#LGRW Daily: Red Wings begin road trip with weekend series vs. Blackhawks

DETROIT -- With five of their six wins this season coming in the second of a two-game series, the Detroit Red Wings have shown an ability to bounce back from losses and adjust to their opponents.

Now after a successful end to their homestand, the Red Wings look to keep the momentum rolling when they begin a road trip on Saturday night with a visit to the United Center to face the Chicago Blackhawks.
Forward Bobby Ryan, after tallying a two-assist game in the 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, explained how the team has been able to earn splits in four of their past five series.
"We're not a team that can run-and-gun teams and we're starting to realize that," Ryan said after practice Friday. "I think in our last eight or nine games, our brand of hockey has been a lot better. We've gotten away from it in a few, but that's a team that's growing. I think we're putting some things in place that can help us be much more competitive."

The Red Wings and Blackhawks have seen plenty of each other in the early going this season, with Chicago getting a win in all four games.
But in the two-game series played on Feb. 15 and 17 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit gave Chicago all it could handle. The first game saw the Red Wings rally from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and the second was a one-goal game until the final minute.
Fans can catch Saturday's action on FOX Sports Detroit or 97.1 The Ticket, with puck drop set for 8:00 p.m.

Red Wings Storylines

• Sam Gagner's hat trick on Thursday was his first since Feb. 2, 2012 when he had an eight-point night (four goals, four assists) against the Blackhawks as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The nine-year, 23-day wait between hat tricks is the eighth-longest span in NHL history.

• Danny DeKeyser re-entered the lineup on Feb. 20 and picked up a point on Thursday, getting an assist on the game-winning goal by Gagner against Nashville. DeKeyser was also plus-3 in the game, which was tied with Gagner for the team high.
• Since returning to the lineup on Feb. 13, Jonathan Bernier has been putting up stellar performances in net. In his six appearances, five starts, he is 3-2 with a .941 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.96. His .918 save percentage overall is 11th best in the NHL among players with at least nine starts this season.

Scouting the Blackhawks

• Patrick Kane enters this weekend series one goal shy of 400 in his NHL career. He would become the ninth U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach that mark, a list that includes former Red Wings player Mike Modano.
• Kevin Lankinen has three of his eight NHL wins against the Red Wings this season, which includes his first NHL shutout at Little Caesars Arena on Feb. 17. Lankinen is seventh in the NHL in save percentage at .921 among players with 10 or more starts.
• The Blackhawks are 8-2 in their past 10 games, with five of those wins coming after regulation. They enter the weekend series with a .618 point percentage in the Central Division, which is good for fourth among the eight teams.