One team boasts a very limited playoff pedigree while their foe owns a decades-long record of post-season prosperity.
The Nashville Predators, however, are a real threat to advance here in the Stanley Cup playoffs as they meet the Detroit Red Wings in the four-vs.-five series in the Western Conference.
Game 1 of this series will be played Wednesday night in Nashville (8 pm Eastern, CNBC, CBC). As of Tuesday morning WilliamHill.com is listing the Predators as -135 favorites for Wednesday's game, with Detroit getting +115. And the 'over/under' is lined at five (O -135/U +115).
On the NHL futures market Sportsbook is listing Nashville as a -115 favorite to win this series, with Detroit at -105 as the slight NHL underdog. Sportsbook is also offering both the Predators and Wings at 7/1 to win the Western Conference and 12/1 to win the Stanley Cup.
The Red Wings are the lower seed but they are still getting more betting action that the Predators,
Nashville finished second in the Central Division this season, five points behind first-place St. Louis. The Preds ranked eighth in the league in scoring this year, and ninth in goals allowed. Nashville also finished the regular season by winning six of its last eight games.
But as mentioned above, the Predators have a scant record of post-season success; they've won exactly one playoff series in their 14 years of existence; last year, in the first round over Anaheim.
Detroit, meanwhile, is in the playoffs for the 21st straight season. And the Red Wings have reached at least the conference semis the last five years. This season Detroit finished in third place in the Central, two points back of Nashville.
But the Wings stumbled down the stretch, losing 15 of their last 22 games.
These division rivals split six games during the regular season, with the home teams going 4-2. And the 'over/unders' went 1-4-1 in this series this season.
The Predators went 26-10-5 at home this season, 22-16-3 on the road. The Red Wings, meanwhile, posted one of the larger home-road differentials in the league this season, going 31-7-3 at Joe Louis Arena but 17-21-3 on the room-service circuit.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators Odds and Props
Detroit Red Wings (Series Prices) 20/21
Nashville Predators (Series Prices) 20/23
Series Correct Score
Detroit Red Wings 4-0 10/1
Detroit Red Wings 4-1 13/2
Detroit Red Wings 4-2 4/1
Detroit Red Wings 4-3 5/1
Nashville Predators 4-0 12/1
Nashville Predators 4-1 6/1
Nashville Predators 4-2 5/1
Nashville Predators 4-3 9/2
Total Games
4 13/2
5 5/2
6 17/10
7 17/10
Total Games
Over 5.5 5/9
Under 5.5 3/2
Total Goals
Over/ Under 31.5
Series Game Spread
Detroit Red Wings -1.5 17/10
Nashville Predators +1.5 10/21
Pavel Datsyuk 1st Round Points vs. Nashville Predators
Over/ Under 5.5
Henrik Zetterberg 1st Round Points vs. Nashville Predators
Over/ Under 5
Valtteri Filppula 1st Round Points vs. Nashville Predators
Over/ Under 5
Martin Erat 1st Round Points vs. Nashville Predators
Over/ Under 4.5
Alexander Radulov 1st Round Points vs. Detroit Red Wings
Over/ Under 4.5
David Legwand 1st Round Points vs. Detroit Red Wings
Over/ Under 4