When I usually hype up a major sporting event between Columbus and Brandon Scanlin Jersey, I'm referring to the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game (Ann Arbor is a Detroit suburb). To be honest, I've never done a pre-game preview of an NHL game between these two cities, but tonight will be different—this matchup in Motown is one of the most impactful of tonight's 11 games on the playoff picture.
With the regular season ending on April 16th, I'll likely start paying more attention to the NHL. And I think there's no more exciting playoff series in any professional sports league than the Stanley Cup playoffs. As of today, the Boston Bruins lead the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings with 95 points and four games remaining. The Bruins have already secured their playoff spot. The Ottawa Senators are second with 90 points and five games to play.
Following closely behind are the New York Islanders with 89 points and four games remaining—they just fired their head coach, and I'll probably be watching their next game on Thursday—are the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, both with 88 points and five games left, including tonight. The Detroit Red Wings currently hold the advantage in a tie.
Use the latest FanDuel promo code to bet on the Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings game and receive bonus payouts.
Both teams are in a clear slump. On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered their sixth consecutive loss, falling 1-2 at home to the in-form Winnipeg. During this losing streak, the Blue Jackets have only managed 10 goals. Interestingly, despite their offensive slump, since Rick Bones replaced sacked Dean Ewassen as head coach on January 13, the Columbus Blue Jackets have tied for the most opening goals in the NHL with 21.
Saturday's squandering of a 1-0 lead has raised their odds of making the playoffs to +235, while their odds of not making the playoffs are -290. With every team remaining in the schedule potentially making the playoffs, I don't think they'll advance. The Blue Jackets held a players' meeting after Saturday's game and closed their locker room for 24 minutes. Injuries have been a significant factor in their recent problems, with players like Dmitry Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier, and Damon Seiferson all sidelined. “I’ll leave our conversation here because we’re a better team than we are now, and we just discussed that,” said Blue Jackets star guard Zach Werenski. “We’re not out of the game. We’re still in contention, and I believe in this team. I believe we can do it; the key is to take action. After all, we’ve been holding on for two months. While the last two weeks have obviously not gone as planned, the problem lies in the locker room, and we have to pick ourselves up and turn things around. However, it all has to be done game by game.”
Between 1991 and 2016, the Detroit Red Wings were one of the league's powerhouses, consistently making the playoffs. However, shockingly, they haven't returned to the playoffs since. The arrival of the salary cap era has arguably dealt a greater blow to this big-spending team than to any other.
On January 21st, after a three-game winning streak, the Detroit Red Wings boasted a record of 31 wins, 16 losses, and 4 draws, firmly holding onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with odds as low as -400. But since then, the Red Wings haven't achieved a winning streak, losing six of their last eight games (including four home losses) and 17 of their last 26 games. While Sunday's home loss to the strong Minnesota team was somewhat acceptable, Saturday's defeat against the struggling New York Rangers was unforgivable.
“We have to find a way to not let these losses become a burden,” Andrew Cope said after Sunday’s game. “We have to get ourselves out of it. Once the noise from the outside world and you (the media) start affecting our performance on the field, problems arise. Sometimes it’s just one round, one goal conceded, and then it all starts to ripple outwards. Victory is contagious; so is defeat.”
Use the latest BetMGM promo code to bet on the NHL and receive a generous welcome gift.
The Detroit Red Wings are currently +600 to make the playoffs, while the Blue Jackets are -900. The Red Wings have a easier remaining schedule than the Blue Jackets, including two games against teams already eliminated from playoff contention (New Jersey and Florida) and one against a team that may rest players who have already secured a spot (Tampa Bay). Therefore, I think the +600 odds are worth considering, provided they win tonight's game. The Detroit Red Wings had a slump this season – going 5-7-2 in November – but then bounced back strongly under goaltender John Gibson until late January.
Sunday saw history: future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane was involved in his 251st game-tying goal, https://www.allrangersjerseys.com/igor-shesterkin-jersey/ surpassing Mike Modano for the second-highest number of game-tying goals by an American player in NHL history, behind only Phil Houseley (254). Kane also moved into 25th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 1,395 points, surpassing Luke Robitaire.
The Detroit team's struggles have many causes. Their goaltending is clearly subpar, but since February 1st, their field goal percentage in five-on-five situations is a league-worst 7.3%. Since January 23rd, Detroit has averaged 2.49 goals per game, ranking 31st in the league.
While head-to-head record isn't the primary determinant of NHL playoff seeding, it is certainly one factor, and tonight's winner will have an advantage, as this is the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The previous two matchups in the 2025 season went to overtime, both won by the home team.
I lean towards a Red Wings win, but that would also give me some assurance should the game go to overtime like the previous two meetings. Generally, crucial playoff games tend to be lower-scoring towards the end of the season due to significantly increased defensive intensity. Also, a 3-3 score at the end of regulation would obviously cover the total points spread. Please check the daily newsletter for other expert recommendations.