Red Wings have 2 big games this weekend

Blackhawks, Canadiens visit Detroit

DETROIT – The Red Wings will face off with two Original Six foes this weekend -- one they left back in the West and one they are getting to know quite well in the East.

Chicago Blackhawks on Friday

The stingy Chicago Blackhawks (9-6-1) will return to Joe Louis Arena on Friday night. They are allowing on average less than two (1.88) goals a game and boast the league's best penalty kill (91.7 percent). The Red Wings are right behind them with an 88.7 penalty-killing percentage.

Those are not the only similarities between these teams (both are average when it comes to scoring at full strength and on the power play), but there is one big difference: Chicago has three shootout wins (3/3) to Detroit's zero (0/3).

TV: 7:30 PM on CSNC, FSDT

The Hawks did Tuesday night what the Red Wings (7-3-5) can't seem to do on any night -- they won in a shootout, and they did it against the skillful Tampa Bay Lightning and big Ben Bishop. If Detroit could figure out how to finish in the penalty shot period, they'd be sitting higher in the overall standings than the seasoned Blackhawks.

View: NHL Standings

Sick of the shootout yet? Well, it's an opportunity to grab that extra point. Some teams are living by it. Some aren't.

Pavel Datsyuk (groin) told reporters this week he wants to be back for Friday's game. His presence seems to enhance everything for the Red Wings, and they'll need his takeaway abilities against a Chicago team which likes to handle the puck.

The Hawks made the high-powered Lightning offense look a bit disheveled at times Tuesday night. It's tough to score when you don't have the puck, or when you do have it but can't get it to the net. Chicago outshot Tampa 27-13 through two periods. Even Steven Stamkos can't score under those conditions.

It was Tampa's hard, relentless fore-checking in the 3rd which forced the game to OT. The Red Wings will want to keep the pressure in the Chicago zone and make sure they're physical with the Hawks defensemen.

This is the first of two Detroit-Chicago meetings this season. The next one is Feb. 18 in the Windy City.

Montreal Canadiens on Sunday

The Habs (12-4-1) are on a four-game winning streak. They got by the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0, on Tuesday night and trounced the Boston Bruins, 5-1, Thursday night. They play the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night before hopping over to Detroit on Sunday.

Goalie Carey Price has his team sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division. He has 9 wins, a .918 save percentage and a shutout. It's unclear if he'll get the start on Sunday after a game Saturday night. It's good news for Detroit if he's on the bench during their game, though Dustin Tokarski is no slouch.

Regardless, getting the puck past Price is just part of the challenge for Montreal's opponents. The Canadiens roll four lines with four stellar centermen -- David Desharnais, Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller and Manny Malhotra. They all win faceoffs and play both ends of the ice as well as anyone, and they're anchored by a strong, skilled defensive core.

News: Canadiens get Gonchar, send Moen to Stars

TV: 7 PM on FSDT, CiTV, RDS

But the Canadiens haven't enjoyed the offense they did at the end of last year and in the playoffs. They're struggling to score more than two a game (2.25 goals per game), although that has changed the past few games with a 4-1 win, a 3-0 win and a 5-1 win. The Red Wings held them to two goals in their first meeting on Oct. 21 (Habs won 2-1).

This one likely won't be high-scoring, but if there is a team the Red Wings (2.67 goals per game) absolutely need to get some goals against it's the Canadiens. Gustav Nyquist leads Detroit with 8 goals.

Sunday will be the second of four total Detroit-Montreal meetings this season. The next one is Feb. 16 in Detroit.

The Red Wings basically have this week off with Friday's game being the first since the SO loss to Tampa on Sunday. They'll need the rest for this weekend.