Boston Bruins vs Detroit Red Wings Point Spread Picks

Detroit leads the Atlantic Division with 60 points. Boston is tied for fifth with 52 points. The Red Wings are the better team, but find themselves in an underdog role here. Justified? The Bruins have won three straight and are tough at home. The Red Wings, though, are on a four-game winning streak following a 4-3 overtime home win against Carolina last night. Boston has the rest advantage. Perhaps that slows down the Bruins' momentum. Detroit ranks 16th defensively and fifth in power-play efficiency. Detroit has 37 power-play goals, third-most in the NHL. The Bruins are sixth on the power play, but rank 21st defensively and give up the second-most shots on goal. This is the fourth time since Dec. 21 that the Red Wings are playing without rest. They are 2-1 in this span. The Red Wings have been solid on the road, going 12-7-3. Morgan Geekie, who leads Boston with 25 goals, is questionable due to personal reasons. Take the Red Wings. 

The Bruins beat the Red Wings, 3-2, in a shootout in Boston this past Saturday. Neither team has played since then. Now it's the Red Wings' turn to host the Bruins. But don't look for the script to change. This figures to be another close game, and taking 1.5 goals is excellent insurance. The Red Wings had tied Saturday's game at 2-2 with less than two minutes left after pulling their goalie. The Red Wings have lost four consecutive games. They have surrendered an average of 4.5 goals per game in their last six games. The Red Wings could have trouble defending Morgan Geekie again. Geekie, who is tied with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead with 20 goals this season, scored two goals against the Red Wings on Saturday. The Bruins won't have David Pastrnak again, but expect to get back Viktor Arvidsson today to boost their offense. Arvidsson has been out since the middle of last month. Take the Bruins on the puckline.

This is the first of a home-and-home series, with the Red Wings and Bruins meeting again in Detroit on Tuesday. Neither team is playing well, but the Red Wings are in better shape to get a victory here. The Bruins lost, 6-2, to the Rangers at home on Friday. Neither David Pastrnak nor Pavel Zacha played for the Bruins against the Rangers because of undisclosed injuries, significantly weakening their top line. Both players are day-to-day. Boston has a lengthy injury list that includes Charlie McAvoy (upper body), Jordan Harris (ankle surgery), Viktor Arvidsson (lower body), and Matej Blumel (lower body). Detroit is the healthier team. The Red Wings have scored three or more goals in five of their last six games. The Bruins have managed only 11 goals in regulation in their previous six games, a measly 1.8 scoring average during this span. Boston's offense will be even more affected if Pastrnak remains out. He is the Bruins' points leader and second on the team in goals. Take the Red Wings.