Blackhawks vs. Red Wings: It's Go Time

By Rob Winn in News on May 15, 2013 3:40PM

Scenes like this will be few and far between with the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference next season. (Photo credit: Christopher Monaghan)

After a dominating performance against the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks move on to face their blood rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This will be the first playoff matchup between the two teams since 2009 when the talented Red Wings moved past the young Hawks with relative ease. Unlike four years ago, however, the Hawks enter as the heavy favorite. They're the more talented team and will enjoy facing an opponent that isn't hell-bent on knocking them into the third row.

But the Red Wings just eliminated the Anaheim Ducks, a team that gave the Hawks fits throughout the regular season. Throughout that series the Wings enjoyed stellar performances from Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who are more than capable of putting up points while suffocating the Hawks at the offensive end. If Chicago starts the game rusty or takes the Red Wings lightly, they'll find themselves in a hole early. And as many Hawks fans know, falling behind Detroit—whether it's in a game or a series—is not an ideal place to be.

In Game 1 the Hawks will welcome back center Dave Bolland, who will add as much of a defensive presence as he will an agitating personality. To start the series Bolland will play on the third line with Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw, which is the perfect spot for him. He often struggles when paired with more talented offensive players on the second line. However expect to see him when the Datsyuk is roaming the ice. Bolland often draws the opposing team's best offensive players, allowing the first line to get a more favorable matchup.

According to the Blackhawks, Michal Handzus will play in the Game 1 despite missing the last two practices for what they called a "maintenance day." However Victor Stalberg is questionable for Game 1, but that is because coach Joel Quenneville was not happy with his play in the first round. Stalberg didn't necessarily play poorly—he finished the series with a plus 2 rating—but did give up several turnovers when trying handle the puck around the Wild. It wouldn't be surprising if Quenneville is sending a message to Stalberg to play straight ahead instead of attempting to make the highlight reel.

This playoff series is a fitting end to the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry many of us grew up watching. I can't remember a time when "De-troit Sucks!" didn't rain down from the 300-level. (Even when, for 10 years, we knew that Detroit decidedly did not suck and would probably be handing the Hawks a 5-goal loss.) The Red Wings will be moving to the Eastern Conference next season and will only play the Hawks twice a year. The rivalry will probably cool off while others ramp up—games against the Blues have gotten especially chippy recently while the Canucks are still the gold standard for playoff foes. It'll be nice to end these pleasantries on a high note, especially if the Hawks take care of business and send the Red Wings home for the summer.