The New Jersey Devils visit the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in an early-season matchup shaped by a significant rest disparity and several lineup questions. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 PM Eastern Time at Little Caesars Arena.
Game Details
- Matchup: New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings
- Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
- Puck drop: 6:00 PM ET (22:00 UTC)
- Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
New Jersey enters at 2-2-0, while Detroit is 1-3-1 through five games. The records provide only a small early-season sample, so the scheduling circumstances may be more useful than the standings when evaluating this game. The matchup information and team statistics were current as of October 12, according to Deep Metric Analytics.
Matchup Breakdown
The Devils face the more demanding setup. They are on the second night of a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights. Detroit has had two days off, is not completing a back-to-back and remains at home. There is no major time-zone adjustment for New Jersey, but the difference in recovery time still gives the Red Wings a situational advantage.
Special teams could make the game difficult to handicap. New Jersey has opened the season with an approximately 22.2% power play, compared with Detroit at roughly 21.1%. Neither penalty kill has been convincing: the Devils are at approximately 63.6%, while the Red Wings are at 70.0%.
Those rates suggest that penalties could quickly change the game, although four or five games are not enough to treat any of these percentages as settled indicators. New Jersey owns the better record, but Detroit’s fresher legs and home setting offer a reasonable counterweight.
Goalies and Injury Watch
No starting goaltenders had been confirmed at the time of writing. New Jersey’s possible options are Jake Allen and Nico Daws. Allen has made three starts with a .896 save percentage and 2.65 goals-against average. Daws has one start, recording an .812 save percentage and 6.01 GAA.
Detroit can choose between John Gibson and Daniil Tarasov. Gibson has started four games, posting an .862 save percentage and 3.43 GAA. Tarasov has appeared as a starter once, producing a .974 save percentage and 0.66 GAA. Tarasov’s numbers are encouraging but come from only one start, making them especially difficult to project forward.
The injury report adds further uncertainty. For Detroit, J.T. Compher, Mason Appleton and Marco Kasper were listed on injured reserve, with Kasper considered week-to-week because of an upper-body injury. Dylan Larkin was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body issue. Andreas Englund and Jacob Bernard-Docker were also unavailable in the supplied reports. Those Detroit statuses can be reviewed through Covers and the CBS Sports game preview.
New Jersey’s reported absences include Connor Brown and Nick Bjugstad, while Stefan Noesen was recalled. Luke Evangelista was under the weather but potentially available, according to The Hockey Writers. Pregame updates are important, particularly for Larkin, Evangelista and the goaltending assignments.
Odds and Betting Considerations
Odds were checked at approximately 7:00 PM UTC on October 12, 2026, through AgentBets. DraftKings listed New Jersey at -105 on the moneyline, while FanDuel offered Detroit at -104. The pricing reflects a game with no clear market favorite across the cited books.
FanDuel listed Detroit +1.5 at -250, while BetRivers had New Jersey -1.5 at +230. The total was 5.5 goals, with BetRivers pricing the over at -127 and FanDuel offering the under at +112. Odds can move after lineup and goalie announcements.
Detroit +1.5 provides protection in a close game, but the -250 price requires a substantial premium and limits its appeal. The total also carries considerable uncertainty because neither starting goalie is confirmed, both penalty kills have struggled in the opening games, and the underlying samples are small.
Prediction
Prediction: Red Wings to win, with Detroit’s moneyline at -104 via FanDuel the preferred lean at the cited price.
The primary case for Detroit is situational. The Red Wings have two days of rest and home ice, while the Devils are completing a back-to-back and playing for the third time in four nights. In what the available prices portray as a near-even matchup, that recovery advantage is enough to tip the assessment toward Detroit.
The main uncertainty is Detroit’s lineup. A Larkin absence would remove an important part of the Red Wings’ attack, while the confirmed goalie could materially alter the outlook. New Jersey also has the better early record and could exploit Detroit’s 70.0% penalty kill. The pick is Detroit in a close game, but it should be reconsidered if the pregame injury report worsens or the moneyline moves significantly away from the checked price.
