WGD: Game 56: Red Wings vs. Blackhawks
By Cameron Kuom
5 years agoOnce a fierce original-6 rivalry, the Red Wings and Blackhawks days of NHL dominance are long gone. The rivalry has faded after since the Wings moved to the Eastern Conference. Nevertheless, beating the Blackhawks is always a good feeling.
The task at hand for this matinée match-up will be challenging however. Chicago is red-hot, currently riding a six game winning streak. Patrick Kane has been a man possessed with 29 points over a 13 game point streak. In fact, over Kane’s 54 games played this season he has only been held off the score-sheet 9 times. As the Blackhawks slowly creep back into the playoff picture, you have to think Kane is making a strong case for league MVP. He’ll be a tough match-up as always for Detroit’s defense.
THE RED WINGS
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 NIKLAS KRONWALL |  MIKE GREEN |
 DAN DEKEYSER |  NICK JENSEN |
 JONATHAN ERICSSON |  DENNIS CHOLOWSKI |
No lineup changes from last game. Jeff Blashill continues his approach of spreading the offense with Anthony Mantha manning the second line and Andreas Athanasiou on the third line.
The one down side to this is Detroit lacks the depth to bring up other players to the top-6. Justin Abdlekader is not a first line winger I can tell you that.
The Blackhawks
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 DRAKE CAGGIULA |  JONATHAN TOEWS |  PATRICK KANE |
 ALEX DEBRINCAT |  DYLAN STROME |  DOMINIK KAHUN |
 BRANDON SAAD |  ARTEM ANISIMOV |  BRENDAN PERLINI |
 CHRIS KUNITZ |  MARCUS KRUGER |  JOHN HAYDEN |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 DUNCAN KEITH |  BRENT SEABROOK |
 SLATER KOEKKOEK |  CONNOR MURPHY |
 GUSTAV FORSLING |  ERIK GUSTAFSSON |
After since dealing away Nick Schmaltz to Arizona for Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini, Chicago has managed to find depth scoring. Strome has been a nice fit since coming to the Windy City, pairing nicely with Alex DeBrincat, who can score goals at will.
The defense is another story. This has to be one of the worst groups in the league. They are old, slow, and lacking chemistry. This game could very well be a track meet just because of the putrid defensive corps both teams boast
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Jonathan Bernier vs. Collin Delia
On the second half of a back-to-back, Jonathan Bernier gets the start while his counterpart Jimmy Howard gets some rest from the night before.
Delia is expected to be in net for the Blackhawks. Delia has been a great story this year, posting a .923 save percentage in 12 games this season.
HOW TO WATCH
Today’s game is an afternoon start at 3:00 P.M. EST. You’ll be able to watch the game on Fox Sports Detroit or NBCSCH if you’re watching from Chicago.
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