RUMORS
I was told this morning by a Canadian source, the Hawks’ Head Pro Scout, Ryan Stewart, was in Toronto last night and met separately with Florida GM Dale Tallon and Toronto GM `Dave Nonis. He apparently also spoke with Morey Gare, head scout of Edmonton and Jim Clark, Ottawa's head scout. Tallon is rumored to be after Nick Schmaltz, the Hawks’ first round choice in 2014.
RED WINGS
Detroit Red Wings (31-14-10) at Chicago Blackhawks (35-18-4) 7:30PM Eastern/6:30 Central NBCSN/TVA
THE BUZZ
They’re baaaaaaack.
And through injuries, aging, salary cap purges, the Detroit Red Wings, yet again, are one of the league’s better teams. The Hawks know what they will face, essentially a mirror image of themselves. The Wings might be a little older, bigger and slower, a little more clutch and grabby, but they play basically the same style as the Hawks. The Hawks, perhaps for that very reason, have had few problems with the Wings the last handful of seasons, with the exception of an epic seven-game series in the second round of the 2013 playoffs—a struggle neither franchise has forgotten.
So the UC will be invaded tonight ,not just by the Evil Red Menace, but also legions of fans sporting the Winged Wheel and adding an “s… to the name of every retailer they mention in conversation. If you’ve spent much time in Michigan, you understand.
THE NUMBERS:
Last Ten Games: Detroit, 6-3-1 Chicago, 5-3-2
Power Play: Detroit, 1st, 26.0% Chicago, 13th, 18.9%
Penalty Kill: Detroit, 10th, 83.0% Chicago, 1st, 87.9%
5-on-5 GF/GA Detroit, 11th, 1.08 Chicago, 5th, 1.20
THE LINEUPS (PROJECTED):
DETROIT
Abdelkader Zetterberg Pulkkinen Tatar Datsyuk Helm Nyquist Sheahan Weiss Miller Anderssson Glendening
Ericsson Kronwall Quincey Dekeyser Smith Marchenko
Howard
CHICAGO
Saad Toews Hossa Versteeg Richards Kane Bickell Shaw Hartman Sharp Kruger Smith
Keith Rozsival Oduya Hjalmarsson Seabrook Cumiskey
Crawford
JJ
Check out Hockey Streams. See NHL, AHL and CHL streamed in HD right to your computer, tablet or gaming device for a small donation: http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981