posted February 25, 2008 at 14:41 in NHL Betting Trends

A month ago the Detroit Red Wings were a sure thing for those doing any NHL betting, and they certainly didn’t seem like a team that would be looking to make many moves at the NHL’s trade deadline. However, with that deal cutoff coming on Tuesday afternoon the Red Wings could be looking to bring in a couple of extra players for the stretch run.

And those extra players might end up being defensemen, as Detroit has been hit hard with injuries at that position over the past few weeks. It started with Niklas Kronwall suffering a shoulder/collarbone injury. Brian Rafalski was then placed on injured reserve with a groin injury, and superstar Nicklas Lidstrom was knocked out of the lineup with a sprained knee. Chris Chelios then completed their hobbled quartet with his leg injury.

Of those four Lidstrom is expected to be out the longest – the team hopes to get him back on the ice by the end of March. Kronwall, Rafalski, and Chelios could all be back in action this week, assuming they don’t have any setbacks in their recoveries. That could help Detroit get back on track – but a little insurance (and a stopgap for Lidstrom’s spot on the roster) couldn’t hurt. Therefore, expect Detroit to make a move for a d-man.

Whether they pick up a forward as well remains to be seen, but with only one win in their past nine games the Red Wings are definitely on a skid. In fact, Detroit’s offense has been held to one or fewer goals in four of their past five games, and their lead atop the Western Conference standings has been seriously reduced by the hot Dallas Stars.

Still, the Red Wings remain the +250 favorites at BetUS to win the Stanley Cup this season, so they definitely have their supporters. The Stars, who have lost just twice in the month of February, are still well back on that list at +1000 odds. That’s behind the Pacific-rival Anaheim Ducks (who are at +700), and four other Eastern teams – the Ottawa Senators (+650), New Jersey Devils (+700), Pittsburgh Penguins (+775), and New York Rangers (+950). Dallas, though, is second only to Detroit in points this year.

And the Stars could be in the market for a defenseman as well, as Sergei Zubov will be out for at least another month with his foot injury. The star blueliner, who has already been out for 17 games, actually had additional surgery on his foot over the weekend and has been told to stay off the ice. That’s a big setback for a key member of the Stars.

However, Dallas is expected to get Philippe Boucher back at some point this week, so they might just settle for him being their major acquisition. Boucher has been out of action since December because of shoulder surgery, and he could fill Zubov’s offensive role on the team for now. Boucher had a career-high 19 goals and 51 points last year.

Boucher’s first chance to get back in action will be on Tuesday night, when the Stars play a road game against the St. Louis Blues. Dallas then hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, and they get a visit from the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Detroit will be looking to snap out of their funk when they travel to Edmonton to play the Oilers on Tuesday night. The Red Wings then return home to battle the San Jose Sharks on Friday, and they play the Sabres in Buffalo on Sunday. Check the BetUS NHL odds section for all the latest lines, totals, and prop bets for the rest of the season.

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