Free NHL Picks Today: Detroit Red Wings vs Ottawa Senators 12/17/22

A pair of teams trending in opposite directions square off at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday as the Ottawa Senators (13-14-2) will be out to build on their winning run when they travel to take on the faltering Detroit Red Wings (13-10-6).

Ottawa is coming off a 3-2 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday, their third straight win. The Senators took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring twice on six shots while holding Montreal without a power play goal. Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Shane Pinto scored one apiece for the Senators.

Alex DeBrincat had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Cam Talbot had 23 saves in the win. Detroit dropped their fourth straight game, falling 4-1 to the Wild on Wednesday. Elmer Soderblom was the only player to score for the Red Wings. Magnus Hellberg only had 18 saves on 21 shots against (.857%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Senators won all three games between the teams last season, including a 4-1 victory in their final meeting in April, their fourth straight win against Detroit. Tim Stuetzle led Ottawa with three points (2G 1A). Tyler Bertuzzi scored Detroit’s only goal. Anton Forsberg got the win, saving 24 of 25 shots (.960%).

FACING OFF

Ottawa is averaging 3.07 goals per game for the season, 17th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Red Wings team that is allowing 3.07 goals a game (16th). Meanwhile, Detroit has found the net 2.90 times a game on average, 22nd in the league, and the Senators are allowing opponents to score 3.14 goals per game (18th).

Detroit averages fewer shots (29.3) than most teams in the league, ranking 29th. With an average of 33.8 attempts, Ottawa ranks sixth.Power play opportunities should be plentiful for the Red Wings, as the Senators are averaging 4.76 penalties per game, fifth-most in the NHL.

The visitors’ 11.34 penalty minutes a game ranks sixth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.45 times a game (3rd-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.52 minutes (3rd-fewest).

The Senators’ 27.68% power play percentage ranks sixth in the league, while the Red Wings are 24th with a conversion rate of 20.19%. In terms of defending power plays, Ottawa has the league’s 12th-ranked PK% at 80.19%, while Detroit is 17th at 78.57%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 33 points this season, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Senators. He has 13 goals and 20 assists in 29 games. In the net, Talbot (6-7-0) is Ottawa’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.55 GAA and a .917% save percentage.

Dylan Larkin and Dominik Kubalik lead the Red Wings in scoring with 27 and 25 points, respectively. Larkin has 10 goals and 17 assists in 28 games, while Kubalik has 10 goals and 15 assists. Ville Husso (11-5-4) has the best goals against average for Detroit at 2.48. He has a save percentage of .918%.