Preview: Red Wings at Blackhawks

[January 10, 2017]  The Chicago Blackhawks will try to complete a perfect four-game homestand when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night in a matchup of Original Six rivals. The Blackhawks were mired in a 1-4-1 tailspin that included three straight defeats at United Center before rebounding with three consecutive victories.

“We talked about having a good homestand and every game’s been pretty close," Chicago star forward Patrick Kane said after Sunday's 5-2 win over Nashville. "... It’s nice to get that third one and kind of build off of that. Hopefully we’re trending in the right direction.” The Blackhawks own a two-point lead over Minnesota atop the Central Division, although the Wild have four games in hand. Detroit, meanwhile, is anchored in the basement of the Atlantic Division heading into the sixth stop on its seven-game road trip. The Red Wings are coming off a 6-3 loss at San Jose, their 21st loss in the past 32 games (11-16-5).

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, WGN (Chicago)

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (17-18-5): Andreas Athanasiou was benched against Anaheim last week and the message appears to have resonated with the second-year forward, who responded with two goals and three assists over the past two games. Another youngster, Anthony Mantha, is on a tear for Detroit with seven goals in his last eight games. Forward Justin Abdelkader and defenseman Mike Green practiced with the beleaguered power-play unit on Monday and could finally return to the lineup following lengthy injury absences.

 ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (26-12-5): Rookie Ryan Hartman notched his first career hat trick versus Nashville, although it hardly was aesthetically pleasing. Hartman notched the tiebreaking goal when a shot deflected off his hip before adding a pair of empty-net tallies to boost his season total to 10 tallies. “He’s playing such a complete game,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “He’s playing that hard-nosed, gritty hockey where he’s working hard. He’s getting pucks back. He’s making things easier on his linemates.”

OVERTIME

1. Detroit ranks last in the power play, converting on only 11.2 percent of its chances.

2. Blackhawks F Artemi Panarin has seven goals and 18 points in his last 14 games.

3. Nine of Mantha's 11 goals have come in 14 road games.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 2

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