Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings – Game 6 Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks will look to avoid elimination and force a Game 7 tonight at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

The Blackhawks avoided elimination in Game 5 with a convincing win, but will have their backs against the wall again tonight. They outshot the Red Wings 45-26 and were led by their gritty forwards. Bryan Bickell who has been engaged physically all series scored the games opening goal, while Andrew Shaw scored twice, added three hits in 12:25 of playing time.

Detroit frustrated the Blackhawks in Game’s 2-4 by shutting down their star players. With Chicago’s frustration they became undisciplined and got into penalty trouble. Detroit is traditionally a good at Joe Louis Arena and they have proved that with their 2.00 GAA at home versus 3.00 GAA on the road. They will look to punch their ticket into the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2008-09.

Players to watch in Game 6:

Detroit – Jimmy Howard

The Red Wings playoff hopes hinge on Howard. He was their rock all through the regular season and has been sensational in the playoffs as well. He has posted a 1.80 GAA and .948 SV% in the first five games of this series. Howard will need to be great tonight for the Red Wings to finish this series off at the Joe.

Chicago – Jonathan Toews

Toews is Chicago’s best player and had been frustrated all series by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall until he finally broke through with his first goal of the playoffs in Game 5. He has only recorded one goal, one assist and is a minus-2 with 17 shots in five games this series.