The Detroit Red Wings (41-11-0-4)will make a short trip to Toronto(22-25-6-3) this afternoon to face the Maple Leafs in this Original 6 battle.

The Red Wings lead the NHL with 86 points, 15 points ahead of the 2nd place Dallas Stars. The Wings have won 20 of their 26 road games this season, including 11 of their past 12 games away from home. Detroit leads the NHL in goals against, conceding about 2 goals per game this season. A sound defensive team to be sure, the Wings really now how to take care of business in their own end, restricting shooting lanes and blocking shots whenever possible. This is why the Wings concede the fewest shots on net in the entire NHL. In addition, they are getting solid goaltending from both goals, as Osgood and Hasek are the top 2 goals in the NHL when it comes to goals against average.

The Wings also have a feverish propensity to score, and lead the NHL in goals for this season, scoring an average of 3.3 goals per game. The Wings are a puck possession that loves to carry the puck out of their zone and attack often, bringing waves of very skilled players at their opponents. Lead by Zetterberg and Datsyuk, the Wings can kill you in a heart beat if you give them space to do what they do best, score.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently sit third from the bottom in the NHL standings. A team destined for failure from the start, the Leafs simply don’t have the skill to compete on most nights. The did manage to take a win in their latest game against one of their long time rivals the Montreal Canadiens, a team they do manage to play well against over the years. However, prior to that victory, the Leafs were demolished 8-0 by the Florida Panthers, another team that will be fortunate to make the playoffs this season.

The Leafs have won a total of 8 games in their past 24, with 3 of these coming beyond regulation. Unlike the Red Wings, the Leafs do not have highly skilled forwards, or for that matter, highly skilled defensemen. The Leafs have one of the poorest power-plays in the NHL, scoring on average less than 9% of their chances with the man advantage. In fact, they have scored only 1 goal in their past 29 power-play chances. Their penalty kill is also poor, conceding more than 20% of the time when playing short handed.

I think the Red Wings will come out flying tonight after dropping their last game to the NHL’s worst in the LA Kings. Detroit blew a third period lead, something that does not happen very often. I expect them to take out their recent frustration on the Leafs tonight. The Wings are simple better in all facets of the game, and expect them to impose their wll on the Leafs tonight.

The Pick :