Red Wings visit Blackhawks on 'Rivalry Night'

CHICAGO – The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks don't meet very often anymore.

This Original Six rivalry was put on the shelf when the NHL realigned the divisions a couple years ago. But rest assured: This rivalry is far from dead.

That's due in part to the proximity of the cities (fans are known to invade each other's buildings) and the success of the teams. And so it's dubbed, fittingly, an NBC Sports "Rivalry Night" game.

TV: 7:30 PM on NBCS, TVA

The Wings and Hawks now play the standard cross-conference, home-and-home series each season. This season's first meeting was Nov. 14 when the Red Wings outshot the Blackhawks, 37-26, en route to a 4-1 victory. Jimmy Howard made 26 saves against what was known as a high-powered Chicago offense.

A lot of hockey has been played since that Friday night in November. Both teams have found themselves seated in the two toughest divisions in the league.

The Red Wings (31-14-10, 3rd in Atlantic Division) climbed the standings despite Howard's month-long absence due to a groin injury. Rookie goalie Petr Mrazek validated himself as a NHL starter with solid play between the pipes, helping Detroit become one of the hottest hockey teams this winter (they were 11-3 since Jan. 1 before last week's loss in Pittsburgh).

The Wings have cooled off as of late. They haven't won in the past three games and were shutout by their new division rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, on Monday night, 2-0.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks (35-18-4, 3rd in Central Division) are chugging along. They're one of the stingiest teams in the league, allowing an average 2.26 goals per game and boasting the best penalty kill at 87.9 percent. They topped the Devils, 3-1, on Friday and the Penguins in a shootout, 2-1, on Sunday.

The Hawks' defensive play resembles that of the Canadiens, so it should be no surprise to Mike Babcock's squad -- Wednesday night's game has the potential to be another low-scoring affair. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford will get the start as he goes for his third-straight win. He has stopped 61 of 63 shots over the past two games.

Notes:

-- Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is leading the league with 63 points.
-- The Red Wings have the best power play in the league at 26 percent.
-- This is the 729th regular season meeting between the teams in their storied histories. Detroit leads 403–322–84.
-- They split the home-and-home series last season.
-- They won't meet again until the Stanley Cup Final (tentative)