Derek Lalonde fires back at Vegas oddsmakers

We've officially reached crunch time in the NHL scheduling, and as of right now, the Detroit Red Wings enjoy a four-point cushion in the standings between them and the New Jersey Devils for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they're only a single point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning with a pair of games in hand. 

But apparently, the Vegas oddsmakers aren't exactly being kind to the Red Wings when it comes to their chances of breaking their playoff drought. And head coach Derek Lalonde doesn't appreciate it.

“There’s still projections out there that people send me that we’re a low 20 percent chance; some teams chasing us are 67 percent chance of making it,” Lalonde said. “I get it with these projections and AI and all that, but that’s why you just shut things off. Live in the moment and if we are going to stay in this battle and be fortunate enough to be there in the end, it’s going to be what we do.”

“It’s not good,” he said when asked about the latest odds. “Today’s betting, I’m not a gambler, but you go to the NHL schedule, and they have the odds and Vegas hates us. So, I hope they’ve lost a lot of money on us." 

But the stats have been favorable to the Red Wings this season, as they've won more games they've entered as an underdog than any other NHL team. 

“Someone gave me a stat – we’ve won more games as a Vegas underdog than anyone in the league this year by a large margin. So, keep the secret. Maybe it motivates our guys. We were road underdogs, big dogs in Calgary (5-0 victory Saturday) and Seattle (4-3 overtime win Monday). That’s fine. I think it says something about the group. There’s a quiet confidence in that room. We got to continue to do it right.”

Meanwhile, Lalonde stated that the outside noise is the reason why he isn't active on any social media platform. 

“Live in the moment with it,” he said. “Day to day. We shut the noise off. I don’t do social media for a reason. I hope our guys are the same. I’m sure the two straight losses (to Edmonton and Vancouver last week), it (the playoff race) was over for some fans, and then the two straight wins it’s already a lock buying playoff tickets. We can’t operate like that. This is going to be extremely difficult. It’s more a credit to our division and our conference.”

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