Game 5 Preview: Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks

The Original Six matchup gets an upgrade this season as both the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks will face each more than twice. Division rivals again, the teams are certainly in different spots than when last shared the Central in 2013. (Let’s not mention what happened in the playoffs, shall we?)

Detroit is 2-2 on the season while the Blackhawks have yet to register a victory, a sign that Chicago is on its way to the bottom of the new NHL, a position all too familiar to Red Wings fans. In many ways the Hawks went through the Red Wings cycle of doom: Contention, retirement of core players, bad free agent (or trade) pickups–usually former players past their prime, and then the descent. So while it won’t be like the old days, it’s still a rivalry and should be entertaining.

3 Reasons For Hope

• This isn’t last decade’s Hawks. This is more the type of team many Wings fans grew up watching while the Wings were in their heyday. (Of course this varies based on fandom. I usually cite 1998 – 2008). Nope, not dancing on the grave but just calling it as it is. Both organizations trended in far different directions after the 2009 Western Conference Final. This is about the closest they’ve been since and it’s not exactly a positive for either team. The Wings have a good chance to improve to 3-2.
• Bobby Ryan. Four goals in three games. That should do it.
• The Wings have been in every game. Though Columbus is struggling, Carolina is considered one of the better teams in not only the division, but the league. Tonight we’ll have a better idea of how improved the Wings are but there’s certainly something to be said for their confidence improving since last season.

2 Reasons for Doom and Gloom 

• • It’s the Hawks. It’s a rivalry game and now being back in the same division stokes the hatred just enough to keep it going. This isn’t the late 80’s, the 90’s (oh man 1992 and 1995) or the mid to late 2000’s. Without the fans present it will be different, but heck, we’re all used to that.
  • Zadina on COVID protocol: Zadina has been one of the Wings’ better players and it will be huge hole to fill in the lineup. MLive’s Ansar Khan tweets that Jon Merrill, Sam Gagner, Robby Fabbri, and Adam Erne are all in protocol as well.  Givani Smith has been called up from the Taxi squad according to a Red Wings tweet.

1 Final Thought

My mantra for this season going in has been to just show improvement. The new faces have done wonders and it’s evident the skillset has improved. Wins and losse

s are not as important as continuing to build that solid foundation for what will hopefully be many years of contention.