Looking For Fifth Straight
Detroit‘s Henrik Zetterberg has been on an impressive tear to start the season, but it’s his Red Wings teammate that had the Vancouver Canucks frustrated earlier this week.
Tomas Holmstrom and the Red Wings look to extend a four-game winning streak Sunday when they visit the Canucks.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Detroit -120 money line favorites (NHL Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 5 goals (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 60% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -120 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
Detroit (8-2-1) opens a three-game Canadian road trip, which also includes games against Edmonton and Calgary, following a 5-1 win over San Jose on Friday. Zetterberg – who has 20 points this season – scored twice and increased his point streak to 18 regular-season games, while backup goalie Chris Osgood made 10 saves, allowing only a late power-play goal.
"I think we came out really hard," said Andreas Lilja, who also recorded a goal. "That’s one of the keystones of our game."
Both of Zetterberg’s goals came in the third period, with his team-leading ninth of the season coming 8:12 into the period to give Detroit a 4-0 lead. Kirk Maltby scored 22 seconds later for the Red Wings’ final score of the night.
Detroit has outscored its opponents 17-7 during the winning streak, which includes a 3-2 victory over Vancouver (5-6-0) on Wednesday. Holmstrom scored twice for the Red Wings in that win.
Holmstrom has recorded five points in the last three games, including two assists on Friday to give him 13 points for the season. The Canucks said the 6-foot, 200-pound winger frustrates defensemen with his size.
"Obviously he’s a big body and battles hard in front of the net," Vancouver’s Sami Salo said after Wednesday’s game. "It’s a tough battle for the ‘D’ and also for the goalie."
Salo, who missed the first nine games of the season after breaking his hand in training camp, played 23 minutes in the Canucks’ 3-2 win over Washington on Friday. The victory snapped their two-game losing streak.
Vancouver took a 3-1 lead early in the third period after Taylor Pyatt’s second goal of the game. The Canucks, though, nearly saw what looked like a sure win slip away after Alex Ovechkin scored on a power play with 1 1/2 minutes left and Washington played with a man advantage for the final 77 seconds after Salo was called for slashing.
Goalie Roberto Luongo, however, was able to preserve the win. He recorded 26 saves to improve to 4-6-0 this season and snap a four-game personal losing streak.
"I thought we skated well tonight and we played a good tight game defensively," Luongo said. "Most of the shots for the first 50 minutes were on the perimeter and we were keeping guys to the outside and taking the rebounds. It was easy for me to do my job and we got three goals early."
After being outshot 39-15 against Detroit in one of its weakest offensive efforts of the season, Vancouver attempted 26 shots on Friday, although the Canucks were outshot 11-5 in the final period.
"Obviously we got some more shots than we’ve got this whole year," Salo said. "I don’t know what it is, but I think we’ve been trying too hard to look for fancy plays instead of shooting and go hard at the rebounds."
The Canucks have won six of their last nine home games against the Red Wings.
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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