Red Wings vs Bruins

With Detroit riding a four-game winning streak and Boston on a three-game heater of its own, this moneyline is all about balancing the Red Wings’ current form against the Bruins’ home-ice edge and matchup history. Detroit has surged to the top of the Atlantic, but Boston’s 15-8-1 mark at TD Garden and a slight edge in goals per game (around 3.26 to Detroit’s 3.13) suggest their profile better fits the role of favorite in this spot. The Bruins are not at full strength, missing Hampus Lindholm on the back end and listing leading goal-scorer Morgan Geekie as day-to-day, yet they still roll out a deeper lineup down the middle and on defense, anchored by Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, all confirmed on the active roster, while Detroit counters with Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider leading a healthier core. Head-to-head, this season’s series is tied 1-1, and Pastrnak’s long-term production against Detroit (well over a point per game) contrasts with Larkin’s more modest but still solid totals versus Boston, giving the Bruins a slight star-power tilt at home despite Detroit’s push for separation in the divisional race. Given the modest price on the Bruins at -133 relative to their home record, offensive ceiling and still-competent defensive structure even without Lindholm, I lean to Boston on the moneyline but only grade it a B because Detroit’s five-on-five play and current streak keep the upset risk very real. Sources: ESPN game preview and team stats page for Red Wings at Bruins on January 13, 2026, plus ESPN team roster pages for both clubs and StatMuse matchup splits for David Pastrnak vs. Detroit and Dylan Larkin vs. Boston. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401803080/red-wings-bruins)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:43

The raw scoring profile screams offense — both teams sit just above 3.1 goals for per game with dangerous power plays in the mid-20 percent range — but the context and number at 6 push me toward the under. Detroit’s recent run features plenty of goals (game totals of 7, 4, 6, 8 and 5 in its last five), and Boston has had a pair of shootouts mixed in with tighter wins (totals of 1, 12, 5, 11 and 5), yet both sides are getting league-average-or-better goaltending: John Gibson and Cam Talbot combine for sub-3.00 GAAs, while Swayman is in a similar band, which tends to cap blowups when games tighten. Injuries matter here too: Boston losing Lindholm removes some puck-moving from the back end, but an absent or limited Geekie also pulls one of their primary finishers out of the mix, which, paired with Detroit’s willingness to grind down games when protecting their position atop the Atlantic, leans the overall pace more playoff-like. We’ve already seen a 2-1 Red Wings win over Boston late last season when both teams leaned into structure, and with the current divisional standings crowded behind Detroit and Boston trying to firm up a playoff slot, a conservatively coached game that lands 3-2 or 4-2 either way is a very live outcome, making Under 6 at -105 a B+ play thanks to the push protection at exactly six and a fair price. Sources: ESPN Red Wings–Bruins game page for recent results, team averages and injury notes, plus NHL.com and team sites for prior low-scoring meetings and power-play metrics. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401803080/red-wings-bruins)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:43

Even while favoring Boston to win outright, the matchup profile strongly suggests a one-goal game, which nudges me toward Detroit on the puckline at +1.5. The teams are separated by just a handful of points in the Atlantic and have near-identical underlying scoring and goals-against numbers, with Detroit slightly stingier at five-on-five and Boston a touch more explosive offensively; that kind of statistical mirror, especially when one side (Boston) carries a strong home record and the other (Detroit) comes in on a four-game tear, tends to produce tight, late-decided contests. This season’s head-to-head has already featured a 5-4 Detroit win, and with the Bruins missing a top-pair defender in Lindholm plus potentially short their leading goal-scorer Geekie, their margin for error against a confident Red Wings top six — Larkin between Raymond and DeBrincat, supplemented by Patrick Kane and J.T. Compher — shrinks further, even if Pastrnak’s historic dominance in this matchup keeps Boston’s ceiling high. Considering Detroit’s solid 12-7-3 road record and the playoff leverage for both teams in a jammed Atlantic table, taking the road dog to keep it within a goal at -225 earns a B+ grade: the price is heavy, but the likelihood of a one-goal decision is high enough that this remains a reasonable way to leverage Detroit’s form without fading Boston’s home-ice edge outright. Sources: ESPN Red Wings–Bruins matchup page for series results, home/road splits and standings, supported by ESPN roster pages and StatMuse career splits for the key forwards in this rivalry. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401803080/red-wings-bruins)) Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:43