Injures have kept the Detroit Red Wings from playing to their full potential during the team’s first season in the Eastern Conference. Detroit’s team captain Henrik Zetterberg missed multiple weeks with a back injury, and the squad has still struggled to adjust to its new opponents in the Atlantic Division. However, now that Detroit is healthy and being led by its star player, the team will be looking to make a move up the playoff standings. The Red Wings are currently sitting on 50 points and in the 10th spot in the conference.

The New York Rangers have been on quite a roll over the last week, winning three games in a row prior to a close loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. New York’s goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, has rebounded after slew of disappointing performances during the month of December. The team has finally seemed to regain its confidence in the veteran goalie and will be looking to ride his excellent production up the playoff standings.

Red Wings at Rangers Betting Story Lines

Detroit started 2014 with a five-game road trip that included matchups against a few of the Western Conference’s elite teams. The Red Wings alternated wins and losses during the first four games and will have one more road matchup against the Rangers on Thursday before heading back home to play five straight games. The team is coming off an impressive loss to the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks on Sunday where it was competitive throughout the matchup and allowed only one goal. Goaltender Petr Mrazek stopped 22 shots and kept a very potent Anaheim offense in check for most of the night.

Detroit’s offense has struggled since the beginning of the New Year and has managed to only score 11 goals in five games. Zetterberg has not scored a point in his last three games, and the team’s leading scorer, Pavel Datsyuk, is dealing with a groin injury and has not played since a Jan. 1 matchup against Toronto. Overall, the Red Wings are ranked 20th in goals scored with 2.5, 14th in goals allowed with 2.6 and 21st in power-play percentage.

Lundqvist may be playing his best stretch of hockey in quite a while. New York has won four of its last six matchups, while Lundqvist has given up only 12 goals during that span. The team is playing with renewed energy on offense but still struggles to protect the net on defense and has allowed a whopping 191 shots on goal in only six games. Luckily for the team, Zetterberg has been up to the challenge of protecting the net against an enormous amount of shots.

On offense, the team points leader, Brad Richards, is in the middle of a six-game points streak and has been the driving force behind New York’s excellent play over the last two weeks. Richards has seven points over his last five games. Overall, the Rangers are ranked 23rd in the NHL in goals scored at 2.4 per game, 13th in goals allowed at 2.6 and sixth in power-play percentage.

Red Wings at Rangers NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

New York opened as a -147 moneyline favorite over the +134 underdog Red Wings at BetOnline. The total was set at five goals, with the “over” being favored at -116. New York is 5-1 over its last six games versus the Atlantic Division and 4-1 over its last five Thursday games. The team is 6-2 when playing on one day of rest but only 3-8 over its last 11 games after allowing two goals or less during its previous game.

Detroit is 4-0 after scoring two goals or less in its previous game but only 5-11 during its last 16 overall games. The team is also 2-7 over its last nine games against the Eastern Conference and 6-2 against teams with a losing home road. Head-to-head, the “under” has come in during three of the last four games, while the Red Wings are 7-2 during the last nine matchups in New York.

Free NHL Picks: Red Wings at Rangers Predictions

Detroit has been on the road for nearly two weeks and may coming into Thursday’s matchup tired and simply looking to end its trip and head home for some much-needed rest. New York, on the other hand, has played great over its last few games and may be entering the matchup with the most confidence the team has had all season. Lundqvist’s goaltending has been excellent, and New York’s offense is efficient and effective. There is not much to think about in this matchup; take the streaking New York Rangers on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy