The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will renew their postseason rivalry Wednesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The series will not only have a strong sense of urgency, but will also be filled with tremendous nostalgia for fans. After being heated division rivals for years, the teams will only meet twice in the next few seasons thanks to Detroit's transfer to the Eastern Conference. If they ever meet in the playoffs, it will be in the Stanley Cup Finals.
"It's going to be fun to play them again," Detroit Captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "They had our number in the regular season, so it's going to be a challenge for us. We've played better the last 10 games of the regular season and the postseason. We improved as a team and [have] been through a lot. It's going to be fun to see what we can do against Chicago.''
"The fact that we're playing the Wings, whom we've seen a bunch of times over the years, kind of sparks things off the ice with the fans and the media," Chicago forward Patrick Sharp added. "On the ice, we know what kind of team they have. We have a lot of respect for what they can do. It's going to be a tough, hard-fought series right from the first shift of Game 1."
Chicago is coming off a five game trampling of the Minnesota Wild. They will welcome Center David Bolland to Game 1 after he missed the entire series against the Wild. Bolland's return will likely remove many defensive responsibilities from Captain Jonathan Toews, who only had two points in the first round series.
The Wings will hope that they can overcome numerous regular season losses to Chicago and take this series without as much stress as they faced during their first round matchup with the Anaheim Ducks.
Prediction: Chicago wins 3-1.
Start Time: 8 PM EST
TV: TV: NBCSN, CBC
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