Wednesday night’s matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks will be a battle of streaks. Detroit is currently on a four-game slide and has not won since they beat the Colorado Avalanche 13 days ago. Vancouver, on the other hand, is in the middle of a four-game win streak that includes a huge victory over the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues on Friday. The Red Wings have been competitive during that span and were able to earn points in two of their four losses by going into overtime. The Canucks needed the extra period in three of their four wins, but they have earned enough points during that span to gain some ground on the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division lead.

Detroit has fallen into the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Division, but the good new is that they are still within striking distance of the division lead. Let’s take a closer look at Wednesday’s matchup between the Red Wings versus the Canucks and go over which side of the game has the most value to bet on.

Red Wings at Canucks Betting Story Lines

Detroit has been outscored 15-5 over their last four losses, which includes a disappointing home upset by the New York Rangers over the weekend. Head coach Mike Babcock called the team “unorganized” and “inefficient” during recent interviews, and he believes that Detroit needs to improve on faceoff plays and tighten up defensively. The Red Wings are currently giving up nearly three more shot attempts than they take themselves. During the team’s last loss to the Rangers, the Red Wings gave up 40 shot attempts on goalie Jimmy Howard. And no matter how good your goaltender is, giving up that kind of volume will eventually lead to multiple goals for opponents.

Vancouver is on a solid four-game win streak that becomes even more impressive when you realize that three of those wins came during a seven-game road trip where the team ended up with a 5-2 record. The Canucks are outshooting opponents by nearly four shots and have relied heavily on the production of center Henrik Sedin and the rest of the front line. Sedin currently has 17 points with 14 assists and has scored points in nine straight games. The team has not been overwhelming opponents during its last 10 games, but instead they have relied on excellent defense and very little mistakes on offense. Goaltender Roberto Luongo has also played solid and efficiently over that span. Luongo has saved 45 shots over the last two games.

Red Wings at Canucks NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Vancouver opened as a -138 moneyline favorite over the underdog Red Wings. Detroit is receiving +125 moneyline odds, according to BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” being favored at -121.  The Red Wings are -245 puckline favorites for receiving the 1.5 goals, while the Canucks are +205 puckline underdogs for giving up the 1.5 goals. Vancouver is 5-0 during their last five Wednesday games and 5-0 against the Atlantic Division. Detroit is 1-6 during their last seven matchups versus the Western Conference and is 0-4 during their last four overall matchups. Head-to-head, the “over” is 5-1 during the last six matchups between the two teams and is 6-2 during the last eight meeting in Vancouver.

Free NHL Picks: Red Wings at Canucks Betting Predictions

Both teams are coming into Wednesday’s matchup with at least two days worth of rest and should be ready to play. Detroit is very aware of the mistake they have been making over the last few games and will be looking to fix those errors and earn a much-needed victory. The Red Wings will be playing four straight road games starting in Vancouver and simply cannot let an extended losing streak continue. The Canucks are in the middle of a three-game homestand and have won four in a row—their matchup against the Detroit might not be a priority for a team that is sleeping comfortably in their own beds. The main factor in deciding the winner of this matchup will be desperation. Detroit needs a win, and they also know what they need to do to get it. Expect the Red Wings to come out hungry and pull off the road upset. Take Detroit and the positive moneyline payout.

Record: 12-5; Profit: +780

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Read more articles by George Monroy