Detroit Sports Nation

Western Conference Semi Finals Game 3: Blackhawks at Red Wings

Brett D'Angelo — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:35:46 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings were able to use a dominating performance in game two of the Western Conference Semi Finals to even up the best of seven series at one game a piece. The series now shifts back to Detroit with the Red Wings in control of home ice advantage. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Matchup: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings Venue: Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, MI Time: 7:30 PM EST Television: National- NBC Sports Network; CBC Series: Tied 1-1 After was was most likely the Red Wings worst game of the playoffs in game one it was easy to write off the Red Wings as good as dead in this series. That was not true though, as the Red Wings were able to storm back and dominate game two from the second period on against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday afternoon. The win allowed the Red Wings to game home ice advantage with three of the next five games at Joe Louis Arena. Though the Red Wings dominated most of the game Saturday, it was the Blackhawks who once again were able to record the games first goal after Patrick Kane was able to record his first goal of the playoffs. That was all the offense that Chicago could muster though as they were only able to record 20 shots on net the entire game, similar to what the Red Wings did in game one. The Red Wings were able to tie the game early in the second period when Damien Brunner was able to tip in a shot from Jakub Kindl. From there, the Red Wings took control of the game and did not look back. They were able to take the lead late in the second period when Brendan Smith recorded his second goal of the playoffs on a two on one play, a goal that would be the eventual game winner. The big story of the second period was the Red Wings limiting the Blackhawks to only 5 shots on net in the period due to the smothering forechecking and defense. The third period did not fare much better for the Blackhawks as they were only able to fire 7 shots on net to the Red Wings 10. The Red Wings were able to connect for their third goal of the game when Johan Franzen was able to sneak behind the defense and recieve a perfect pass from Jonathan Ericsson to shoot the puck top shelf over Corey Crawford's shoulder. The Red Wings put the nail in the coffin mid way through the third when Valtteri Filppula broke in with his second goal of the playoffs. The biggest problem for the Red Wings in game two, that was a problem for the Wild as well, was the ability to score on the powerplay once again. The Blackhawks remained perfect on the penalty kill in the playoffs and if the Red Wings are able to break that streak in game three, it could hurt the confidence, though maybe only slightly, of the Blackhawks penalty killing unit. The win on Saturday was the biggest of the playoffs thus far for the Red Wings. A loss would have put them into a 2-0 series hole that might have been impossible to dig themselves out of. They instead get to come home for two straight games with no pressure on themselves. The same can't be said about the Blackhawks though. After winning the President's Trophy in the regular season, and dominating the Minnesota Wild in round one, they are expected to make a deep run in the playoffs and many have picked them to win the Stanley Cup. With Detroit earning the split in Chicago, the Blackhawks have the pressure on them to win game three and avoid going down 2-1 with another game to play in Detroit. The Red Wings will once again have the steady Jimmy Howard in net after a good rebound performance in game two. Howard stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced and did not let in a goal after the beginning of the first period. He will look to continue his strong starts in game three tonight in front of the home crowd at Joe Louis. It should help him being home after facing loud and unforgiving crowds in three consecutive games. The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford in net who was anything but stellar in game two. After a strong performance in game one where he gave up only one goal. In game two, Crawford gave up four goals on 30 shots. The four goals gave up in game two are the most Crawford has given up against the Red Wings this season and the loss was his first of the season against the Red Wings. Players To Watch: Detroit

Damien Brunner recorded his fourth goal of the playoffs and second in as many games this series in game two. It seems that Brunner has rediscovered the scoring touch that we saw in the beginning of the season which is good as he is a crucial part of the Red Wings depth on offense.
Henrik Zetterberg continues to play well as of late in the playoffs, recording two assists in game two. The Blackhawks are having a hard time containing him and if Detroit is able to win this series, Zetterberg will be a main reason why.

Chicago:

Viktor Stalburg was a healthy scratch in both games one and two for the Blackhawks, but the Blackhawks decided that they need some change after the game two debacle so Stalburg will be inserted into tonight's lineup to provide some more energy. Though not a game changer usually, Stalburg will be well rested and could pose some issues if the Red Wings fall asleep on him.
Patrick Kane was the lone goal scorer for Chicago in game two and it was his first goal of the playoffs. In order for the Blackhawks to continue on in these playoffs, Kane will need to get going and scoring in bunches like hes capable of.

Let us know if you are watching or going to the game and you will be entered into a drawing to win 200$ worth of tickets! RSVP here:http://tiqiq.us/Kuu -Brett D’Angelo

Detroit Red Wings Take Game 2, Win 4-1

Nathan Webb — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:39:48 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings take a multitude of things today; game 2 from the Blackhawks 4-1, home-ice advantage in the series, and the series lead from Chicago, tying it 1-1. Both teams came out in this game and looked to contain the other as much as possible, right from the get-go. The scoring [...]

Game 2: Red Wings at Blackhawks

Brett D'Angelo — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:01:21 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings came out sluggish in game one of the Western Conference Semis and were outplayed which ended up leading to a 4-1 loss and a 1-0 series deficit. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Matchup: Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks Venue: United Center; Chicago, IL Time: 1:00 PM EST Television: National- NBC; CBC Series: Chicago leads 1-0 The Red Wings will look to even up their series when they are back in the raucous United Center for game two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. After a poor display of offense in game one, the Red Wings will look to get more shots on the net and create more quality scoring chances. They will also need to limit Chicago's shots on net as Chicago was able to fire at will in game one racking up 42 shots, 21 more than the Red Wings were able to get. The Red Wings were not able to register more than 9 shots in any period and Chicago had nearly as many shots in the third period, 19, as the Red Wings had the entire game. The first period was the most even period of the game, as both teams were getting a feel for the opponents game plans. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to strike first when Marian Hossa was able to fire a slap shot in the back of the net for a powerplay goal. The Blackhawks lead did not last long though, as Damien Brunner was able to poke in a rebound less than three minutes after the Blackhawks took the lead. No more goals were scored in the period, though Chicago had multiple opportunities, and the period ended in a 1-1 tie. Chicago increased the pressure in the second period firing 17 shots on Jimmy Howard, but Howard was able to come up big and stop all 17 shots to keep the score tied at one after two periods. The third period could not have gone much worse for the Red Wings as they were terribly outplayed the entire period. Things really went downhill when Johnny Oduya was able to get wide open in the slot and fire a wrist shot past Howard to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. The Blackhawks were able to extend that lead just over three minutes later when Howard tried to dig the puck from the back of the net and got turned around leading to a goal by Marcus Kruger. Patrick Sharp added an empty net goal with 50 seconds remaining to give the Blackhawks the final lead of 4-1. There were not many positives to take from game one heading into game two. The Red Wings looked much slower than the Blackhawks and that was to be expected with all of the travel they did in the past week. The extra day off between the games should help the Red Wings recover some and be able to keep up a little better in game two. The best thing the Red Wings were able to do is limit the Blackhawks to only one powerplay goal, though they only had four chances. The Red Wings were not able to connect on the powerplay as the Blackhawks killed off all of the Red Wings chances to remain perfect in the playoffs. The Red Wings will need to change that if they are to put any pressure on the Blackhawks in game two or in the series. The Red Wings will continue to ride Jimmy Howard in net, even after the 4-1 loss in game one. Howard was the sole reason that the game did not get more out of hand. Howard made big save after big save and kept the Red Wings in the game until the third period where the offense, and mostly the defense, failed him. It was Howard's fifth loss to the Blackhawks this season and he is still in search of the elusive number one win against them this year. The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford who was once again brilliant in net for Chicago for the sixth time these playoffs. Once again, the Red Wings failed to conjure any offense against Crawford as the most goals he has given up this season in five games against the Red Wings is two. The Red Wings NEED to get the offense going against Crawford to have any chance at all. Players To Watch: Detroit

Jimmy Howard will need to have a strong bounce back game, though it will be difficult for him to play much better than he did in game one. If he is able to come out as strong as he did in game one, he offers the Red Wings a chance to steal game two and head back to Detroit with the series tied.
Niklas Kronwall needs to step up and be the leader for the defense which was nearly non existent in game one. He is not only the leader of a young defense, but also an assistant captain for the entire team, so he, and the other captains, need to make their voices heard and be leaders in game two.

Chicago

Patrick Sharp added his team leading sixth goal of the playoffs with the empty net goal to seal the victory, but also assisted on two of the Blackhawks other goals. He continues his strong play this post season and will most likely continue to do so as this series goes on.
Marian Hossa recorded his fourth goal of the playoffs in game one to give Chicago the early lead. The former Red Wings forward has been solid the entire playoffs and will need to be contained if the Red Wings are to take game two or the series. Hossa continues to have the ability to score at will and is one of the best offensive threats for Chicago.

Nicklas Lidstrom, We Miss You.

Jeff Bilbrey — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:37:21 +0000

I remember when I first saw that laser of a slapshot that he had, I thought it was the fastest that I've ever seen.

Such a pure hockey player. We miss you Nick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy2aeLaOshQ

Detroit Red Wings | Wings “Rebuilding On The Fly” To Adapt In Today’s NHL

Jeff Deacon — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:23:58 +0000

May 18, 2013 DETROIT, Michigan --- Gone are the days of dynasties. Gone are the days of luring high profile free agents to join your club or team. This, is the new NHL. The Detroit Red Wings have gone through more change this season than this generation of Wings fans has ever seen. With the retirement of defenseman Nick Lidstrom last summer, the final piece from the dynasty known as the late 90's-00's Red Wings was calling it quits. Ever since the 2004-05 lockout, the NHL has put a salary cap on teams, effectively ending the crazy spending some teams were (and weren't) doing up until then. What this did was create more parity throughout the league since teams had a certain range that they were allowed to spend on their rosters. Teams such as the 2001-02 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings which had players like Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Dominik Hasek, Sergei Federov, Lidstrom, Brett Hull, Igor Larionov and Chris Chelios, would never have been able to stay under the cap. In my opinion, this team, one of the best rosters ever assembled, aided the NHL in realizing it needed to change. Teams like this will never be seen again, as long as Gary and the owners have their way. GM Ken Holland referred to the drastic changes in Detroit the past few seasons as "rebuilding on the fly". For many teams in the NHL today, rebuilding essentially means that you trade away your players that have the biggest trade stock for top prospects in the minor leagues, and future draft picks. It's a minimum 3-5 year process, as those prospects and picks need time to develop to the NHL game. They also must be surrounded with the right core of veterans to show them the way, all the while their teams must adhere to the salary cap restrictions. Most rebuilding teams spend years at the bottom of the standings. Just look at the Edmonton Oilers the past 5 years or so. In the NHL today, you absolutely must build off the draft. All of a sudden the Red Wings, who have a history of trading away draft picks in return for top players, find themselves needing to change. We saw this in particularly during the trade deadline this year, when Ken Holland elected to save Detroit's draft picks, even when fans wanted the Wings to add a top scorer or veteran defenseman. It was a move for the future. Holland realized the teams that have drafted well over the past 4 or 5 years are seeing tremendous results today. Take for example, the Red Wings 1st round opponent, the Anaheim Ducks. The trio of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan were all Anaheim picks and have now blossomed into huge stars. Now, Kyle Palmeri, Emerson Etem, and Cam Fowler are the next wave of Duck picks that will emerge into NHL stars. Also look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. By drafting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and further surrounding them with star players, they're now an annual Cup favorite. Now, let's look at the Red Wings current opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks. If there's a team that has used the draft more effectively than any other, it's Chicago. In a recent Fox Sports Detroit article, Red Wing senior VP Jim Devellano stated that "Chicago is good enough to win the Cup this year". [http://www.foxsportsdetroit.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/story/Devellano-tells-it-like-he-sees-it?blockID=903213&feedID=3706] Chicago was awful for quite a long time, but were collecting draft picks at the same time. Their terrible play finally paid off when they were able to draft Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in the 2006 and 2007 drafts. Once they had the core of Kane and Toews, they surrounded them with other top draft picks, such as Bryan Bickell, Corey Crawford, Brandon Saad, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nick leddy and Andrew Shaw. Add good trades, like the Patrick Sharp deal, and the signing of Marian Hossa, and you have a team that was built from the ground up that is the favorite to bring home a Stanley Cup. In the FSD article, Devellano points out that had there not been a salary cap, Hossa would probably still be a Detroit Red Wing.

“We have spoiled people rotten here. We really have. But if you (fans) really follow the league, really know what’s going on and know the rules, then you’ll understand what the Red Wings are doing. You will not have unrealistic expectations.” - Jim Devellano

For the Detroit Red Wings, "rebuilding on the fly" will mean collecting draft picks, while keeping their record breaking playoff streak alive. It's hard to find star players like Kane and Toews or Perry and Getzlaf without top 10 picks. Those are only reserved for teams who don't make the playoffs, something unheard of in Detroit. With a core of aging veterans like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, young players will be looked at to have a bigger role. The Red Wings will certainly be competitive for years to come, especially with the emergence of Nyquist, Brunner, Andersson and DeKeyser. But the dominance this generation of Wings fans has been accustomed to seeing will probably never be seen again.

Detroit Red Wings Drop Game 1 to Hawks 4-1

Nathan Webb — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:44:24 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings drop the Semifinal series opener 4-1 to the Blackhawks. With the opening game in the Red Wings and Blackhawks Semifinal series, everyone knew it was going to be a tightly-contested game. The first period was the perfect example. Even with high pressure in both ends, the scoring was opened [...]

Game 1: Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks

Brett D'Angelo — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:17:24 +0000

It took seven games, but the Detroit Red Wings were able to take down the second seeded Anaheim Ducks. The Red Wings now focus their attention to the top seeded team in the playoffs and long time rival, the Chicago Blackhawks. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Matchup: Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks Venue: United Center; Chicago, IL Time: 8:00 PM EST Television: National- NBC Sports Network; CBC Series: Tied 0-0 It's the playoff matchup that everybody wanted to see with the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference next season. The Red Wings and the Blackhawks have a history that goes back to the original six days and more recently has been renewed into a top rivalry in the game. The proximity of the cities to each other only enhances the rivalry as each city wants to stake claim to the top hockey city in the midwest, at least for this sseason. The Red Wings will have a chance to take the first step to making that claim when they head to the United Center in Chicago for game one of the Western Conference Semi Finals tonight. The Red Wings drew the unlucky card once again in the first round when they were matched up with Anaheim, forcing them to travel to Anaheim for a minimum two games in the opening round. The series ended up going the distance, forcing the Red Wings to travel to Anaheim for a total of four games. Add on top of that the fact that four of the seven games in the series went into overtime, and you have to assume that the Red Wings come into this series somewhat exhausted from a hard fought first round victory. The Blackhawks had the easier road in the first round, though they deserved it by winning the President's Trophy. They drew the number eight seeded Minnesota Wild, with travel no where near what the Red Wings had to endure, and were able to make easy work out of them in the opening round. Chicago was able to jump out to the 2-0 series lead, and despite losing game three in overtime, were able to dominate games four and five for the five game series victory. It has been nearly a week since the Blackhawks have played, so they should be well rested coming into this game. The amount of rest could be a weakness though as some teams get complacent after long rests, which the Red Wings should try and take advantage of right off the get go in tonight's game. The Red Wings will be turning to Jimmy Howard in net as they try to upset Stanley Cup minded Chicago. If Howard and the Red Wings are to beat the Blackhawks tonight and in this series, Howard will need to tighten up some aspects of his game, mostly rebounds. Howard must control the rebounds to not allow Chicago get shots on an open net. Howard has played well against the Blackhawks this season, though he has not earned any wins. He lost three of the four games in overtime, and his worst start was the four goals he gave up in 23 minutes in the 7-1 Easter Day debacle. Corey Emmerton will be replacing Mikael Samuelsson on the fourth line tonight after Samuelsson left practice early when he aggravated his pectoral muscle that gave him problems throughout the regular season. The Red Wings will also keep Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk on separate lines for the second consecutive game to increase depth. The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford in net. There is not much to say about Crawford's level of play this season and the first round besides spectacular. In the first round, Crawford only gave up seven goals in five games, with the most coming in a 3-2 overtime loss on May 5th. Crawford has been just as dominant against the Red Wings this season, going 4-0-0, while giving up only 1.19 goals per game. His career numbers against the Red Wings are not much worse as he has gone 11-2-0-2 with a 1.82 GAA and .943 save percentage. In order for the Red Wings to win this series, they will need to figure out how to get pucks past Crawford or else he alone could make this a short series. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was 2009 when the Red Wings dismantled the Blackhawks in five games. Back then, the Red Wings were well on their way to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals berth and Chicago was the young team learning the ropes of playoff life. This year the roles are reveresed. The Blackhawks are favorites to win the Stanley Cup along with Pittsburgh and the Red Wings are the team filled with youth who is trying to learn the playoff ropes as they go along. Either way, this has the makeup of what could be another great series, and possibly the bet of the playoffs. Players To Watch: Detroit:

Henrik Zetterberg was the main reason the Red Wings won game six and contributed largely in the game seven win over Anaheim. In order for the Red Wings to challenge the Blackhawks, they will need Zetterberg to come up big with goals and assists as well as solid defensive play as well.
Pavel Datsyuk will be another key player in this series as he is in every series. The Red Wings rely on his puck possession and his ability to easily take the puck away from opponents. He will also need to continue to contribute offensively for the Red Wings to keep up with Chicago's powerful offense.

Chicago:

Patrick Kane was held without a goal in the first round and Chicago was still able to score at will against Minnesota. It is only a matter of time until Kane gets his first goal of the playoffs and once he does, he could start scoring in bunches. The Red Wings will need to contain him as did they Anaheim's Corey Perry.
Another one of Chicago's best players, Jonathan Toews, was held without a goal in the first round, and he to possesses the capability of scoring in bunches once he finds the back of the net for the first time. Both Toews and Kane will be very active by the net looking for the first goals so they will be two players to keep a close eye on, let's just hope the Red Wings do to.

Let us know if you are watching or going to the game and you will be entered into a drawing to win 200$ worth of tickets! RSVP here:http://tiqiq.us/Kuu -Brett D'Angelo

Detroit Red Wings Youth Makes The Season A Success

Kyle Bauer — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:21:56 +0000

Welcome to a weekly column by Kyle Bauer on various happenings in national and local sports. Agree or disagree with the author? Please comment below or let him know your thoughts by email,kylebauerdsn@gmail.com or twitter, @kyle_bauer Entering the lockout abbreviated season, my attitude toward the Red Wings wasn't one of complacency as usual; I was concerned--deeply, deeply concerned. My criticism was built by GM (and routine target of my frustrations) Ken Holland leaving $12 million in salary cap space untouched over the past two seasons--with this, a seeming defiance to change and construct to conform with a new rapidly evolving league. We get the same stunting of prospects, the same retreading of veterans, the same undersized make-up, except now decreasing in speed and minus one all-time-great defenseman (Nick Lidstrom). I figured this would be the end of the 21 year playoff streak, finally there would be a bottoming out. After years of being at least in the top half of the overall league standings, the excuse to be stubborn and stagnant was finally over and an executive hand would hopefully be forced. Then the bastards went ahead and won their final four games of the regular season, clinching a playoff spot on the final day with a win in Dallas. The playoff streak remained, with it the illusion that 2008 really wasn't THAT long ago. Holland got over--not that he would've likely faced any consequence for missing the playoffs anyway. With the Wings getting hot at the right time, it didn't create the illusion as so much reinforce the reality; Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are still capable of carrying this franchise, they're still elite hockey players who can overpower with offensive and defensive skill despite being in their thirties and a long history of injury.

Red Wings Veterans

Datsyuk and Zetterberg ultimately provided the bailout for this enigmatic team. You wouldn't figure looking at the roster exiting camp that they would amount to much. Had it not been for injuries to Todd Bertuzzi, Mikeal Samuelsson, Carlo Colaiacovo, Drew Miller, Darren Helm and Dan Cleary throughout the year, the weaknesses of this roster might have been exposed. Oddly enough, it's been the young replacements to these injured vets that kept the Wings competitive when the two still thriving superstars actually felt their age and the weight of mortality through small stretches of the season. If it weren't for the effectiveness and energy of the young(er) Grand Rapids Griffins call-ups, I doubt the Wings would've qualified for the playoffs. Of course I don't know for sure but my assumption is--especially with how he's be CRAMMED into the line-up--that, Samuelsson, The Amazing Money-Pit On Skates, would've been floating around the ice conning this team out of $2 million. A man who clearly should be playing in Europe and would be if it weren't for Holland making what I'll argue as the worst signing of the salary cap era, would've been playing 15 minutes a night in what I imagine has to be some kind of strange black-mail situation between Holland and head coach Mike Babcock. In Samuelsson's absence --due to his inevitable groin-pulls and various assortment of knick-knack injuries-- emerged Tomas Tatar. The undersized yet strong skating Slovak made an emergency appearance in the line-up all the way back on New Years Eve 2010. It was his first NHL game at an uncommonly green age of 19, that a Helm wrist shot redirected off his stick for his first career goal, sending him into a jubilant and prideful celebration tugging on his winged-wheel. This was the westward breeze that needed to blow in, instead of the stagnant recirculated AC that Holland has been insistent on ventilating Joe Louis Arena with. While Tatar didn't stick with the big club for the 2013 playoffs, this season, he made his time in Detroit count, with 7 points in 16 games including getting major time on the power play first unit. He served as the framework for what was to come these playoffs. You could make a case that Bertuzzi or Samuelsson are playing in Tatar's place but to counter-act my own narrative, Gustav Nyquist seemed to have gotten the call in the playoff line-up, playing on his wing and his ice time. Nyquist only had two points in the first round series against Anaheim, but both points were on overtime goals, rescuing the Wings from Maple Leafs-esque collapse in game 2 and then setting up fellow rookie Damien Brunner with an emotional winner in the raucus game 4. His third line which includes Brunner--who had a quality 26 points in 44 games--is complimented by Joakim Andersson, who led all rookies in face-off wins during the first round of the playoffs.

Attrition

The Red Wings attrition hasn't hindered them, it forced them to change and has improved them. Now the question is, with Drew Miller due to come back from a broken hand within the next couple weeks, and the lingering possibility of Helm returning from his troubled back, what changes will Babcock be brave enough to make or not make? While the Ducks appeared susceptible entering this series, they're still a talented and physical group that should've beat the Wings on paper, yet they didn't. This Wings squad is fresh, hungry and you can throw whatever intangibles you want in there--this is a different team that isn't necessarily broken, why fix it at this point? While Bertuzzi has played some quality shifts and Samuelsson was able to score a soft goal, I think they've done more to slow the pluckiness of this young group. If any changes were to be made, I'd prefer Samuelsson out (then waived and deported) and Tatar in. If Darren Helm were to ever recover, I think he'd work better against the Blackhawks than current fourth-line center Corey Emmerton. If the Wings can develop a tangible edge, it won't be done with size or even raw skill, but speed that comes from youth. Tatar and Helm could add that attribute. Entering the playoffs my attitude toward the Wings wasn't complacency as usual; I was excited-- very, very excited. I never thought this was a Stanley Cup team, I thought this was a team that could win a series and they've done exactly that. Unfortunately I'm not expecting them to do more against Chicago. This was something we haven't seen in Detroit in 22 years though; a true transition year--though one that was certainly unplanned. The kids were forced into the line up and continued to brighten things when we all expected them to get much darker. Two superstars and an all-star goalie (Jimmy Howard) is a great base, but they're actually winning and building with youth this year.

Inevitable

Again, I'm expecting the Red Wings season to end against the Blackhawks in a short series. Unlike the previous three seasons where a tired and bloated squad failed to exceed round 2, simply making it past the first round is an accomplishment for this young core . It's fun being the underdog for once. It's fun watching a group of young players maturing rapidly before our eyes, especially knowing Danny Dekeyser will emerge through a full season next year and prospects Teemu Pulkkinen and Tatar are still stewing in Grand Rapids. FINALLY we've seen the future and it's brighter than I expected. For this reason, even if they go down in a sweep to Chicago, I am left feeling excited about the Red Wings future because I've finally been allowed to see one. Hopefully Holland will continue to build up this young core that accidentally got a chance and not revert back to (old) ways. Kyle Bauer is an award winning college sports broadcaster and former Sports Director of WXOU 88.3fm, freelance journalist and radio producer who has been published in The Macomb Daily, mlive.com, Oakland Post and MIPREPZONE.com, follow him on Twitter @kyle_bauer

The Chicago Blackhawks Are The Worst Team In The NHL

Nathan Webb — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:58:47 +0000

Being of stout mind and spirit, (and a native of the Detroit area/Michigan in general), we've all come to know and love that the Red Wings are, arguably, the best team in the NHL. Coming up tomorrow is the start of their Semi-final series against the Chicago Blackhawks. With so much hype surrounding the performance they had in the regular season, no one's taken a minute to really pick apart and digest the team as a whole, which really, isn't as great as everyone makes them out to be. Let's take a look at five of the reasons why the 'Hawks are the WORST team in the NHL.

Scroll through our gallery

[imagebrowser id=5]

Fluke streaks and fortuitous luck make not a great team. You need long-term consistency, a plethora of memorable legends and tales of success, and you need wide, devout base of fans to back you the entire way. Such is the story of the Red Wings, who have always had a rabid fan-base, even outshining and out-cheering teams in their own arenas, still to this day. Fans that hop on and off the wagon when their team is playing well or badly, respectively, are not supporting their team. They're supporting their own selfish egos by giving themselves something to talk about and feel good about. But once the success fades, so do the faces. On that note, with the 2nd round starting tomorrow night, I leave you with a resounding LET'S GO RED WINGS! -Nathan Webb

Round 2: Detroit Red Wings vs. Blackhawks

Brett D'Angelo — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:28:46 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings were able to dispatch the Anaheim Ducks in game seven to earn a trip to the Western Conference Semifinals against the President Trophy winning Chicago Blackhawks. [singlepic id=70 w=484 h=100 float=center] Western Conference Semifinals Matchup: Detroit Red Wings (7) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (1) Season Series: Chicago wins 4-0 Game 1: Detroit @ Chicago, Wed. May 15th 8:00PM, NBC Sports Network, CBC Game 2: Detroit @ Chicago, Sat. May 18th 1:00PM, NBC, CBC Game 3: Chicago @ Detroit, Mon. May 20th 7:30PM, NBC Sports Network, CBC Game 4: Chicago @ Detroit, Thur. May 23rd, 8:00PM, NBC Sports Network, CBC *Game 5: Detroit @ Chicago, Sat. May 25th, TBD, CBC *Game 6: Chicago @ Detroit, Mon. May 27th, TBD, CBC *Game 7: Detroit @ Chicago, Wed. May 29th, TBD, CBC *If necessary When we found out that the Red Wings were going to be in the playoffs for their final year of being in the Western Conference, many hoped that a Chicago and Detroit match up would happen since it would be the last chance at a playoff series unless the teams met in the finals. With the Red Wings taking care of Anaheim in seven games and the Blackhawks easily handling the Wild in five games, the matchup of the long time rivals is set with more on the line than ever. Chicago wants to prove that they are the elite team that they showed to be in the regular season while Detroit is looking to show that even with a relatively young team, they still have the ability to beat the best and make a deep playoff run. In order for each team to prove what they want to, one will have to escape this round to move on to the conference finals. Let's take a look at how the two teams matchup in this series. Forwards: Detroit has struggled at times to score goals and that was due mainly to the absence of Henrik Zetterberg on the score sheet in the first four games. He was able to reverse that trend though in the final three of the series as he recorded 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) to lead the Red Wings to game six and seven wins. The emergence of Zetterberg along with Pavel Datsyuk doing what he does, Justin Abdelkader's timely goals, and Johan Franzen having his usual playoff run have helped the Red Wings establish a solid top two lines of offense that can give any defense a fit. The Red Wings are also relying on the younger forwards such as Gustav Nyquist to contribute offensively. The Blackhawks are as strong up front as any team in the NHL with the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa. With so many strong offensive options, the Blackhawks are able to scatter those players to separate lines to create essentially a complete offense. The Blackhawks also boast a solid core of complementary players to their stars such as Brandon Saad and Bryan Bickell who each recorded more than 20 points in the shortened 48 game season. Advantage: Chicago Defense: The Red Wings defense was the biggest question mark coming into this season and for the most part has been patch work due to injuries that continued to plague them in the post season when they lost one of their top defensemen in Danny DeKeyser. Despite the youth movement on the blue line, the Red Wings were able to hold their own against a strong Anaheim offense, but still will need to increase their level of play against this strong Chicago team. If there is a weak point on this Chicago team, it would be the defense. They are lead by veteran Duncan Keith who is very steady for the Blackhawks on the blue line and is one of the best defensemen in the league. Johnny Oduya has also emerged for Chicago as a solid defenseman who is used mainly for blocking shots. Michal Rozsival and Nick Leddy round out what is sure to be a solid defensive corps for Chicago. If the Red Wings are to have a chance, it will be to expose any weakness that Chicago may show on the blue line. Advantage: Even Goalies: Jimmy Howard carried the Red Wings through the first round with a multitude of big saves though there were a couple of concerning moments when the goals were given up to lose leads, though the Red Wings were able to recover for the win in game two and six. Howard will once again be the key for the Red Wings in this series and he will need to step up his level of play even more in order to stop the high powered Chicago offense. Howard has played solid against Chicago this season, losing three games in overtime and giving up seven goals in those games, though he gave up four goals in only 23:52 of play in the March 31st blowout. Corey Crawford has carried over his strong play from the regular season to the post season as he helped the Blackhawks make easy work out of the Minnesota Wild. In the five game series, Crawford went 4-1 with a 1.32 GAA and a .950 save percentage. Crawford has also played extremely well against the Red Wings this season going 4-0 with a 1.19 GAA. This could be the deciding factor in the series if the Red Wings aren't able to solve Crawford. Advantage: Chicago Special Teams: The Red Wings powerplay was very effective in round one against Anaheim and will need to be again in round two in order to have a chance. The Red Wings will need to work on the penalty kill though as Anaheim was able to take advantage of the Red Wings mediocre penalty killing though Chicago only ranks towards the middle of the pack in powerplay success. The penalty kill is where Chicago has the real success, ranking third in the league in the regular season. This could be a major factor in the series with the Red Wings powerplay starting to come around, and Chicago being weaker on the powerplay. Advantage: Even Final Analysis: This will be the last time the two clubs meet as western conference opponents and it is sure to be a showdown that could be possibly the best of the playoffs. The Red Wings had the tougher road obviously in the first round, having to travel to Anaheim and back to Detroit for seven games with four of those games going into extra time. The travel alone is enough to drain the Red Wings, but couple that with a hard fought seven games and that could spell trouble for the Red Wings. Chicago had it easy as their travel took them to Minnesota and they were able to make easy work of the Wild in five games, so the Blackhawks will come into this game rested. The only possible downfall for the Blackhawks is that they got too much rest waiting for their second round opponent, but this team is too experienced to fall into that trap. With all of these factors, this series should be a good one and could go for a long time, but do not be surprised if it is short either. Prediction: Being a huge Red Wings fan, I will be pulling for them in every game and would love to be wrong on this prediction, but all of the signs point to Chicago in six. -Brett D'Angelo