Wings, Hawks, No Datsyuk
February 22nd 2012 00:36
Hockey Battle Preview #006
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Detroit Red Wings (41-17-2) @ Chicago Blackhawks (32-21-7)
Location: Chicago, IL, United Center
Last 10 Games:
Detroit Red Wings 8-1-1
Chicago Blackhawks 3-6-1
Season Series: The season series has been extremely tight, all 3 games have finished 3-2, with 2 of the games heading to overtime. Chicago was lucky enough to beat the Wings in the first meeting in regulation but that that has been the only win they can mustard up against the league leading Red Wings. Detroit has managed 2 overtime victories in its last 2 games against the Blackhawks with Todd Bertuzzi and Pavel Datsyuk being the overtime heroes. Todd Bertuzzi got the OT Winner in the last one at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, his heroics in that game gave Detroit its 14th consecutive home victory, their streak is now up to 23 and we will have to wait till Thursday for them to put it on the line against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Story: While Detroit was rattling off a record home streak the Chicago Blackhawks were absolutely plummeting in the west, they had lost 9 games in a row and had look to be heading out of the playoff picture. They caught themselves after coach Joel Quenneville told them to play with more "swagger". The 'hawks have been playing with much more swagger as of late, rattling off 3 wins in a row. Detroit may be in tough tonight, as their road record hasn't been as stellar as their home record this season. 15-15-1 is hardly what the Wings expect it to be at, and with the Blackhawks being the 3rd most successful home team in the NHL expect nothing else but a classic in this Original 6 Central Division match-up.
Red Wings: A couple questions need to be answered tonight by the league leaders, first and foremost how will they respond being on the road. The Wings have only lost 1 game in regulation in their last 10 going 8-1-1, however majority of those games have been at home, however those home wins may jump start the Red Wings to a greater road record, we shall have to wait and see.
Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have to still be under question, after losing 9 in a row 3 wins doesn't get you anywhere. However it is a start, and they are headed in the right direction. Play from their Norris Trophy winning Defensemen, Duncan Keith, has improved lately, hes a 6 in his last 4 games including 4 points. He has to be a leader on the team, and he has to lead on the ice. During their 9 game losing streak Duncan Keith was an atrocious -9 with only 2 points. If the Hawks are gonna be good, it's gotta start on the back end, including their goaltending.
Goaltending for the Blackhawks has been an issue since arguably since Nikolai Khabibulin left Chicago after 2008-09. They thought they had the right piece with Anti Niemi, however after winning the cup he decided to get a pay raise with San Jose, hes now warming their bench. Crawford has struggled since Christmas, he is averaging .898 SV% since then, however in his last 3 games he has shown he may have his confidence back. Winning 3 games in 3 nights including a road win over the Eastern Conference Leaders, the New York Rangers has been a nice step in the right direction.
Who's on Fire: The only player that is really on fire in tonights game is Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg has 11 points in his last 8 games including 7 assists in that stretch. Duncan Keith would be worth mentioning if his /- was a little better, but in the past 2 games he is a 7 with 2 points, we will see if he can get back on the scoreboard tonight.
Injury Report: The biggest injury has to be the absence of Pavel Datsyuk, he had knee surgery today which was successful, however he will miss 2-3 weeks. Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador have both been out since Feb. 10 with upper-body injuries.
The Prediction: Expecting a big night from the Blackhawks infront of their own fans. If this game was at the Joe I would be predicting a much different outcome, however I don't see the Wings getting past the absence of their star forward and having a sub .500 record on the road this season, Hawks win 4-2.
Don't forget to follow me on twitter @HockeyBattle and feel free to post comments and questions below.. Whats your prediction tonight?
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Detroit Red Wings (41-17-2) @ Chicago Blackhawks (32-21-7)
Location: Chicago, IL, United Center
Last 10 Games:
Detroit Red Wings 8-1-1
Chicago Blackhawks 3-6-1
Season Series: The season series has been extremely tight, all 3 games have finished 3-2, with 2 of the games heading to overtime. Chicago was lucky enough to beat the Wings in the first meeting in regulation but that that has been the only win they can mustard up against the league leading Red Wings. Detroit has managed 2 overtime victories in its last 2 games against the Blackhawks with Todd Bertuzzi and Pavel Datsyuk being the overtime heroes. Todd Bertuzzi got the OT Winner in the last one at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, his heroics in that game gave Detroit its 14th consecutive home victory, their streak is now up to 23 and we will have to wait till Thursday for them to put it on the line against the Vancouver Canucks.
Datsyuk will be out 2-3 weeks after having succesful knee surgery today.
The Story: While Detroit was rattling off a record home streak the Chicago Blackhawks were absolutely plummeting in the west, they had lost 9 games in a row and had look to be heading out of the playoff picture. They caught themselves after coach Joel Quenneville told them to play with more "swagger". The 'hawks have been playing with much more swagger as of late, rattling off 3 wins in a row. Detroit may be in tough tonight, as their road record hasn't been as stellar as their home record this season. 15-15-1 is hardly what the Wings expect it to be at, and with the Blackhawks being the 3rd most successful home team in the NHL expect nothing else but a classic in this Original 6 Central Division match-up.
Red Wings: A couple questions need to be answered tonight by the league leaders, first and foremost how will they respond being on the road. The Wings have only lost 1 game in regulation in their last 10 going 8-1-1, however majority of those games have been at home, however those home wins may jump start the Red Wings to a greater road record, we shall have to wait and see.
Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have to still be under question, after losing 9 in a row 3 wins doesn't get you anywhere. However it is a start, and they are headed in the right direction. Play from their Norris Trophy winning Defensemen, Duncan Keith, has improved lately, hes a 6 in his last 4 games including 4 points. He has to be a leader on the team, and he has to lead on the ice. During their 9 game losing streak Duncan Keith was an atrocious -9 with only 2 points. If the Hawks are gonna be good, it's gotta start on the back end, including their goaltending.
Goaltending for the Blackhawks has been an issue since arguably since Nikolai Khabibulin left Chicago after 2008-09. They thought they had the right piece with Anti Niemi, however after winning the cup he decided to get a pay raise with San Jose, hes now warming their bench. Crawford has struggled since Christmas, he is averaging .898 SV% since then, however in his last 3 games he has shown he may have his confidence back. Winning 3 games in 3 nights including a road win over the Eastern Conference Leaders, the New York Rangers has been a nice step in the right direction.
Who's on Fire: The only player that is really on fire in tonights game is Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg has 11 points in his last 8 games including 7 assists in that stretch. Duncan Keith would be worth mentioning if his /- was a little better, but in the past 2 games he is a 7 with 2 points, we will see if he can get back on the scoreboard tonight.
Injury Report: The biggest injury has to be the absence of Pavel Datsyuk, he had knee surgery today which was successful, however he will miss 2-3 weeks. Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador have both been out since Feb. 10 with upper-body injuries.
The Prediction: Expecting a big night from the Blackhawks infront of their own fans. If this game was at the Joe I would be predicting a much different outcome, however I don't see the Wings getting past the absence of their star forward and having a sub .500 record on the road this season, Hawks win 4-2.
Don't forget to follow me on twitter @HockeyBattle and feel free to post comments and questions below.. Whats your prediction tonight?
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