:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/6267878/20120330_ajw_aa1_230.jpg)
It's finally time for the big show. The 2012 NHL playoffs begin on Wednesday as the fifth-seeded Detroit Red Wings head to Tennessee to face the fourth-seeded Nashville Predators.
The Wings got into the playoffs in a lower seed than they probably deserved thanks to an awful March that saw them lose just about every road game in the month and a handful of home games as well with injuries ravaging the squad. Now that the team has gotten healthier and the "new season" has begun, there's no telling how the Wings will do. If they can overcome the road woes that have plagued them the past few months they will have a far easier time defeating the Preds, which hold the all-important home-ice advantage due to their higher seed.
Detroit has won the last two meetings between the Wings and Preds in the Stanley Cup playoffs, both times winning in six games. This is one of the best looking Predators teams in the history of their franchise, though, so the Wings will have their work cut out for them. The two teams split the regular season series 3-3.
Game 1 of the series will be at Bridgestone Arena at 8 p.m. ET.
For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. For more on the Nashville Predators, head over to On The Forecheck. For more on the NHL as the playoffs begin, go to the main SB Nation NHL hub.