PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NHL PLAY OF THE DAY >> SIZZLING 14-5 L19 NHL Sides!
(NHL) Boston vs. Detroit,
Money Line: -130.00 Boston (Away)
Result: Win
Money Line: -130.00 Boston (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: Boston Bruins have won eight of 10 and at 14-9-4 are "movin' on up" in the Atlantic Division. The Detroit Red Wings are headed in the opposite direction, going 1-5-4 over their last 10 and the team's 28 points (11-13-6 record) leaves them and out off playoff position for te second consecutive season (25-year playoff run ended last season). These two "Original Six" teams will meet tonight at Little Caesars Arena.
Boston: Ryan Spooner practiced in full for the second straight day on Tuesday as he recovers from a lower-body injury that has seen him return to the lineup and exit in short order on multiple occasions. "I guess the long and short of that (is) he's still day-to-day," coach Bruce Cassidy said after Tuesday's practice. "We'll decide Wednesday. We don't want to go backwards again. We've had a couple of starts and stops with that one." Six players have scored at least three goals during the team's 8-2 run stretch. David Pastrnak, who will play in his 200th career game tonight and has been terrific overr the last three weeks. He has four goals and six assists in an eight-game point streak and goalie Tuukka Rask carries a 4-0-0 mark with a 1.09 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in his last five games into Wednesday's tilt.
Detroit: The Red Wings are in a scoring drought, having scored just one goal in four of their last six games. Captain Henrik Zetterberg ended a 22-game goal drought by netting his team's lone tally in a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida on Monday but he's not the only player struggling. Defenseman Danny DeKeyser has been held without a point and is a minus-11 in 10 contests following a return from a 17-game absence with a broken bone in his ankle.Jimmy Howard, who made 27 saves Monday, is 9-9-5 with a 2.90 GAA and a .906 save percentage on the season. However, over the last 10 games (eight starts), he owns a 4.10 GAA and .857 save ercentage.
The pick: Detroit's offensive woes hardly bode well up against a red-hot Rask (see above). What's more, the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner turned aside 93 of 102 shots in four encounters with Detroit last season, sporting a 3-0-1 mark with one shutout to improve to 9-5-2 in his career against the Red Wings.The there is Detroit's Howard, whose recent struggles are not good news, nor is the fact that he has not defeated Boston since Oct. 9, 2014, going 0-3-1 with a 3.23 GAA. Petr Mrazek hasn't been a better option recently. In his last five games (three starts), he's 0-2-0 with a 5.50 GAA and .835 save percentage. He's 2-2-1 with a 3.15 GAA in seven games (four starts) against Boston. One last thing. The Bruins are 10-1-1 in their last 12 against the Red Wings. Make Boston a 10* play.
Boston: Ryan Spooner practiced in full for the second straight day on Tuesday as he recovers from a lower-body injury that has seen him return to the lineup and exit in short order on multiple occasions. "I guess the long and short of that (is) he's still day-to-day," coach Bruce Cassidy said after Tuesday's practice. "We'll decide Wednesday. We don't want to go backwards again. We've had a couple of starts and stops with that one." Six players have scored at least three goals during the team's 8-2 run stretch. David Pastrnak, who will play in his 200th career game tonight and has been terrific overr the last three weeks. He has four goals and six assists in an eight-game point streak and goalie Tuukka Rask carries a 4-0-0 mark with a 1.09 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in his last five games into Wednesday's tilt.
Detroit: The Red Wings are in a scoring drought, having scored just one goal in four of their last six games. Captain Henrik Zetterberg ended a 22-game goal drought by netting his team's lone tally in a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida on Monday but he's not the only player struggling. Defenseman Danny DeKeyser has been held without a point and is a minus-11 in 10 contests following a return from a 17-game absence with a broken bone in his ankle.Jimmy Howard, who made 27 saves Monday, is 9-9-5 with a 2.90 GAA and a .906 save percentage on the season. However, over the last 10 games (eight starts), he owns a 4.10 GAA and .857 save ercentage.
The pick: Detroit's offensive woes hardly bode well up against a red-hot Rask (see above). What's more, the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner turned aside 93 of 102 shots in four encounters with Detroit last season, sporting a 3-0-1 mark with one shutout to improve to 9-5-2 in his career against the Red Wings.The there is Detroit's Howard, whose recent struggles are not good news, nor is the fact that he has not defeated Boston since Oct. 9, 2014, going 0-3-1 with a 3.23 GAA. Petr Mrazek hasn't been a better option recently. In his last five games (three starts), he's 0-2-0 with a 5.50 GAA and .835 save percentage. He's 2-2-1 with a 3.15 GAA in seven games (four starts) against Boston. One last thing. The Bruins are 10-1-1 in their last 12 against the Red Wings. Make Boston a 10* play.