The New York Rangers may have hit rock bottom during a season that has already seen its share of lows through the first eight games of the year. The team only managed to score one goal during a loss to the league-worst Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and may be in desperate need of reevaluating their roster not even a month into the season. The Rangers have only managed to scored 12 goals on the year, but they have allowed a whopping 26 through their first three weeks of action. New York is in serious danger of dropping out of the playoff race before the season really even gets started.

Detroit opened the year with a solid run that included five wins during their first seven games. However, the team has fallen on hard times as of late and is in the middle of a three-game losing streak that includes an embarrassing home loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. The Red Wings are still near the top of the Atlantic Division with 13 points, but they can’t afford to lose any ground against very good Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs teams. Let’s take a closer look at Saturday’s matchup and figure out which side of the game has the best value to wager on.

Rangers at Red Wings Betting Story Lines

New York may have started the season on a horrible note, but the team does have a legitimate excuse. The Rangers have not played a home game all season and have been on the road eight straight games to open up the year. The team’s ridiculous road schedule was due to a construction project being completed at Madison Square Garden. New York will play one more road game against the Red Wings before they can finally head home to regroup and reenergize for a much easier stretch in their schedule.

The Rangers struggled on offense for most of their extended road trip and were shut out twice and only managed to score multiple goals in four of those games. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist sat out during Thursday’s game against the Flyers and has been dealing with an undisclosed injury. In the games he has played, the goalie has not been particularly effective and only has a .890 save rate on 182 shot attempts. New York is currently ranked 28th in goals scored per game with 1.4, 30th in goals allowed with 4.1, 17th in power play percentage and 22nd in penalty kill percentage. Lundqvist is not expected to be available for tonight’s matchup.

Detroit scored only three goals during their last three games and had two one-sided losses to the Phoenix Coyotes and Ottawa Senators during that span. The team is about to end a three-game homestand and go out on the road for four straight games. The Red Wings are receiving solid production from its offense and are being led by centers Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who have already 12 and 11 points, respectively. Goaltender Jimmy Howard was pulled early in the team’s last loss on Wednesday, but he has been productive through most of his starts and currently has a .914 save percentage on 220 shots.

The Red Wings currently rank 23rd in goals scored with 2.3, 15th in goals allowed with 2.6, 12th in power play percentage and 19th in penalty kill percentage. The team also allows more shot attempts than they take themselves, which is never a good sign for a squad expecting to contend for a title. Detroit has been a top-heavy offensive squad and has five players with two goals or more but 11 players with one goal or less.

Rangers at Red Wings NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Detroit opened as a -215 moneyline favorite over the +190 underdog Rangers, according to BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” being a slight favorite at -110. New York is 1-4 during their last five games playing on one day of rest and are 1-5 during their last six road games. The home team is 6-2 during the last eight matchups between the two teams, while the Rangers are 0-6 during the last six meetings in Detroit and 3-14 during the last 17 overall games.

NHL Predictions: Rangers at Red Wings Betting Picks

The Rangers desperately need a win to cap off their brutal nine-game road trip to start the year. The team will probably come into Thursday’s matchup hungry for a victory to end their misery. However, there is chance that they will also enter the matchup mentally defeated and simply trying to survive one more game before they finally get to head home. The Red Wings are almost in the same boat as it would be a confidence-crushing blow if the team were to lose three straight home games. The odds are the key to deciding which team has the best value on this matchup, because both are in need of a timely win on Saturday. Neither team is playing good hockey, and taking the Red Wings at -215 seems too expensive of a price. The Rangers are getting excellent moneyline odds at +190 and are showing excellent value. The team will probably play with 60 minutes of desperation and have a solid chance at pulling off the upset. Take the Rangers on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy