According to Stat Muse, Detroit has been whistled for 5.80 penalties per game through five contests, which is currently tied with Winnipeg for second-most in the NHL.
"It's the type of penalties, I think," alternate captain Marc Staal said. "Sometimes there are good penalties, and you need to make them out of desperation, maybe stop a scoring chance or something. But we're not taking those type of penalties. We're taking stick penalties, tripping, and kind of just needless penalties that are away from the play, and those will hurt you. Definitely something we need to clean up."
Chicago has gotten off to a slow start offensively, scoring just 1.8 goals per game. But it has scored five goals on the power play, which is tied for fifth-most among NHL teams.
Seth Jones, Kirby Dach and Farmington Hills, Mich., native Alex DeBrincat have each chipped in with three points. Kevin Lankinen and Marc-Andre Fleury have split time in goal, with each earning three starts. Ryan Carpenter, Patrick Kane and Erik Gustafsson did not practice on Saturday as part of Covid-19 protocol.
Both teams have undergone significant roster changes, but the rivalry was renewed in a unique way last season, when the Red Wings and Blackhawks squared off eight times under the League's 56-game scheduling format. Chicago won six of those contests, with very few fans in attendance. Sunday night will feel like a more traditional Red Wings vs. Blackhawks showdown, in one of the better home-ice advantages in the NHL.
"We get to fly out to Chicago, and go in there and try to learn from our mistakes and get out there and compete again," Staal said. "I think we need to have a short memory here as a young team, and just go into Chicago and compete, and play the way we know how."