Red Wings vs Hurricanes

With Carolina stumbling into the break on a three-game losing streak marked by blown multi-goal leads, and Detroit riding a 9-2-1 December heater with three straight wins capped by Dylan Larkin’s OT dagger against Dallas, the momentum edge clearly tilts toward the visitors. Injuries deepen the contrast: the Hurricanes are without key play-driver Seth Jarvis and top-pair anchor Jaccob Slavin (along with Jordan Martinook and William Carrier), while Detroit’s only notable concern is Patrick Kane listed day-to-day, leaving their core of Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider fully available. Sebastian Aho has historically carved up the Red Wings (26 points in 29 career games), but Larkin has quietly been just as effective against Carolina (24 points in 31 meetings, strong faceoff numbers), and over the last five years the Canes’ 12-6-2 edge in the series looks less imposing given the current injury list and Detroit’s improved depth down the middle and in goal. Even allowing for Carolina’s typically strong home-ice profile and environment, the price gap between a Hurricanes side at -180 and a rolling Detroit team at 152 looks too wide, so I’ll grab the underdog value and back the Detroit Red Wings on the moneyline at 152, Grade B. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:32

Detroit’s current form screams offense: they’ve averaged north of three goals per game during their 8-2-0 run, with Raymond on a sustained point surge and their power play humming, while Carolina still sits top-10 in goals per game and shot volume despite the recent skid and Jarvis’s absence. The more worrying side of the Hurricanes right now is defensive structure and goaltending late in games — they’ve just surrendered five unanswered in a period to Florida and have repeatedly coughed up multi-goal leads, a bad matchup against a Red Wings group that’s 10-2-1 in one-goal decisions and comfortable grinding out tight third periods. With both clubs sitting at 47 points atop their divisions, the intensity level should be high, but the combination of Carolina’s home-ice push, Aho’s track record against Detroit, Detroit’s transition game and the Canes’ shaky late-game defending points toward a 4-3 or 5-3 type script more often than a low-event grinder; at a flat 6 with the Over priced at -115, I lean Over 6, Grade B-. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:32

Given how often Detroit has lived in one-goal territory this season (10-2-1 in one-goal games) and how rarely a banged-up Carolina roster is putting teams away cleanly, the Red Wings catching +1.5 on the puckline at -160 looks like the safest angle on the board. Even if Aho and Andrei Svechnikov drive a strong home push in front of what has been one of the league’s toughest buildings, the Hurricanes’ current issues closing games — plus missing Slavin on the back end and Jarvis in the top six — make a multi-goal home win less likely than usual, especially against a Detroit side that’s 10-6-2 on the road and getting high-end goaltending from John Gibson and Cam Talbot. Factor in Larkin’s long-term success versus Carolina and Raymond’s recent surge, and there are multiple paths to this ticket cashing: a Red Wings outright upset, an overtime result either way, or a tight Carolina win that still lands inside the number. I’ll take Detroit Red Wings +1.5 on the puckline at -160, Grade B+. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:32