Morning Skate: Playoff Edition (5/17)

Today’s Slate:
Blackhawks @ Red Wings, Game 1, 3:00 ET

Games of the Day:
4) Chicago Blackhawks @ 2) Detroit Red Wings
Game 1, 3:00 ET… TV: NBC, TSN, Local Networks

Players to watch:
CHI- Jonathan Toews
Chicago’s captain broke out of his slump in Game 6 against Vancouver.
DET- Pavel Datsyuk
Datsyuk has been playing well, but coming up empty… that slump could end today.

Starting Goaltenders:
CHI- Nikolai Khabibulin (Playoff stats: 8-4, 2.76 GAA)
DET- Chris Osgood (Playoff stats: 8-3, 2.06 GAA)

Injury Report:
CHI- Brent Sopel (elbow, out)
DET- Andreas Lilja (head, out)

Game Thoughts:
Chicago has a good chance to come in and steal this one. They’ve had 6 days of rest since they knocked off Vancouver, while Detroit is coming off a grueling 7-game series against the Ducks without as much rest. Ozzie will have to be on top of his game for the Wings to win today… and I don’t see that happening. Look for Khabibulin & the ‘Hawks to take game one between these Original Six rivals.

Prediction: Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 3