Desperate for a win, Detroit and St. Louis clash in a high-stakes showdown where rookie talent and defensive struggles promise either a scoring surge or a defensive resurgence.
The Detroit Red Wings are looking to bounce back after two troubling losses in both legs of their back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday. They return home for the first leg of a home-and-home against a former division rival in the St. Louis Blues, who have also dropped two in a row.
Both squads are looking for a much needed win and improvement from their backend as the Red Wings have allowed 11 goals over their last two games while the Blues have the third-worst defense to start the league with a 3.86 goals against per game average.
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Lineup Storylines
Detroit rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygård finally got his first point of the season on Thursday with an assist on a late Jonatan Berggren goal and will be able to play more freely with the monkey off his back of recording his first NHL point. The Norwegian winger will hopefully take advantage of a matchup against a struggling defense and produce some points like fellow rookie teammate Emmitt Finnie, who has shocked the hockey world with his breakout start. With three goals and four assists for seven points, Finnie is tied with Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer for the most points by a rookie.
The Blues with look to counter the Red Wings youth movement with a healthy dose of Jimmy Snuggerud, the 21-year-old rookie winger who recorded eight points through his first 14 NHL games last season. The Minnesota native has picked up where he left off with three goals and an assist for four points through seven games this season.
After facing Ivan Demidov in Detroit’s home opener, Schaefer on Thursday, and Snuggerud on Saturday, Red Wings fans will have already seen all the leading Calder Trophy contenders, along with Finnie and Detroit’s own rookies, early in the season.
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Count On Red Wings Bounce Back in Low-Scoring Goalie Duel Versus Blues
Red Wings aim for a low-scoring rebound against the Blues, leveraging stellar home defense and goalie John Gibson's recent form.
Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
DET ML (-110) | STL ML (-110)
DET +1.5 (-278) | STL -1.5 (+200)
O/U 6.0 Goals
Given that both teams have struggled defensively lately, this matchup has the potential to be high-scoring, a trend that history supports. Detroit and St. Louis have combined for six or more goals in eight of their last 11 meetings, with the Blues narrowly holding the edge in that span, winning six games to the Red Wings’ five. These teams tend to play each other closely, so this should be a hard-fought contest where the outcome likely comes down to which side puts in the greater effort.
The Blues find themselves in a surprisingly favorable position on the road as they've won both of their contests away from Missouri so far this season. This continues a trend from last season where St. Louis were one of the better road teams in the NHL with a top 11 record at 20-16-5 that featured a top ten defense but a middling offense.
The Red Wings on the other hand, have loved playing at home to start the season with a near perfect 4-1-0 record with a top six defense but a middling offense. With both team's backend excelling in this setting, there could be a chance that we see a surprising defensive showcase, compared to the history of offensive fireworks, with both teams battling for a must-needed win and not wanting to concede anything on their end.
The Red Wings will more than likely start John Gibson in goal after Cam Talbot took the crease in Detroit's 7-2 loss to New York. Gibson has been looking better lately with two wins and seven goals allowed over his last three starts.
Blues’ star goaltender Jordan Binnington is also expected to get the start, as he usually does as their primary netminder. The Canadian goaltender has a somewhat mixed but generally favorable history in this matchup with four or more goals in three of his six starts versus Detroit, but in the other three, he’s limited the Wings to three goals or fewer, including one shutout. One of these goaltenders should have an impressive performance and it could be the difference maker in the matchup for who gets the final decision.
Goalie Matchup
Detroit: John Gibson Expected (Season: 2-2-0 record, 3.30 GAA, .872 SV% | VS STL: 6-16-1 record, 3.34 GAA, .896 SV% in 24 Appearances)
St. Louis: Jordan Binnington Expected (Season: 2-2-1 record, 2.75 GAA, .885 SV% | VS DET: 4-2-0 record, 2.99 GAA, .886 SV% in Six Games)
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