San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings
Free NHL Playoffs Pick: Detroit -125 odds
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I believe the Wings will play their best game of this series and stave off elimination with a concerted effort in front of the home town crowd:

San Jose is well on its way to reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004.

Evgeni Nabokov has consistently been the better goaltender in this series; that said, I expect the Sharks to come out a bit flat-footed in this one, giving the Wings enough of an edge to win one game of this series, as San Jose will look to finish off the defending Western Conference champs in Game 5 in its own barn.

Although San Jose won Game 3, the fact remains that the Sharks always struggle at the Joe; 6-18-1 their last 25 when playing on the road against Detroit.

On the other side of the rink: Only two teams in NHL history have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, and while I don’t believe that will be the case here, I do believe the Wings will play a complete game in this one and do just enough to secure their first victory of the second round.

And this is a position that the Wings have excelled in all year; 6-1 (+4.8 units) after three or more consecutive losses.

Bottom line: Look for DETROIT to get its first victory of the second round.

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