Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard has been a clear difference-maker for his team in this series.
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) -
With a win Saturday night in Game 5 at Chicago's United Center, the seventh-seeded Detroit Red Wings can complete the biggest upset of the 2013 postseason.
The Red Wings have built a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series, pushing the top-seeded Blackhawks -- this year's Presidents' Trophy winners -- to the brink of elimination.
This series started off as expected, with Chicago pasting the Red Wings by a 4-1 score in Game 1. However, Detroit began a three-game winning streak with a 4-1 win of its own in Game 2 before winning two straight on home ice to take a commanding lead in the series.
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Alfie, Toews and a bad week for NHL leadership
Dan Di Sciullo, NHL Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
Several years ago the NHL started handing out an award for leadership and they aptly named it after Mark Messier, who was undoubtedly one of the greatest captains his sport has ever seen.
You don't have to be a captain to win the Mark Messier Leadership Award, but it certainly helps. All three finalists for this year's trophy wear the "C" for their respective teams, but recently two of them indulged in behavior unbecoming of a captain.
In fact, Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson and Chicago's Jonathan Toews displayed such poor leadership qualities that one wonders if Messier, who chooses the finalists and winners himself, would like to hit the reset button and select two new players to join Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings on this year's list.
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