Sharks vs Red Wings

Alex DeBrincat and the Red Wings come in 4-1 over their last five and 16-8-1 at home, but San Jose’s four-game road winning streak and 6-4-0 stretch mean this isn’t a layup despite Detroit’s favorite status. The injury report is a major separator: the Sharks remain without longtime captain Logan Couture and have multiple key pieces either on injured reserve or questionable (including Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev, Will Smith, Vincent Desharnais, and Shakir Mukhamadullin), while Detroit lists no current injuries and can roll its full forward corps and a healthy blue line. In the matchup itself, Detroit has won the first meeting this season 3-2 in a shootout and has leaned on DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Patrick Kane to consistently generate offense against San Jose in recent years, whereas the Sharks are heavily reliant on rookie star Macklin Celebrini and a supporting cast that thins out compared to Detroit’s depth at both five-on-five and on the power play. With both teams past the 40-game mark, the Wings are consolidating a strong Atlantic playoff position while the Sharks are scrapping on the Western bubble, and that combination of home-ice strength, health edge, and slightly superior underlying profile nudges this moneyline toward the favorite even with San Jose punching above its weight lately. I’m backing Detroit Red Wings -210 on the moneyline with a B+ grade, reflecting high win probability but only moderate value at this price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:23

Both teams’ current form tilts toward offense: the Sharks are 7-3-0 in their last ten while averaging roughly four goals against and nearly four scored per night, and the Wings are 6-3-1 in that span with close to three goals for and just over two allowed, which has produced a lot of track-meet-feeling third periods. San Jose’s injuries are concentrated in the middle six and on the blue line—Couture, Dellandrea, Kurashev, Desharnais, and Mukhamadullin all complicate their ability to roll four balanced lines or protect leads—so Celebrini, William Eklund, Pavol Regenda, and Tyler Toffoli are being leaned on heavily, often in high-event games, while Detroit brings a full-strength attack headlined by DeBrincat, Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Kane in front of a defense that can still be stretched in transition. Historically this matchup has skewed high-scoring, with most of the recent head-to-head meetings landing at seven or more total goals and the earlier 3-2 shootout this season feeling like the floor rather than the ceiling given how many quality chances both sides created. With each club beyond midseason and playing with playoff stakes in mind—Detroit trying to stay in the top half of the Eastern bracket and San Jose fighting to remain relevant in a tight Western wild-card race—there’s little incentive to sit back, and the combination of offensive talent and defensive absences on the Sharks’ side makes multiple swings in momentum likely. I’m playing Over 6 goals at -133 with a B grade, looking for a 4-3 or 4-2 type game that hits this number more often than it doesn’t while accepting some push risk on the key total. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:23

San Jose’s current run—three wins in its last five and a four-game road winning streak—paired with Detroit’s own 4-1 heater and excellent home record suggests we’re more likely to see another tight contest than a blowout, even with the Wings laying heavy moneyline juice. The Sharks’ lengthy injury list strips away some depth, with Couture, Dellandrea, Kurashev, Desharnais, and Mukhamadullin all sidelined or limited, yet they’ve stayed competitive behind Celebrini’s breakout production, Regenda’s recent scoring, and heavy minutes from Mario Ferraro and Dmitry Orlov; Detroit, by contrast, is fully healthy and can lean on Moritz Seider, Erik Gustafsson, and a deep forward group that keeps pressure on for 60 minutes. Still, recent head-to-heads have mostly been one-goal games—including this season’s 3-2 shootout win for Detroit—and the Wings’ sterling record in one-goal decisions underscores how often they win but fail to clear a multi-goal margin, while San Jose’s improved five-on-five play and dangerous power play give them plenty of paths to keep it close even if they trail. With both teams beyond 40 games and every point critical—Detroit guarding its Atlantic seed and San Jose needing anything it can grab to stay in the Western race—the most likely script has Detroit edging the result but the Sharks hanging inside a goal the majority of the time, especially with their recent road confidence. I’m taking San Jose Sharks +1.5 at -138 on the puckline with a B grade, leaning on the combination of tight-series history, Detroit’s propensity for one-goal wins, and the extra cushion of the +1.5 spread. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:23