Tuesday NHL Free Pick

Detroit is facing a couple injuries to their wingers which seems like the only conclusion as to why oddsmakers have made Dallas -130 favorites on the road in the 1/16 NHL free pick. The Stars are in a back-to-back situation after playing in Boston last night (a 3-2 win, in OT nonetheless) which fuels the intrigue on tonight’s line.

Tonight is also just the third road game in the last dozen contests for the Stars while the Wings are coming off a 4-0 dismantling off their rivals Chicago on Sunday. There seems to be tons of value in Detroit, yet nearly 60% of the public is on the Stars. So what’s going on in this tilt?

Stars at Red Wings, 7:30 ET
Stars: won 7 of their last 10 games (14 points are T-6th most during span)..Red Wings: won 5 of their last 7 pic.twitter.com/2kV1o1sesR

— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) January 16, 2018

Dallas Playing on a Back-to-Back

The Stars went to OT last night before finally beating Boston as +136 road dogs. Kari Lehtonen got the start in net, which means star goaltender Ben Bishop should be available for the 1/16 NHL free pick. Bishop has a top 20 save percentage in the league (.916%) and has the second most shutouts in the league (4) but has dropped two of his last four starts. Ironically the two wins that he posted of the four games were the ones he saw the most shots (39,45).

The Red Wings offense has been so-so, but the team as a whole has won five of their last seven. Dallas is 9-11-1 on the road this season while Detroit has won five of the last six at Little Caesar’s Arena. The Stars have lost three of their last four road games but still boast one of the better offenses in the league, scoring 3+ in seven of the last 10.

Is Detroit a Great Home Team Bet?

In net for the Red Wings in the 1/16 NHL free pick is Jimmy Howard, who has won four of his last five starts. Howard had kept six straight opponents to two goals or less before dropping a 1-4 defeat at Pittsburgh his last time out. Howard has won five straight starts at home too and sat out Sunday’s game against Chicago, meaning he’ll have two nights of rest heading into Tuesday’s game with the Stars.

What the Wings will need to find to get the home win in this contest is some offense. Detroit has scored two goals or less in half of their last 10 games and will be without the services of LW’s Darren Heim (13 points) and Justin Abdelkader (21 points) for the second straight game. The Red Wings offense did shut out Chicago 4-0 on Sunday, playing on back-to-back days as well. C Dylan Larkin has 8 points in 10 games and will power the Wings offense on Tuesday.

1/16 NHL Free Pick – Betting

The 1/16 NHL free pick could very well be a trap but there’s great value in a home underdog (who is playing well at home) versus a team playing their second night in a row on the road. Therefore, we’ll take the bait in this one behind Howard and the Wings.

Pick: Detroit Red Wings +110