Detroit at Columbus

The Detroit Red Wings have been a playoffs fixture for decades as the team always puts a strong team on the ice. They have had an unusually bad stretch of hockey, and starting this road trip you can be pretty sure they are going to come out as a very focused team. Columbus made a lot of gains last season after many years as a very uncompetitive team. It appears, however, that the Blue Jackets have shown signs of regression this season. Columbus is just 6-10-1 to start the season, and things are starting to get away from them. This is a team that tended to avoid the long losing streaks last year, but this season they already own a nine-game skid. The biggest concern has to be the offense. The Blue Jackets have topped the 2 goal mark in just two of their last 11 games, and it is hard to win with little help from the offense as it puts a ton of pressure on the defense. Detroit has been great at refocusing their energy after a brutal home loss of 3 goals or more, following with a 35-16-2 mark in their last 53. Columbus has struggled to put together a winning streak and owns a 5-14 record in their last 19 following a win. The Red Wings have had a ton of success vs. Columbus as they own a stellar 55-25-1 record against them in the last 81 meetings. These teams have played to the UNDER in five of their last six, and with Detroit showing focus off a big home loss, and the Blue Jackets' offense losing their way, I don't expect this one to get over the top. Play on Detroit and the UNDER.