The Chicago Blackhawks (31-28-8) shoot for a fifth straight win Friday as they visit the Detroit Red Wings (15-48-5), who have lost six in a row, at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Blackhawks-Red Wings sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Blackhawks at Red Wings: Projected starting goalies
Malcolm Subban vs. Jimmy Howard
Subban’s expected to make his first start with the Blackhawks. He made a brief appearance Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, but didn’t face a shot in 1:10 of action. He was 9-7-3 with a .890 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average across 19 starts and one relief appearance with the Vegas Golden Knights prior to the trade deadline.
Howard remains without a win since Oct. 29, a stretch of 20 starts. The 35-year-old owns a 2-23-2 record with a .882 SV% and 4.20 GAA for the season.
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Blackhawks at Red Wings: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 3
Moneyline (ML)
The Blackhawks (-176) played Thursday and dealt the playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers a serious blow with a 4-3 win for their fourth straight victory. Starter Corey Crawford was in net for each of those and Subban will make his debut looking to improve on what has been a bad season with the superior Golden Knights. The ‘Hawks have won five in a row just once this season. They’re 16-15-4 on the road.
The RED WINGS (+145) don’t inspire confidence, especially with Howard in net, but there is value Friday at home against a tired opponent starting a shaky backup ‘tender. The Blackhawks earned a 4-2 victory in Chicago Jan. 5 in the season’s first head-to-head clash, but side with the Wings to pull even in the Original Six series.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Red Wings to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $14.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The RED WINGS (+1.5, -182) can also be played with 1 goal of insurance in the event of a loss on the spread. Chicago (-1.5, +150) won only two of its last four games by 2 or more goals. The Wings have been playing oddly tight games, losing each of their last two contests by single tallies, with the first of those going to a shootout.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (-154) is the easy play, so look to the alternate line of OVER 6.5 (+135) in regular time. The Blackhawks are 6-4-0 against the O/U across their last 10 games and the Red Wings are 3-5-2 against the projected totals. Both goalies will show a fair amount of rust after long breaks between starts.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 269-249
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