Chicago Blackhawks: Oldest rivalry in team history is renewed

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have played against each other for about a century and that rivalry is renewed today.

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings form one of the oldest rivalries in the National Hockey League. They are both original six franchises in the league looking to get back to the days that made their franchises so successful. Both of them come into this game in last place of their respective divisions. The Blackhawks are a significantly better team, however than the Detroit Red Wings who are the worst team in the NHL. They still have a lot of individual skill that works hard out there so the Blackhawks need to still have a solid game.

Detroit no longer has the likes of Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg to their disposal anymore. They are led by a lot of youth with players like Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Tyler Bertuzzi who are all under 25 years old. They have a lot of development to go with their organizational depth but they have the right GM, Steve Yzerman, leading the way. Another chance at the lottery this spring will certainly help that.

The Blackhawks just need to play their game to come out with a victory. They are not as far out of a playoff spot as it feels like with the way the season has gone. A home game against the Red Wings should help them out if they play the right way. Guys like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews should be able to impact the game as they should get a more than usual amount of touches. This would also be a really good opportunity for the Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome combo to come alive for the same reasons.

It would be wise for the Blackhawks to go into this game with an attacking mindset. Detroit is not good in most areas so the Blackhawks’ skill should be able to pounce on them. The Red Wings aren’t as capable as keeping the high danger chances of their opponents down. If the Blackhawks stay hard on the forecheck they should be able to generate chances in bunches.

Special teams could also play a major role in this game. Chicago and Detroit each have puny power plays. The Hawks rank 25th, clicking at 15.7 percent while the Red Wings are 26th with 15.3 percent. The good news is the Blackhawks have a top-10 penalty kill. They are actually 9th with an 81.8 kill percentage. Detroit’s penalty kill is even punier then their power play as they rank 30th out of 31 with a kill percentage of 73%. This is a major opportunity for the Blackhawks power play to get some looks.

No game in the NHL is easy as the Blackhawks have learned so far this season. They have had some success against the elite teams in the league while having some struggles against the weaker teams. Nobody is as weak as Detroit as a whole so hopefully, that trend doesn’t continue here. It is a great opportunity for Chicago to head into the week feeling good.