Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day’s games.
Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
At one point, the Blackhawks and Red Wings had one of the most fun and fierce rivalries in the league. The frequent divisional matchups and geographical proximity made for a lot of great hockey games over the years with passionate fans setting the soundtrack for the tense contests. Now the rivalry has cooled a bit with Detroit in the Eastern Conference, but it has a chance for a mini revival this week.
Chicago and Detroit will play a pair of games in relatively short order starting with Wednesday night’s contest in Detroit, followed up by a game back in Chicago on Sunday. The Red Wings won’t play between the two games, while the Blackhawks have a date with the Boston Bruins between Red Wings tilts.
Last season, the Red Wings won both games against the eventual Stanley Cup champions. Jimmy Howard was in net for each of those wins, but has lost his starting job to Petr Mrazek this year. Howard has been playing more frequently of late and may play again Wednesday if Mrazek’s groin injury isn’t healed. He sat out the team’s win in Dallas Monday night, but may yet be available for Wednesday night’s matchup.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings are trying to keep a three-game winning streak alive as they look to keep pace in the extremely tight Atlantic Division race. A win Wednesday would put the Wings ahead of the Boston Bruins for third place in the division. They’re currently one point back and hold the first wild card spot in the East.
Over on the other side sits the Blackhawks, who will have a chance to extend their lead over the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division. All three teams have 83 points in the standings, but the Blackhawks have played fewer games. The Central suddenly got really interesting as winning the division is of rather high importance seeing as none of those three teams probably wants to see the others in the first round when a wild card opponent might be more favorable. With less than a quarter of the season to play, expect that race to remain really interesting.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks should have at least one new face in the lineup Wednesday night. Christian Ehrhoff is expected to make his debut with the club since coming over in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. He did not participate in the team's first game after his trade, but should get some good ice time Wednesday. Dale Weise, another new acquisition may be available, but his visa has not come through to allow him to join the Blackhawks in the U.S. It is possible it will be complete by game time, but it’s not done yet.
The Blackhawks have had a bit of an underwhelming stretch over their last 10 games having gone 5-4-1, but a win over the first-place Washington Capitals Sunday should give them quite a boost. So should Andrew Ladd, who notched an assist in his first game with the club since the Blackhawks landed him in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets. His seamless transition is part of what will make the Blackhawks more dangerous Wednesday night.
The Red Wings escaped the deadline without having to make any moves aside from shipping Jakub Kindl out to the Florida Panthers. Jeff Blashill recently said that the group he has is the one he wanted coming out of the trade deadline and now they’ll have a pretty grueling couple of weeks to get through to ensure the club’s 25th consecutive playoff berth and it starts against a really tough opponent on home ice.
Chicago has had a chance to rest up after three days off between games. That’s most important for goalie Corey Crawford who is having a Vezina-caliber season. He owns one of the best save percentages in the league with a .928 mark and has gone 33-16-3 in 52 appearances this year. He could be the difference in the game Wednesday night, especially if Mrazek is either sidelined or not 100 percent.
The Blackhawks also looked energized by the new arrivals Sunday. If the effort they showed against the Capitals continues in Detroit, they should be able to nab a win over the tough Red Wings. Pick: Blackhawks 3, Red Wings 2
The rest of Wednesday’s picks
Washington Capitals 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
Anaheim Ducks 4, Montreal Canadiens 1