The Stats
| Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Blackhawks | |||
| Record | 24-16-8 | 13th | 36-7-5 | 1st |
| GF/Game | 2.54 | 19th | 3.10 | 2nd |
| GA/Game | 2.29 | 5th | 2.02 | 1st |
| 5-on-5 SF/60 | 29.9 | 11th | 30.6 | 6th |
| 5-on-5 SA/60 | 27.7 | 11th | 25.2 | 4th |
| Fenwick Close | 53.92 | 5th | 55.80 | 2nd |
| 5-on-5 Save % | .932 | 2nd | .927 | 8th |
| 5-on-4 GF/60 | 6.4 | 14th | 4.6 | 27th |
| # of PP’s/Gm | 3.85 | 2nd | 3.12 | 23rd |
| 4-on-5 GA/60 | 6.4 | 15th | 4.7 | 4th |
| # of PK’s/Gm | 3.42 | 19th | 2.94 | 4th |
There’s good reason why the Blackhawks ran away with the best record in the league this season, as they’re getting the job done at both ends of the ice. Their special teams haven’t been amazing, but they tend to keep the game played at 5-on-5 more than other teams.
The Blackhawks took all four matchups against the Red Wings this season, by a total combined score of 14-5 (although two of those wins were by shootout, and another was in overtime).
The SB Nation Blogs
Winging It In Motown vs Second City Hockey
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings came out on top of a tense 7-game battle with the Anaheim Ducks, and one has to think that all the pressure is now off this team. They proved doubters wrong just by making the post-season in the wake of Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement, and pulled off an upset in a hard-fought playoff series. Anything they achieve in Round 2 is pretty much gravy at this point.
Chicago Blackhawks
It’s “so far, so good” for the Hawks, who cruised through the regular season and then defeated the Minnesota Wild in five games to start their playoff run.
Despite their stellar record and absurd depth up front, not all is well in Chicagoland, and the story heading into this series is that sniper Viktor Stalberg has been benched, for Game One at least, by head coach Joel Quenneville.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings TV schedule
| Date | Time (CTL) | Location | TV |
| Wednesday, May 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Chicago | NBCSN, CBC |
| Saturday, May 18 | Noon | Chicago | NBC, CBC |
| Monday, May 20 | 6:30 p.m. | Detroit | NBCSN, CBC |
| Thursday, May 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Detroit | NBCSN, CBC |
| * Saturday, May 25 | TBD | Chicago | CBC, TBD |
| * Monday, May 27 | TBD | Detroit | CBC, TBD |
| * Wednesday, May 29 | TBD | Chicago | CBC, TBD |
OTF Staff Picks
| Picks | Winner | Comment |
| Dirk | Chicago | This will be a much tougher matchup for Detroit due to the greater depth the Blackhawks have relative to Anaheim. Chicago wins pretty handily. |
| Jonathan | Chicago | Chicago did exactly what a Presidents’ Trophy winner is supposed to do in the first round and neither Kane or Toews are firing on all cylinders. That could be potentially scary for them as they move on, or even scarier for the Red Wings. In the regular season, all but one game was decided in OT/SO, and I don’t see that changing in the series more than maybe once. The Wings are rolling and Howard is the better goalie, but Chicago hasn’t done anything to disprove they are the favorite in the Conference. Hawks in 6. |
| Chris | Chicago | Chicago proved they are the best team in the NHL against a dynamic Minnesota team. I don’t see the Redwings getting to six games. Hawks in five. |
| George | Chicago | Henrik Zetterberg finally stepped up and did what a captain is supposed to do, leading the Wings to victory over the Ducks, and even Jimmy Howard put up an uncharacteristically consistent performance between the pipes. But Joel Quenneville’s Blackhawks are a more gifted, more well-coached squad than Bruce Boudreau’s Ducks. Chicago takes this one in 6. |
| Jason | Chicago | I don’t think I’ll watch one game of this series. Hawks in 6. |
Who wins this series?
| Chicago Blackhawks | 32 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 12 |