San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/16/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, January 16, 2026

Venue:  Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch:  NHL Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Sharks +200, Red Wings -245; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Sharks +200, Red Wings -250; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Sharks +195, Red Wings -250; Over/Under:  6 goals

San Jose Sharks:  23-19-3 (4th place, Pacific Division)

Detroit Red Wings:  28-16-4 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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San Jose Sharks:  6-4-0 last 10

Detroit Red Wings:  6-3-1 last 10

The Sharks are entering this game with 49 points, a 23-19-3 record overall, and they are 10-10-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game, losing that one at home 7-2, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Washington Capitals still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Golden Knights, Alex Wennberg and Collin Graf each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jeff Skinner, Timothy Liljegren, and Tyler Toffoli each led the team in assists with 1 while Jeff Skinner, Adam Gaudette, and William Eklund each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Yaroslav Askarov was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 6 goals on 32 shots with 26 saves and a .813 save percentage. Their offense has scored 143 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 162 goals against them allowing 3.6 goals per game.

The Red Wings are entering this game with 60 points, a 28-16-4 record overall, and they are 16-8-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Boston Bruins in their last game, losing that one on the road 3-0. No one on the team scored a goal or recorded an assist for them in that one as they were shut out. Andrew Copp led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Cam Talbot was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 40 shots with 38 saves and a .950 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 149 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 148 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Red Wings listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Wings have looked really good in their games this season with their 28-16-4 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 16-8-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Sharks have looked good in their games this season with their 23-19-3 record overall which has them in the top half of their division in the West. They haven't been a great road team though with their 10-10-0 road record this year. The Sharks have looked really good lately as they are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games and they have improved a lot from being one of the worst teams in the NHL over the last few years. They are currently fighting for a Wild Card spot in the West, but this is still a team with a lot of issues and has been giving up a ton of goals all season. They have been able to beat up on a lot of bad opponents this year, but they haven't been that competitive in some of their games against top opponents. They aren't going to be in a great situation here either, playing this game on the road on a back-to-back, and they don't have an easy game against the Capitals on Thursday night either. The Red Wings have looked like a completely different team on home ice this season and they will be looking to bounce back after getting shut out by the Bruins in their last one. They are still 6-3-1 in their last 10 games too, so look for the Red Wings to take advantage of an inferior team on a back-to-back here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Wings to win this game and on the puckline. 

Sharks Red Wings Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, January 16, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Red Wings 5 Sharks 2.

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San Jose Sharks: 62-146 (-29.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 36-67 (-12.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 14-59 (-32.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 25-18 UNDER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%).

Detroit Red Wings: 108-104 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 61-45 (+10.7 units) on the moneyline in home games. 49-51 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 34-20 UNDER against poor starting goalies - saving 89.5% of shots against or less.

San Jose Sharks:  W. Smith (C) Day To Day - Upper-Body S. Mukhamadullin (D) Out - Upper Body. P. Kurashev (C) Out - Upper Body. V. Desharnais (D) Out - Upper-Body. T. Dellandrea (C) Out - Lower Body.

Detroit Red Wings:  None.

"Go up and down the list. They're big, they're long, they can skate, they play with structure, they're an experienced team that's won. They know what winning looks like." - Ryan Warsofsky after his team’s loss against the Golden Knights in their game on Sunday.

“He played really good, especially early. You get in late, you’ve got to find your legs quick against a heavy forechecking team, and it took us five, seven minutes, but after that we established our forecheck and it was a pretty evenly played game, but the third period went their way.” - Todd McLellan after his team’s loss against the Bruins in their game on Tuesday.

LW William Eklund

C Macklin Celebrini

RW Igor Chernyshov

LD Dmitry Orlov

RD Timothy Liljegren

G Alex Nedeljkovic

LW James van Riemsdyk

C Dylan Larkin

RW Lucas Raymond

LD Simon Edvinsson

RD Moritz Seider

G John Gibson

Points: Macklin Celebrini (70)

Goals: Macklin Celebrini (24)

Assists: Macklin Celebrini (46)

GAA: Alex Nedeljkovic (3.12)

Points: Lucas Raymond (49)

Goals: Alex DeBrincat (24)

Assists: Lucas Raymond (35)

GAA: John Gibson (2.75)

Coaches:

San Jose Sharks: Ryan Warsofsky (2nd season)

Detroit Red Wings: Todd McLellan (2nd season)