Chicago Blackhawks VS. Detroit Red Wings
If the season were to end today, the Red Wings wouldn’t make the playoffs. Ouch. That’s a shot to the head for a lot of residents in Hockeytown, especially after two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Finals. But it’s true that this year’s Red Wings team just isn’t as good as those in recent history.
Age has caught up to many of Detroit’s finest players; Take for example captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Sure he’s won four Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, six Norris Trophies and is the only European to captain a Stanley Cup Champion team, but he’s not the same player he was this past decade. And the rest of the supporting cast is failing to provide any type of support behind star forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. It also doesn’t help when one of their leading scorers last year defected to a division rival.
Which brings us to the other team in this matchup. A lot of relatively young talent has revitalized the Blackhawks. The team was hitting on all cylinders going into the Olympic break as the second-best team in the Western Conference behind San Jose. Embodied by star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, both of whom are of the ripe young age of 21, the Blackhawks are one of the youngest teams in the NHL.
Though the two teams share a heated rivalry, this game will certainly be odd for many people involved. Only a week ago, Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock was sending Toews and Blackhawk defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook onto the ice for the Canadian Olympic hockey team’s quest to win an eventual gold medal against Kane and Team USA. Babcock will still be trying to find ways to shut down Kane, but he’ll also have to stop some of his most productive players from Team Canada. However, this game, along with virtually every other upcoming game, is a must-win for the Red Wings. Look for them to pull this out.
Pat’s Prediction:
Detroit 3
Chicago 1
ONLINE GAME OF THE WEEK
North Carolina at no. 4 Duke
Saturday 3/6 8:00 pm ESPN
OK, this isn’t really an appealing matchup if you’re a UNC fan. As disappointing as this season has been for Red Wings fans, it pales in comparison to the season from hell that Tar Heel fans are suffering through. There’s a better shot of Jay Leno giving up the Tonight Show again than there is for UNC to go dancing this year.
Although they are the defending National Champions, the Tar Heels are a pathetic 4-10 in the ACC, and just barely hovering over .500 with a 15-14 overall record. Their schedule this year is marred by losses to perennial powerhouses Syracuse (now no. 1 in the nation), Kentucky (no. 3 in the nation), Texas (no. 25 in the nation) and Charleston. Yes, one of those schools doesn’t belong. After their loss to the Charleston Cougars, UNC could barely buy a win in the ACC.
UNC lost a lot of stars from last year’s team, including their top four scorers: Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green. UNC, however, is a proud basketball powerhouse that is only supposed to reload, not rebuild. Yet this young team has been doing just that this year.
And what’s making this season even more painful for the people in Chapel Hill is the success of their blood rival on the other side of Tobacco Rd. Duke has been one of the most consistent teams in the country. Although they’ve stumbled from time to time, they play incredibly sound basketball against teams with much more athleticism. They haven’t lost since Jan. 30 due to the great play of their big three: Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith.
On paper, this game seems like a matchup that Duke would win by 20. But this rivalry is too intense to count out the Tar Heels. If UNC beats Duke in an incredibly partisan Cameron Indoor Stadium, with numero uno Duke fan Dick Vitale calling the game on national television, and keeps their winning streak in Durham intact, UNC’s season would immediately be redeemed in the eyes of the Carolina Blue faithful. So don’t expect the Tar Heels to roll over in this game. But don’t expect this young team to be poised enough to roll into Duke and steal a win from the no. 4 team in the nation either.
Pat’s Prediction:
Duke 68
UNC 65
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