By Rich Carlson
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Detroit Red Wings (19-8-4) at Columbus Blue Jackets (11-17-3), 7 p.m. ET

Current WagerWeb.com Odds: Spread Money Line Total Goals
Detroit -1 1/2 +180 -155 Over 5 1/2 +110
Columbus +1 1/2 -220 +135 Under 5 1/2 -130

The Detroit Red Wings travel to Nationwide Arena on Monday evening to play Central Division foe Columbus in the first of back-to-back games between these teams. Detroit has posted a 19-8-4 record and is in second place in the Central, 5 points behind Nashville. Columbus is 11-17-3 and is in 4th place.

Columbus RW David Vyborny and LW Rick Nash both have three-game goal-scoring streaks, which is good news for a Blue Jackets offense that ranks 25th in the NHL at 2.55 goals per game. Nash (11 goals) is the only Blue Jacket who has scored more than 10 goals this season. Starting G Pascal Leclaire has been horrendous this season with a 6-12 record and dismal .898 save percentage. Backup G Fredrik Norrena has posted a 5-5 record with a solid 2.53 goals against average and .910 save percentage and should get more playing time as the year goes on.

Detroitʼs defense is once again the best in the NHL (2.13 goals against average) and is led by the ageless wonder -- Dominik Hasek. At age 41, Hasek is playing some of the best hockey of his career and is leading the NHL with a stellar 1.86 goals against average. Detroit only averages 2.77 goals per game (18th in NHL) and has two defensemen as its leading scorers: Nicklas Lidstrom (7 goals, 20 assists) and Mathieu Schneider (7 goals, 17 assists). Many NHL betting fans are wondering if Hasekʼs health can hold up for the entire season. If the Dominator does stay healthy, Detroit could easily make a run deep into the playoffs.

The Red Wings and Blue Jackets have played once this season, with Detroit winning 4-1 on Nov. 4 in Detroit.


Injury report
Detroit: D Jiri Fischer (heart) is on injured reserve and will be out indefinitely; C Tomas Kopecky (collarbone) is on injured reserve and will be out until at least mid-March; D Danny Markov (hand) is on injured reserve and will be out until at least late December; G Chris Osgood (hand) is listed as questionable for tonightʼs game.

Columbus: D Adam Foote (lower body) is listed as questionable for tonightʼs game; G Leclaire (knee) is out until at least mid-December; D Bryan Berard (back) is on injured reserve and will be out indefinitely.



Key betting information
Detroit is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games and has a 10-5-1 road record
Columbus is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games and has a 5-8-2 home record
Detroitʼs No. 18-ranked offense (2.77 goals per game) vs. Columbusʼ No. 13-ranked defense (2.81 goals allowed average)
Columbusʼ No. 25-ranked offense (2.55 goals per game) vs. Detroitʼs No. 1-ranked defense (2.13 goals allowed average)
Detroitʼs No. 23-ranked power play (15.3% scored) vs. Columbusʼ No. 11-ranked penalty-killing unit (84.3% success)
Columbusʼ No. 18-ranked power play (16.7% scored) vs. Detroitʼs No. 14-ranked penalty-killing unit (82.6% success)


News & notes
Joshua Freeman, a real estate developer and part owner of the Washington Capitals, was killed when his helicopter crashed Thursday night in southern Delaware. The pilot of the helicopter was also killed.


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