The Detroit Red Wings travel to Carolina as the league's hottest team to play injury-plagued Hurricanes.
Going into the Christmas Break, the Detroit Red Wings were the hottest team in the NHL with nine wins over their last 12 games and will look to bring the heat once again when traveling to face another top division seed in the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both teams are tied with 47 points, setting up an exciting marquee matchup as they begin the second half of the regular season. Carolina enters the game having lost three straight contests before the holiday break, which could add extra urgency as they look to get back into the win column.
That motivation, along with home ice advantage where the Hurricanes own the best record in the NHL over the past three seasons, may give them a slight edge over Detroit. The Red Wings face a challenging road test but will look to build on their strong 10-6-2 record away from home this season.
Lineup Storylines
The recently called up John Leonard has done well for the Red Wings when stepping in for Patrick Kane, recording points in three of his first five games. Now the only problem is where do they put Leonard when Kane returns?
It will be an interesting decision for Detroit head coach Todd McLellan, as the team would love to keep Leonard rolling and place him in a favorable situation. Early lineup projections do not factor in Kane returning on Saturday, with the lines expected to remain largely unchanged from recent games. That current lineup has been working well, as the Red Wings headed into the holiday break with an impressive 4-3 overtime win over the Dallas Stars, the second overall seed in the league.
Detroit would also love to keep netminder John Gibson red hot as he's finally appearing like the player the Red Wings had traded for with eight straight wins, setting a new career-high in consecutive wins and set franchise marks for the Red Wings not seen in decades. The hope has been Gibson is the answer to Detroit's long plaguing goalie issues and will look to kickstart his second half of the season with another great performance against a tough foe in Carolina.
The Hurricanes are plagued with injuries as of late with several key players out of the lineup Saturday like Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Martinook and William Carrier all sidelined. They've been so beat up with their forward group, that they don't have a full four forwards lines and will look to instead run seven defense on Saturday. It could mean a defensive showdown for the Hurricanes, who have been known for their excellence on the defensive side of the puck in recent years and with the extra legs on defense it could result in a low-scoring game.
They will also have the red hot Brandon Bussi between the pipes, who has been one of the breakout stories this season. The 27-year-old New York native has been sensational this season with a 11-1-1 record, a 2.11 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
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Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
DET ML (+145) | CAR ML (-175)
DET +1.5 (-167) | CAR -1.5 (+135)
O/U 6.0 Goals
These two teams have not faced each other yet this season, but their most recent meeting last year saw the Red Wings snap a six-game skid in the series with a 5-3 home victory. Detroit now heads back to Raleigh, a building that has been unkind to them in recent years, as they have dropped four straight games at Lenovo Center.
Recent history also suggests a low-scoring affair, as Detroit and Carolina have combined for five goals or fewer in seven of their last ten matchups. If offense does come from the Red Wings, Alex DeBrincat is the most likely source. Detroit’s other top scorers, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, have posted modest numbers against the Hurricanes, putting added pressure on DeBrincat to deliver. He has been effective in this matchup, recording 23 points in his last 25 games against Carolina, and will look to rediscover his scoring touch after picking up points in just one of his last four games.
On the Carolina side, much of the attention will be on recently acquired Nikolaj Ehlers. He has historically found success against Detroit, producing nine points, including five goals and four assists, across his last seven games versus the Red Wings. Ehlers has points in only two of his last five outings but has been productive overall this season with 24 points in 36 games and will be aiming to spark the Hurricanes’ offense.
Goalie Matchup
Detroit: John Gibson Expected (12-7-1 record, 3.01 GAA, .891 SV% | VS CAR: 6-5-0 record, 2.98 GAA, .917 SV% in 11 games)
Carolina: Brandon Bussi Expected (11-1-1 record, 2.11 GAA, .913 SV% | First Game VS DET)
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