DETROIT, MICH – When you are the defending Stanley Cup champions, as the Detroit Red Wings are, the logo on the front of your jersey is more of a target for opposition squads to focus on than a symbol of your team. When that opponent is wearing the logo of the Chicago Blackhawks and a return trip to the finals is on the line, not much motivation is needed.
The last time the Red Wings and the Blackhawks met in a playoff series, the year was 1995 and it was the conference finals. Detroit won the series with three of its victories coming in overtime, including Game 1 when the game-winning goal was scored by Nicklas Lidstrom. The Red Wings would go on to lose in the finals to New Jersey. Overall, the Blackhawks are just one of five teams that Detroit has a losing record against in playoff series with Chicago having won 8 of the 14 previous match-ups.
During the 2008-2009 season, Chicago and Detroit squared off six times. The Red Wings won the first four, including the initial two games in shootouts. The third meeting was a 4-0 blowout. Chicago did win the final two meetings of the season. The sixth meeting was a two goal victory for Detroit but the game was much more than just a final score. The reason: it was this year’s “Winter Classic” played on January 1st on a specially constructed rink inside the friendly confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Spotting the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead, the Red Wings scored five unanswered goals and won going away in a spectacular showcase for the game.
Head-to-head, the Detroit and Chicago power plays pretty much negated each other. Both sides had eight goals with the man advantage. The Red Wings got theirs in 23 chances while the Blackhawks took 30 opportunities to get their eight. Detroit out shot Chicago in four of the six games with an aggregate total of 216 shots on net to Chicago’s 195. Each team pitched a shutout at the other. Offensively, Jiri Hudler was the most successful Red Wing, scoring three goals and adding five assists for eight points. Johan Franzen led Detroit with four goals against the Blackhawks while Brian Rafalski had the most assists with six.
So far, the playoffs have been a tale of two series for the Red Wings. In the first round, Detroit drew the Columbus Blue Jackets who were making the franchise’s first ever post-season appearance. The difference in the talent level and experience favored the Red Wings and they used it to sweep the series in four straight. Detroit goalie Chris Osgood allowed just seven goals in the four games, posting a 1.75 goals against average. Franzen led the offense with six points while Henrik Zetterberg had the most goals (3) as the Red Wings scored 18 goals in the series.
The conference semifinals were a much different story. The Anaheim Ducks gave Detroit everything it wanted and then some. Lidstrom’s two goal effort in Game 1, including the game-winner at 19:10 of the third period, gave the Red Wings a quick lead. The Ducks rebounded in Game 2 with a 4-3 win on Todd Marchant’s goal early in the third overtime and in Game 3 when goalie Jonas Hiller stopped 45 shots to backstop a 2-1 win. Games 4 and 5 were dominated by Detroit as Franzen and Marian Hossa each scored twice in number four and four different players scored in Game 5. Following Anaheim’s win in Game 6 that sent the series to a deciding Game 7, Detroit outlasted the Ducks as Zetterberg set up Dan Cleary for the series-winning goal late in the third period.
So, how can Detroit win the series with the Blackhawks? First off, the Red Wings need to continue their balanced scoring. No less than 19 players have at least one point, led by Franzen (8-7-15), Zetterberg (6-8-14) and Lidstrom (3-8-11). Nine of those 19 have scored two or more goals so far this playoff season. If they allow the Chicago goaltenders to control them, life will be difficult.
Defensively, the Red Wings will need to keep the fast skating Chicago offense under control. The Blackhawks are a younger team and with that youth comes speed. Detroit is an older team and coming off of a long, physical series, the Red Wings can’t afford to get into an up-and-down game, especially if the series goes past five games.
Lastly, Detroit’s older lineup is one of the most experienced in the NHL. These guys know how to win in May and June and they need to take advantage of that. Most of Chicago’s players have never seen the conference finals this close up. If the Red Wings can force the Blackhawks to play from behind and keep the number of Chicago power plays opportunities to a minimum, they should be heading to yet another Stanley Cup finals series. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
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