2 with a 3.41 GAA and a .889 save percentage. Reimer is a backup in place due to the injury of start Villie Husso who is out with a lower body injury.
Can the Red Wings find a enough defense to hold off the Leafs? Let’s check out the odds and get into the predictions!
Betting Odds
Puck Line
- Detroit Red Wings +1.5 (-142)
- Toronto Maple Leads -1.5 (+118)
Moneyline
- Detroit Red Wings +158
- Toronto Maple Leafs -192
Totals
- Over 6.5 (-158)
- Under 6.5 (+128)
Odds courtesy of MyBookie
Game Information
- Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, CA
- Date: Sunday, January 14, 2024
- Puck Drop: 7pm EST
- TV: BSDET
Detroit Red Wings vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction and Picks
Prediction and Pick: Game Total Over 6.5 (-158); Game Total Over 7.5 (+148) MyBookie
Say it with me….GOALS. Goals, goals, and more goals! We should have a party on our hands in Toronto tonight with these goalies. Toronto coming off an embarrassing loss will help give them fuel as well.
We have 2 goalies tonight with above 3.40 GAAs and save percentages below .890. Both goalies have struggled this year, and I don’t see that changing tonight.
The Leafs being on the home back-to-back really doesn’t change much for me in regard to be tired. If anything, they should be sharp after playing a tough Colorado team. And Detroit should be coming in on a high after that big win last night.
I really like this game to soar over. We’re going to take the regular line at 6.5 and we’ll pay the juice man. We are also going to ladder to over 7.5 at plus money as well. I think we see another 5-3 finish in Toronto again tonight.
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