Hunter Skoczylas shares a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s NHL matchup between the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings.

The Flames will host the Red Wings on Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, with puck drop set for 8:30 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Moneyline is an even -110 split between these two teams, and the game’s total is set at O/U 6.5 goals.

Below, I’ll provide a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s tilt between the Flames and Red Wings.

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings prediction, preview

Flames preview

Following a historically bad start to the season, the Flames are starting to turn things around, winning three straight games and seven of their last 10 games. During this 10-game stretch, Calgary has averaged 3.4 goals per game, a significant uptick from its second-to-last average of 2.48 goals per game on the season. Nazem Kadri (6G, 20A) leads the team in points and has totaled 14 points across the last 10 games, with Joel Farabee (7G, 8A) and Morgan Frost (7G, 10A) posting eight and seven points in the same span, respectively.

The Flames will hope for their recent offensive play to keep up on Wednesday. While the club ranks eighth in PK%, it ranks 31st in PP% and second in penalties taken per 60. That isn’t exactly a recipe for success, especially when the goaltending ranks in the middle of the pack. Dustin Wolf has had a down year, but Logan Cooley will draw his ninth start of the season for Calgary. Cooley has been better than Wolf this season, going 3-3-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .920 SV%, and must be at the top of his game to slow down Detroit’s above-average offense. =

Red Wings preview

The Red Wings enter Wednesday’s matchup having won three of their last four games. However, the club had dropped four straight games before that and went just 5-7-2 in the month of November. Detroit has netted at least four goals in each of the past four games, but its goaltending and defense have made it rather difficult to secure wins. Still, the offense is commanded by the likes of Dylan Larkin (16G, 16A), Lucas Raymond (10G, 22A), and Alex DeBrincat (14G, 17A) on a nightly basis, which has kept the club competitive in almost every game this season.

As a team, Detroit ranks sixth in xGoals%, 12th in Corsi%, and 13th in goals for per 60. While the penalty kill could use some improvement, the power play has been elite, ranking seventh in PP% and fifth in power play goals. That sounds like an area of exploitation, given that the Flames take the second-most penalties per 60. Unfortunately, the Red Wings also rank eighth in both 5v5 goals against per 60 and 5v5 high-danger chances against, putting even more of the trust on the offense to score enough goals to secure wins.

Flames vs. Red Wings pick, best bet

The Red Wings are on game three of a six-game road trip, and the Flames are on game four of a four-game homestand. I don’t know that I can fully place my trust in the Flames just yet, even if they have won seven of their last 10 games. I kinda feel the same about the Red Wings, too, as they seem to stoop down to the level of their opponents and possess a middling 7-5-2 road record this season. Detroit has yet to confirm its starting goaltender as of writing, but that doesn’t change my lean toward the UNDER on the 6.5 goal total, which holds 66% of the handle and 59% of the bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Flames rank second-best in goals allowed per game at home, and the Red Wings average over 0.5 fewer goals on the road.

Best Bet: UNDER 6.5 Total Goals (-125)