In hoping to win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in 12 seasons and to lift the spirits of an especially economically depressed area, Detroit’s tough Game 7 victory over Anaheim sets up an Original Six matchup against the well-rested Chicago squad in the conference finals beginning today at the Motor City’s Joe Louis Arena.
The series will be a rematch of the last time the Blackhawks reached the third round in 1995, when the Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup finals four games to one.
The Hawks were 2-2-2 during the regular season against their Central Division rivals including home-and-away victories over the final weekend. But the reigning NHL champions will have a lot of talent on both ends of the ice, led by Nicklas Lidstrom and a mighty Red Wing attack including Jiri Hudler who did the most damage with four goals and five assists in six games, while Johan Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk each scored three times and then there is the always dangerous forward Henrik Zetterberg
Detroit, who will have home-ice advantage in the series, outscored (23-20) and outshot (216-195) Chicago in the regular season and were especially adept on the power play with eight goals in 24 opportunities (33.3 percent).
After losing the first four games to Detroit (two in shootouts), the Hawks’ triumphs in the final two contests should give them some confidence against the defending champions.
Chicago is led by young forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, its top draft picks in 2006 and 2007, 28-year-old forward Martin Havlat, defenseman Brian Campbell and 36-year-old goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Kane will certainly give Chris Osgood all he can handle at the net.
There is a lot of history, animosity, passion involving both organizations and there are only 4 teams left with 26 franchises watching at home, so it has a lot of meaning. With the long-standing rivalry between the teams (this is their 15th playoff matchup!) it should be one of high intensity reaching a fever pitch, on the ice and in the stands.
Schedule- (Eastern Time)
Sunday, May 17: Chicago at Detroit, 3 p.m., NBC
Tuesday, May 19: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., Versus
Friday, May 22: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., Versus, CBC
Sunday, May 24: Detroit at Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC, CBC
Wednesday, May 27: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus, CBC
Saturday, May 30: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., if necessary, Versus, CBC
Monday, June 1: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus, CBC
Regular Season Records
Detroit: 51-21-10 (112 points, 1st in Central, 2nd in West)
Chicago: 46-24-12 (104 points, 2nd in Central, 4th in West)
Season series
(Detroit won 4-2)
Oct. 25: Detroit 6 @ Chicago 5 (SO)
Dec. 5: Chicago 4 @ Detroit 5 (SO)
Dec. 30: Chicago 0 @ Detroit 4
Jan. 1: Detroit 6 @ Chicago 4
April 11: Chicago 4 @ Detroit 2
April 12: Detroit 0 @ Chicago 3
Playoff history
(Chicago leads 8-6)
1934: Chicago won F 3-1
1941: Detroit won SF 2-0
1944: Chicago won SF 4-1
1961: Chicago won F 4-2
1963: Detroit won SF 4-2
1964: Detroit won SF 4-3
1965: Chicago won SF 4-3
1966: Detroit won SF 4-2
1970: Chicago won QF 4-0
1985: Chicago won DSF 3-0
1987: Detroit won DSF 4-0
1989: Chicago won DSF 4-2
1992: Chicago won DF 4-0
1995: Detroit won CF 4-1
Stanley Cups
Detroit: 11 (1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)
Chicago: 3 (1934, 1938, 1961)
should be a racous, rambunctious, riotous series- go detroit!
Blackhawks mix of youth and a vet netminder will carry them into the Stanley Cup
too much muscle, too much experience- Detroit takes it in 5.
Despite Kane and Campbell, Osgood is too good in the net for Detroit to lose this series. Red Wings in 5.
Hello all you bloggers there in Detroit who have chimed in here, it is gonna be a great day down here in Chicago as we celebrate taking game 1 on your ice.
Hey Jackson from Chicago, you’re goin’ down. Wings win easy.
Blackhawks with their young talent will be on the playoff scene for awhile , but this will be an early test for them no doubt.
I see a Pittsburgh-Chicago Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks taking the title.
Although Chicago took two games from Detroit in the regular season you have to remember that it was the last two games of the season in which Detroit couldn’t catch san jose and couldn’t be caught by Vancouver making the games meaningless and clearly games in which they didn’t put in their best efforts although the line ups weren’t changed much.
However, Chicago has shown some grit and spunk this postseason in beating the Flames and Canucks, yet Detroit is a different kind of test all together.
I would say the Blackhawks would get lucky to win 2 or more games off of the Wings haven’t even gotten all cynlinders going so far in these playoffs. If Datsyuk shows up in the next few games it most likely will mean lights out for the young Hawks.
But the best thing about the playoffs is it is the place where anything can happen.
No one knows, but either way, it should be a very entertaining series of hockey.
Detroit takes game one in what looks to be a Red Wing entry into the Finals, say in about 5 games.
No doubt the defending champions will be tough to beat, but as you pointed out ‘anything can happen’. There are no easy skates in the conference finals.
winning 4 out of 5 will be a tall order for Chicago against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Chicago has cut the deficit in half. Game by game focus.