Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks

Detroit’s trip started off with a number of delays due to Covid-19, forcing the team to play back-to-back games less than 24 hours apart. Despite the challenging circumstances, the Red Wings fought hard and only lost narrowly.

The worst, however, was losing captain Dylan Larkin to an upper-body injury in the first period. Coach Jeff Blashill has not provided any further information regarding Larkin’s status.

The Red Wings are 16-16-4 for 36 points, good for fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Recent form has gone to the wayside, though.

Detroit is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games. In addition, its 4-11-2 record on the road leaves something to be desired – a run of form that is underscored by its current two-game losing streak.

Sharks Seek To Level Series

The Sharks are coming off back-to-back 3-2 wins over the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers, capping off a four-game road stretch with a 2-2 record. They’re 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.

The Sharks needed overtime to beat the Flyers on Saturday evening. Tomas Hertl, combining with Brent Burns for the third time, scored 24 seconds into the extra period to lift the Sharks to the victory.

Hertl capped his night off with a hat trick while Burns recorded three assists. San Jose netminder Adin Hill made 29 stops.

Hertl leads the team with 20 goals. He has 12 goals and six assists for 18 points in the last 12 games.

That OT game-winning goal from @TomasHertl48 was a beauty 😍 pic.twitter.com/tgRxBwtOYX

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 9, 2022

To win on the road is not easy, so the Sharks will be buoyed by their latest results and keen to extend the momentum at the expense of the Red Wings.

Going into Tuesday’s contest, the Sharks are fifth in the Pacific Division with a 19-16-1 record (39 points). At home, the Sharks are 9-7-1. The last two games at SAP Arena resulted in an 8-7 shootout win over Arizona and a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers, both at the end of December.

NHL Predictions and Picks

The Red Wings’ road form is cause for concern. So, too, is the status of Larkin, who has been the catalyst behind Detroit’s surprising season. Yet, in spite of these concerns, the betting online odds are delicately poised with the Red Wings as small road underdogs. That’s telling.

The Wings showed a measure of improvement against the Ducks, both offensively and defensively. They also played most of the game without Larkin and nearly won in his absence. These facts can only bode well for them when they take on the Sharks – a side that they dismantled only a week ago at Little Caesars Arena.

In essence, this is a toss-up for NHL picks between two teams that are somewhat evenly matched and positioned for wild-card pushes in their respective divisions. There is some value in betting the under 5½ goals on the game total, especially if Larkin is ruled out. However, the better value for NHL picks may well be in the outright win by the Red Wings, which is contrary to popular opinion.

Veteran Eric Staal called out his team after the embarrassing shutout loss to the Kings. The response the following day was positive and could be the impetus for a trip-concluding win before heading back to Detroit.

Pick: Detroit Red Wings +115