The stage is set for an ideal home-and-home matchup between the Blackhawks and Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. They collide Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena and Thursday in the much-anticipated Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

These teams meet for the 700th time in the next staging of the NHL's longest-standing rivalry, but never have they competed in the setting that the New Year's Day outdoor clash provides.

And this time, the game means something standings-wise. The surprising young Hawks are challenging the veteran-laden Wings for supremacy in both the Central Division and the Western Conference. In their first two meetings the Wings won in shootouts. The Hawks are playing much better now.

They've won a franchise record nine games in a row, surpassing the eight straight won by the teams of 1971 and 1981. In winning nine straight the Hawks matched the San Jose Sharks for the longest win streak in the NHL this season. The Sharks' streak ran from Nov. 13 to Dec. 4.

BLACKHAWKS 4, WILD 1: Dustin Byfuglien, a Minnesota native, scored the first two Hawks' goals and assisted on the other two. The Hawks dominated the Wild, opening a 3-0 lead and finishing with a 31-19 shot advantage.