Pick your poison: A look at potential second-round opponents
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** Note since this was originally published, San Jose completed their series meaning that there is no chance Detroit will face Chicago in the Second round of the playoffs.
The Red Wings won’t know who their second round opponent is until the conclusion of the Chicago – Vancouver series late Tuesday night. With the elimination of the Anaheim Ducks, the contenders are down to the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, or the San Jose Sharks. Detroit cannot play the Vancouver Canucks or Los Angeles Kings if either team advances. Outlined below is an overview of each of the potential second round opponents:
Chicago Blackhawks
2010-2011 Record Against Detroit: 4 wins, 2 losses
Key Players: Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Tarves
If the Chicago Blackhawks are able to win game 7, they will be just one of a handful of teams that have come back from a 0-3 deficit in a playoff series. The Hawks have had Detroit’s number all season long taking the regular season series by a 4-2 margin and outscoring the Wings by a 20 to 13 goal difference. That being said, the Hawks are struggling with injuries to Tomas Kopecky, Bryan Bickell, Brent Seabrook and David Bolland among others. Additionally Chicago’s attack has been thwarted by the struggles of key forwards Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. The Hawks have plenty of offensive weapons that could do damage against Detroit’s defense, but the question remains how much will they have left in the tank after a hard fought series against Vancouver.
Nashville Predators
2010-2011 Record Against Detroit: 4 wins, 2 losses
Key Players: Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Martin Erat, Mike Fisher, Patrick Hornqvist
The Red Wings have struggled to find consistent offense all season against the Nashville Predators being outscored by an 18 to 13 goal margin. Much of the reason can be found in big 6-foot-5 netminder Pekka Rinne who had an outstanding regular season. That being said, Rinne was not the reason that Nashville advanced to the second round for the first time in their brief history. In fact Rinne’s .876 save percentage and 3.29 goals against show that the Finnish stopper is beatable. The Predators may not be the most gifted offensive team, but if they face the Wings expect to see a tight defensive game with lots of physical play.
San Jose Sharks
2010-2011 Record Against Detroit: 3 wins, 1 loss
Key Players: Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Ryan Clowe
On paper the San Jose Sharks should have already beaten the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks have a lot of high end talent on their roster who helped them overtake the Wings securing the second spot in the Western Conference points race. With all that talent they should be having an easier time against LA, but big ticket forwards Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are struggling. Additionally, San Jose seems to have a bit of a goaltender controversy brewing with backup Antero Nittymaki (9.66 Sv %) outplaying Antti Niemi (.855 Sv %). The Sharks can be a difficult team to play against, but they haven’t looked unbeatable this season. That being said, a veteran team like the Red Wings would likely prefer a matchup that involves less travel time across fewer time zones.