In case you missed it, the Blackhawks and Red Wings kicked off the North American portion of their regular season schedules last night in Detroit, with the Wings holding on for a 3-2 win.

This was supposed to be–or at least had the chance to be–the statement game for the Hawks.  It was time to show the Red Wings that the Blackhawks were ready to dominate the Central.  As with a lot of sports stories these days, that was getting a little ahead of ourselves.  One thing the viewer could take from the game however is that the battle for the division this year is going to be hard fought and an absolute joy to watch.

It’s been a while, so you know what I was thinking?  Bullets?  Bullets.

• The contrast in defensemen was notable, hence the noting going on. For Chicago, the blue liners were jumping into the play and creating opportunities, while for Detroit there was a lot more bruising going on.  Brad Stuart played one of the best games I’ve seen him play for the Wings and dished out some huge hits.
• Speaking of defensemen getting into the action, a defenseman has gotten the goal or an assist every time the Hawks have put the puck in the net this season.  Seabrook and Barker had assists last night.
• The turning point last night was pretty clearly the Hawks failure to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second period when they were already leading 1-0.  The Wings blocked some shots, Osgood made a couple good saves, and the Hawks took a couple bad shots.  Quenneville took a timeout toward the end of the advantage to set things up, but it didn’t work out.  The Wings went on to score three goals in the second period, including Franzen’s game winner on a Red Wing power play.
• Like I said earlier, this is going to be fun to watch.  There is so much talent on the ice when these two teams meet.  In addition, neither team is afraid to get physical and it rarely escalates to anything particularly dirty.  When Hossa returns, Detroit-Chicago will be a game you cannot miss, trust me.
• 1-1-1 isn’t a great start, but it’s only three games in.  If the Hawks play like they did last night, the wins will definitely come.  They outshot the Wings and seemed to have the bulk of the possession.  Huet looked pretty good as well, making some big saves in the third to keep his team in it.

The Hawks open the United Center on Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche.  They have eight home games against two away games the rest of the month.  Try to get to the UC and check out a game.

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Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, NHL