WGD: Game 61: Red Wings vs. Blackhawks
By Nick Seguin
5 years agoThe Red Wings are back in action tonight for game 61 of their season. At this point, this team is far out of the playoffs and talk of their season has shifted to the looming trade deadline, asset development, and what the offseason is going to look like. The players still have to play, though.
Tonight, they are hosting the Chicago Blackhawks for the second and final game these two will play against each other this year. The last match-up was a mere 10 days ago and the Hawks downed the Wings by a score of 5-2. Wins are very important to Chicago right now as they make an impressive push for the playoffs from the basement of the league. In their last 25 games, the Blackhawks are 25-7-3. They’re currently a single point out of a wild card spot and the only thing standing in their way is the Detroit Red Wings.
THE RED WINGS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Tyler Bertuzzi Rating: 74.6#42 LW |  Dylan Larkin Rating: 78.6#29 C |  Anthony Mantha Rating: 75.4#38 RW |
 Thomas Vanek Rating: 73.2#59 LW |  Frans Nielsen Rating: 72.7#96 C |  Gustav Nyquist Rating: 74.9#53 RW |
 Darren Helm Rating: 70.8#149 LW |  Luke Glendening Rating: 71.0#141 C |  Andreas Athanasiou Rating: 77.3#37 RW |
 Justin Abdelkader Rating: 70.1#119 LW |  Jacob De La Rose Rating: 68.9#175 C |  Michael Rasmussen Rating: 71.1#139 RW |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Niklas Kronwall Rating: 72.2#71 LD |  Mike Green Rating: 75.1#28 RD |
 Dan DeKeyser Rating: 72.3#68 LD |  Nick Jensen Rating: 72.9#53 RD |
 Trevor Daley Rating: 69.5#120 LD |  Filip Hronek Rating: 73.1#49 RD |
For the first time all season, the Red Wings have a fully healthy roster. Jonathan Ericsson will sit for the second game in a row as Filip Hronek slides onto the bottom-pair and will get the chance to quarterback his very own power play unit. This is a great chance for the young D-man to prove himself at the NHL level.
As far as forwards go, I really like the top line, but I don’t like how Andreas Athanasiou has been relegated to the third line with Helm and Glendening. Athanasiou is so talented and, if given players who can keep up with him, he can do so much more damage. But Blashill is in a tough spot because if he puts AA with Nielsen and Nyquist, that third line becomes even uglier. There’s something to be said for spreading talent out, but it’s also one of the reasons Athanasiou isn’t producing as much as the other young players.
This could also be Michael Rasmussen’s last game this season with the Red Wings. There has been talk this week that the team will send him down to the WHL so that he can participate in the AHL playoffs.
THE BLACKHAWKS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Drake Caggiula Rating: 70.9#110 LW |  Jonathan Toews Rating: 78.4#30 C |  Patrick Kane Rating: 84.4#3 RW |
 Alex DeBrincat Rating: 79.3#11 LW |  Dylan Strome Rating: 73.3#81 C |  Dominik Kahun Rating: 73.4#78 RW |
 Brandon Saad Rating: 74.8#41 LW |  Artem Anisimov Rating: 71.3#135 C |  Dylan Sikura Rating: 73.4#55 RW |
 Brendan Perlini Rating: 69.3#130 LW |  Marcus Kruger Rating: 69.3#172 C |  John Hayden Rating: 69.0#125 RW |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Duncan Keith Rating: 73.2#53 LD |  Erik Gustafsson Rating: 75.7#26 RD |
 Gustav Forsling Rating: 70.1#115 LD |  Slater Koekkoek Rating: 70.1#95 RD |
 Carl Dahlstrom Rating: 70.8#106 LD |  Connor Murphy Rating: 70.5#91 RD |
These Blackhawks have been on fire lately. In their last 25 games, Patrick Kane is leading the charge with 21 goals and 52 points while Jonathan Toews has contributed 12 goals and 30 points. They are not the most dangerous part of this lineup, though. The last time these two teams played, that second line absolutely devastated the Red Wings, contributing a combined nine points. Alex DeBrincat in particular has been fantastic.
Their blue line isn’t much to write home about, but with the way their offense is producing, their defense can afford to slack off a little bit. Maybe it’s something the Red Wings can take advantage of.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Jimmy Howard vs. Cam Ward
Howie gets the nod tonight for the Wings and Cam Ward (lol) will go for the Hawks.
This is a good chance for the Red Wings to flex their offensive muscles. Ward has an .895 save percentage and 13-9-4 record.
HOW TO WATCH
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on NBCSN, so once again no Ken and Mickey on the call. Puck drop is 7:30 P.M. ET from Little Caesars Arena.
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