Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, May 19
Chicago at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EDT). The Blackhawks try to even the Western Conference finals against the host Red Wings in Game 2 before the series shifts to Chicago.
STAR
Monday
— Evgeni Malkin(notes), Penguins, had a goal and an assist to get to 21 points in the postseason and lift Pittsburgh to a 3-2 win over Carolina in the Eastern Conference finals opener.
STILL AVAILABLE
Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy denied being offered the Colorado Avalanche’s coaching job, a position currently held by Tony Granato. The Denver Post reported Monday that Roy had received an offer and was mulling it over. The Avalanche declined to comment on the report, which cited anonymous league sources. Later Monday, a spokeswoman for the junior league club Roy co-owns and coaches told The Associated Press that Roy had not received an offer from his old NHL team.
SIGHT PROBLEM
Philadelphia Flyers center Danny Briere(notes) will have corrective eye surgery on Tuesday and will need a few weeks to recover. Briere said his contact lenses bothered him at times during the season. Philadelphia was eliminated by Pittsburgh in six games during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
SEVERAL SURGERIES
Boston Bruins high scorers Phil Kessel(notes) and David Krejci(notes) will undergo operations that could force them to miss the start of next season. The 21-year-old Kessel, who led Boston with 36 goals, will have surgery for a torn rotator cuff and labrum in his shoulder. The 23-year-old Krejci, second on the team with 73 points, will undergo hip surgery. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli also said that defenseman Andrew Ference(notes) will have surgery to repair a torn groin, a bruised pelvis and a hernia.
SCOUTING
Dallas Stars prospect Jamie Benn(notes) scored four times—including the tying and winning goals in the third period—and added an assist as the Kelowna Rockets reached the final of the Memorial Cup with a 6-4 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Monday night. Benn also had an assist for the Rockets (2-0), who clinched first place in the round robin portion of the tournament and a spot in the championship game on Sunday. Benn scored short-handed, on the power play and twice at even strength. He also set up the first of two goals by Cody Almond to give him eight points in two tournament games.
SPEAKING
“He’s been ready, he stayed ready and worked hard. He didn’t get a lot of minutes (8 1/2 ), but when he did he cashed in.”—Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma on a goal scored by defenseman Philippe Boucher(notes) in the Penguins’ 3-2 victory over Carolina in the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night. Boucher sat out 30 games during the second half of the season following foot surgery and played in only four of the Penguins’ first 13 playoff games. It was his first postseason goal since April 12, 2004.
What bettors need to know: Hawks at Wings Game 2
By Covers.com
Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings (-200, 5.5)
Costly mistakes
The five days of rest the Hawks enjoyed after finishing off the Vancouver Canucks in Round 2 of the playoffs might have taken the wind out of their sails. After getting off to a good start in Sunday’s game and earning a 1-0 lead, Chicago looked sluggish the rest of the way, repeatedly turning the puck over and allowing the Red Wings easy scoring opportunities on way to a 5-2 loss.
“We pretty much gave them the game,” Kris Versteeg told reporters. “We came out strong and we came out hard. The momentum was in our favor and then we had a couple of lapses here and there and too many turnovers.
“That’s why they’re the most dangerous team in the league. When you give a great team that many chances, they’re going to put it in the back of your net.”
Where did the offense go?
After racking up three goals in a dominant Game 6 performance against Vancouver, Patrick Kane was unnoticeable Sunday afternoon. The stifling Detroit defense allowed the Blackhawks forward no shots on net while holding linemate Jonathan Toews to just three shots. Both left the ice with a plus-minus rating of -3.
“When I had the puck they kind of collapsed on me, so I was trying to find the open guy a bit more,” Kane said. “They play a good defensive game. Even their forwards are really good defensively. Sometimes it works to your advantage and [Sunday] it didn’t. I have to create more.”
The Hawks, who have the best power play and the most goals scored in these playoffs, were 1-for-1 with the man advantage Sunday, but the Red Wings’ disciplined style of play offers few easy chances. The Blackhawks were outshot 43-32 and presented little defensive assistance to goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.
Looking ahead
The Hawks know that if they want to win Game 2, they will young stars Kane and Toews to be much more productive.
“We have to get that spark back and just play with more of an edge,” Toews said. “And we know we have to make a bigger difference in the offensive zone.”
Numbers to know
-Chicago has surrendered 10 goals in its last two games and has played over the total in each of its last three contests.
-The over is 4-2-1 in the two sides’ seven matchups this season.
-Don’t let the seven-game series with Anaheim fool you. Detroit is dominating right now in the playoffs. The Wings have outshot their opponents in each of their last nine games by a combined mark of 369-257.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings defeated Chicago 5-2 as a -210 favorite in Game 1 on Sunday. The seven goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Daniel Cleary scored a pair of goals for Detroit and Johan Franzen had a goal and two assists in the win.
Adam Burish and Kris Versteeg scored for Chicago, while Nikolai Khabibulin made 38 saves.
Team records:
Chicago: 46-24-12
Detroit: 51-21-10
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Edmonton are 7-3
After playing Detroit are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
Detroit most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 5-5
Before playing Edmonton are 6-4
After playing Chicago are 9-1
After a win are 7-3
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games
Chicago is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
Chicago is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Chicago
Next up:
Detroit at Chicago, Friday, May 22
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Chicago
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago
NHL Playoffs
Detroit outshot Blackhawks 43-32 in 5-2 Game 1 win, 29-19 in the first two periods; they were 0-3 on power play (4:22), while Chicago scored on its only power play. Red Wings are 5-2 vs Chicago this year, winning three of four at home-- they're 6-1 at home in playoffs. Blackhawks are 3-4 on road in playoffs. Last three Chicago games went over the total.
CHICAGO (54-30-0-11, 119 pts.) at DETROIT (60-23-0-11, 131 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 10-15 ATS (-10.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DETROIT is 46-11 ATS (+21.0 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 18-2 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CHICAGO is 105-109 ATS (+248.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
CHICAGO is 49-42 ATS (+105.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 71-71 ATS (-68.5 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 15-8-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.9 Units)