#LGRW Daily: Red Wings open six-game homestand vs. Blackhawks on Monday

DETROIT -- After a season-long six-game road trip that did not get off to the best of starts for the Detroit Red Wings, the team returns to Little Caesars Arena to begin a homestand feeling very good about themselves and the improvements they made since they last played on home ice.

Coming off a 2-2-0 finish to the road trip against the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators, the Red Wings look to keep up the momentum as they host the Chicago Blackhawks in a two-game series starting Monday at 7:30 p.m. (FOX Sports Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket) and concluding with Wednesday's series finale.
With a series sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning to begin the road trip, the Red Wings learned plenty from their matchups with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
They followed that series by playing two of their best games of the season in wins against the Panthers and Predators, and the two losses were one-goal games that were still in doubt until the final horn sounded.
Center Robby Fabbri, who has scored goals in three of his last four games, explained what the Wings did well on the road trip and need to continue to do as the homestand begins.
"Right from the drop of the puck, playing on our toes, not sitting back, not waiting for the game to come to us. Getting to our game right away," Fabbri said. "Getting pucks deep, establishing our forecheck and getting pucks north. Kind of trying to get teams on their heels. I felt like we did a great job of that with our energy and playing as a five-man unit when you're on the ice."

Building off their recent play will be key as the Blackhawks--who have gone 5-1-1 in their past seven games and swept the Red Wings in Chicago on Jan. 22 and 24--come to town.
The same scenario presented itself the last time these two teams met as the Red Wings had gotten off to a 2-2-0 start before heading to Chicago and losing both games, which was the beginning of an eight-game winless streak.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill knows the challenge his team faces with strong Blackhawks forwards like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
"They've got two world-class forwards up front with Kane, one of the very best in the world, and DeBrincat, certainly one of the best U.S.-born players right now," Blashill said.
"So, when those other guys, like a [Pius] Suter and those guys come in, they get an opportunity to play with those elite, elite players. I think they've done a good job helping those guys, but ultimately those two guys are the ones that drive the team and they've been playing great hockey for them."

Scouting the Blackhawks

• Chicago has gone 7-2-3 since beginning the season 0-3-1. Kane leads the team with 22 points (seven goals and 15 assists) and had a goal and three assists in the first two-game series against Detroit this season.
• Kevin Lankinen got his first two NHL wins against the Red Wings and has become the starter in net for the Blackhawks. He is currently third among NHL goalies in save percentage at .925 and seventh in goals-against average at 2.49 (min. 10 games played).
• Former Red Wings defenseman Madison Bowey signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks on Jan. 28. He has played two games so far this season with Chicago, picking up an assist on Feb. 11 against the Blue Jackets.

Red Wings Storylines

• Luke Glendening tallied the first three-point game of his NHL career on Saturday against the Predators, scoring what would become the game-winning goal and notching two assists. Glendening has been the best face-off man in the NHL, winning 66% of his draws so far this year.
• Thomas Greiss continues to give the team a chance on most nights when he is between the pipes. He has not allowed more than three goals in any game he has appeared in this season.
• Filip Hronek had three assists, including two in the win on Saturday, in the series against the Predators, bringing his total helpers to a team-high nine. He is currently tied for fifth among all NHL defensemen in assists.