Pat Caputo: This Much Is Clear, The Red Wings Will Be Tested From The Beginning Of The Playoffs
The regular season is winding down, and the Red Wings, as usual, are preparing for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
What is uncertain is exactly what they can expect in the first round.
Will it be Nashville or Chicago or Anaheim? Or none of the above?
While the Red Wings have set the standard for the NHL the past two decades with 20 straight playoff appearances, the opening round of the postseason is often a scary proposition.
Remember Edmonton in 2006? Recall Anaheim in 2003? How last season's opening round went to seven games against Phoenix?
Unlike the NBA, in which opening-round upsets are rare, that's not the case in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Nashville has never won a playoff series. Ever. Yet, last season the Predators came within a whisker of defeating the Blackhawks, who went onto the win the Stanley Cup championship.