The Detroit Red Wings will try and make up some ground in the West this Friday night against one of the top two teams in the conference when they clash with the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. This game is set to get underway at 10:00 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.

The Red Wings dropped a 4-2 decision to Minnesota this past Wednesday night as -133 home favorites to fall to 2-3-1 in their last six games. They head on the road for this game where they have gone just 5-6-1 this season. The total has now gone “over” in three of their last four games.

Anaheim is flying high after knocking off Chicago 4-2 on Wednesday as a -111 home favorite to close the gap with the Blackhawks atop the Western Conference standings to just three points. The Ducks are now an almost-unbeatable 13-1 at home this season, and the total has gone over in their last three home games.

Red Wings at Ducks Betting Storylines

Detroit is currently holding onto the seventh spot in the West with 33 points after posting a 14-11-5 record in its first 30 games. Scoring continues to be an issue, especially on the power play. The Red Wings are averaging 2.6 goals a game and converting just 16 percent of their opportunities with the man advantage. It does not help that Detroit’s current injury report is starting to read like a lineup card in a MLB game.

Fortunately, both Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg remain healthy and ready to go after combining for 17 goals and 43 assists this season. Damien Brunner leads the team in goals with 10. Jimmy Howard continues to see most of the action in goal and comes into this matchup with a goals-against average of 2.48 and a .914 save percentage.

The Ducks have been unstoppable recently with a 7-0-3 record in their last 10 games to raise their overall record this season to 22-3-4. Anaheim has been able to dominate its opponents on both ends of the ice with a goals-per-game average of 3.2 to complement a defensive effort that is holding teams to just 2.3 goals a game. It is ranked second in the NHL on the power play, and the only real weakness has been a 78 percent kill rate defending against it.

This team is loaded with prime-time players, led by Ryan Getzlaf’s team-high 11 goals and 24 assists. There are eight other players with at least six goals this season and six with at least 11 assists. In their last eight games, the Ducks have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 24-11. Both Viktor Fasth (2.0 GAA) and Jonas Hiller (2.48 GAA) have stood tall while splitting time in goal. Hiller has gotten the start in five of the last six games and is expected to get the call on Friday night.

Red Wings at Ducks NHL Betting Odds and Trends

The Red Wings have been opened as +143 road underdogs on BetOnline’s opening money line with Anaheim listed as a -157 home favorite. The “over/under” for this contest has been set at 5.5.

The Red Wings are 15-7 in their last 22 games against the Pacific Division but 8-20 in their last 28 games on the road. The total has stayed under in five of their last six games on one day’s rest.

The Ducks are 21-6 in their last 27 home games and 13-3 in their last 16 games against the Central Division. The total has stayed under in five of their last seven games against a team with a winning record.

Detroit is 2-5 in its last seven trips to Anaheim, and the total has stayed under in nine of the last 12 meetings between the two. The Ducks posted a 5-2 victory as -106 road favorites in the only previous meeting this season.

Red Wings at Ducks Picks and Betting Predictions

The easy pick in this matchup is Anaheim as I do not see its 13-game home winning streak coming to an end on Friday night, but there is still a decent risk verses the Ducks’ current money line. The better play is the under on the total line. The total has stayed under in six of the last seven meetings played at the Honda Center.

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab