Detroit will try to cool off a suddenly resurgent Blackhawks team Tuesday in Chicago.
Chicago had dropped nine straight heading into its Feb. 16 matchup with the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers. The Hawks downed the mighty Rangers and then proceeded to win two more, first against Columbus and then St. Louis, halting the freefall and stabilizing their season.
Overall the Blackhawks are 32-21-7 and have 71 points; Detroit is at 41-17-2 and has 84 points.
The Red Wings have won six straight and in the process set the NHL record for consecutive home wins. Detroit tied the record of 20 straight on Feb. 12 against Philadelphia and then broke it on Valentine’s Day against Dallas; the record now sits at 23 and counting.
Overall Detroit is 26-2-1 at home, but the road hasn’t been nearly as kind.
The Wings have dropped their last two on the road and are just 15-15-1 away from Detroit on the season. Part of the reason is offense, as the Red Wings average just 2.52 goals per game on the road, compared with 3.62 at home.
Good news for Detroit: Goaltender Jimmy Howard is expected back net after being out since Feb. 2 with a broken finger. He was supposed to be back on Sunday, but sat out his eighth straight.
If the Red Wings win it would tie a season-high for consecutive wins, at seven. Detroit is 1-1 at Chicago this season.
The game starts at 8 EST and is on NBCSN and Fox Sports Detroit.
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