Morning Skate: Red Wings at Blackhawks - Game 5 Preview

8:00p ET, United Center

Chicago, IL

TV: NBC, CBC, RDS

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket

Blackhawks Blog: Second City Hockey

Detroit Red Wings Tickets

They always say the last one is the hardest one to win. I believe every damn word of that last sentence too. The Red Wings are going to have their work cut out for them tonight. Winning three-in-a-row was fun. The shutout was fun. But it means absolutely nothing tonight. Go back to what Mike Babcock said the other day, the Wings haven't won anything yet. This series is still far from over. The Blackhawks won like 53 straight games during the regular season or so the legends tell us. They're surely capable of winning 3 straight.

It's just a matter of Detroit not feeling like they've already won. This team needs to hit the ice like the underdog that they still are. They have to play like they are the team that's down 3-1 and everything is on the line. The last thing you want to do is give Chicago and ounce of life.

A wise author once wrote, "If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk." Don't give the Blackhawks a cookie. Don't even allow them to ask. Take the delicious cookie, eat it in their faces, and smash them upside the head with the glass of milk. The moral of the story is mice are awful and Andrew Shaw is a rat #ShawFacts.

Skate to the throat.

End this now.

Continue the Western Conference Farewell Tour one more round.

The Expected Lineup

Johan Franzen - Pavel Datsyuk - Justin Abdelkader

Valtteri Filppula - Henrik Zetterberg - Daniel Cleary

Gustav Nyquist - Joakim Andersson - Damien Brunner

Patrick Eaves - Cory Emmerton - Drew Miller

*

Niklas Kronwall - Jonathan Ericsson

Brendan Smith - Kyle Quincey

Carlo Colaiacovo - Jakub Kindl

*

Jimmy Howard (starting)

Jonas Gustavsson

Scratches: Ian White, Brian Lashoff, Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson and Todd Bertuzzi

Injuries: Danny DeKeyser (thumb) and Darren Helm (back)

RED WINGS	PLAYOFF MATCH-UP	BLACKHAWKS
7-4	Record	5-4
2.54 (8th in NHL)	Goals Per Game	2.56 (7th in NHL)
2.46 (8th)	Goals Against Per Game	1.89 (2nd)
17.5% (10th)	Power Play %	12.0% (12th)
78.4% (10th)	Penalty Kill %	96.9% (1st)
2 tied with 4 goals	Goal Leader	Patrick Sharp (6 goals)
Henrik Zetterberg (10 points)	Points Leader	Patrick Sharp (10 points)

• The Red Wings are 38-40 (W-L) all-time against the Chicago Blackhawks in the postseason. Chicago has won 8 of the 15 series between these clubs.
• Last time these two teams met in a Game 5 in the postseason was May 27, 2009. It was the final game of the Western Conference Finals. The Red Wings won 2-1 in overtime at the Joe. Cleary scored in regulation. Helm had the game winner.
• Howard is 2-3 with a 2.21 GAA and .933 SV% all-time in Game 5's during his career. You would think the numbers would be worse based off his record. Wings apparently have trouble scoring in Game 5's. Howard has also never played a Game 5 at home. The only time the Red Wings have had home ice advantage while he's been the starting netminder was against Phoenix in 2011. Detroit swept that series. He's 0-1 in overtime Game 5's.