Red Wings ready for Original Six rival Chicago in second round

 

By Michael Caples –

ROMULUS – The Red Wings have returned to Michigan, but not for long.

The club landed at Detroit Metro Airport at roughly 5 p.m. today to start preparing for their next round foe – the Chicago Blackhawks.

“We’re here, so we get to play again,” coach Mike Babcock said.

A huge Game 7 victory for the Red Wings was only celebrated for so long, because a win really only means that it’s time to prepare for the next round.

The Wings’ next opponent merits a whole lot of attention, too.

Chicago, the top seed in the Western Conference, beat the Red Wings all four times the two clubs met in the shortened regular season. Two of the Wings’ losses came in a shootout, and there are no shootouts in the playoffs. Yet the other two losses came via overtime, and via a lopsided 7-1 Blackhawks’ win at Joe Louis Arena on March 31.

“It’s going to be a challenge for us,” captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “They had our number in the regular season. We know we’re going to have to play at our best to have a chance.”

The theme around the airport hanger, however, was that the Red Wings aren’t the team they were during the regular-season meetings with the Original Six rival. The pressure to continue their historic playoff streak, and the wins necessary to reach the postseason, forced a younger-than-usual roster to mature quickly.

“I think a lot of our guys have taken a big step forward this year,” Niklas Kronwall said. “We had some ups and downs over the year but I think everyone’s come together and really starting to show a lot of good character. We’re leaving everything on the ice every night.”

A young defensive unit will have their hands full with a Chicago offense that features Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and former Red Wing Marian Hossa.

“There’s going to be a test there for them,” Babcock said. “We just try to keep making progress. We’ve had good growth on our team all year long and it has to continue to happen. There’s no question we’re playing a real good team, a team that won the Presidents Trophy, very deep and they’re going to push us, but it should be a lot of fun.”

The series also marks the last time the Red Wings take on the Blackhawks in a round other than the Stanley Cup Final for the foreseeable future. The two Original Six clubs will be split into different conferences when realignment takes place this summer.

“I think it’s great for the league,” Justin Abdelkader said about the match-up. “Any time you can have an Original Six match-ups and Original Six teams in the playoffs, I think it’s great, and we’re looking forward to playing Chicago here in the playoffs one last time before we move conferences.”

More than the Original Six situation, the league also got a true rivalry in the second-round showdown.

“It’s going to be great for the fans,” Zetterberg said. “Both cities, it’s going to be a lot of fun for them. We’re looking forward to playing in their building. It’s going to be fun going there and I’m pretty sure they’re looking forward to coming here, too.”

The Wings’ captain didn’t seem to be concerned with his team’s regular-season record against the ‘Hawks, either.

“I think we know it’s going to be a tough series,” Zetterberg said. “They played well all regular season. They took care of Minnesota pretty quick and they’ve been resting for a few days. It’s going to be a challenge for us, for sure, but the same way, if we play the way we want and do all the little things right, we have a chance.”