Bruins beat Red Wings in regulation

David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his second period goal with teammates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on February 6, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins kept their winning streak alive once again Tuesday night. A go ahead on the scoreboard and holding off the Detroit Red Wings in the final minutes gave them their third in a row in a 3-2 win at Little Caesars Arena. The Bruins had the offense on high speed that took steam away from Detroit that handed them a second straight defeat.

Detroit’s loss to the Florida Panthers Saturday didn’t pan out the way the wanted but coming home was a positive moment for them. Their home win over the Sharks on Feb. 1 gave them reasons to perform well with two days off and a faceoff against their Original Six rivals. Howard earned the start where he hoped to snap four straight defeats. Much like many of their recent opponents, the Bruins are on a hot streak going 7-1-0 in their past eight games earning a point in their past 20. Tuukka Rask was the reason for many of their wins as he earned the start with a .942 save percentage.

The Red Wings challenged his strength in net with some scoring chances in the opening minutes of the period. The Finnish star reached out far to make some serious saves including one by Nick Jensen who played in his 100^th NHL game. Detroit stayed ahead of the Bruins on shots on goal but gave them chances to catch up with seven minutes left. They overtook Detroit adding plenty of physical hits to help their efforts of breaking Howard before the first finished up. They were denied of doing that as he stopped all 13 shots. While Detroit went quiet during the last part of the game, a defense was key to keeping the game scoreless through 20 minutes.

The Red Wings got another good start to open the second which then came in the shape of a power play 80 seconds in. It didn’t take their power play unit to get something going as they got the puck to the far end before bringing it back in where Martin Frk one timed the shot to score his ninth and first since Dec. 20. While his goal didn’t help increase the offense or stop that of Boston’s the mission of getting on the scoreboard first put pressure on the Bruins to do the same.

After stopping a play by the Red Wings, Boston was rewarded for their hard work with a three man play that ended with Sean Kuraly scoring his fourth at 12:11. It was their 20^th shot on Howard had a lot going on during that play for things to be even. Boston wanted more and did so gaining possession on a faceoff in the Detroit zone. The line worked well together pressuring the Red Wings defense that saw David Krejci scoring his tenth on a one-time centering shot.  The push that the Bruins created took Detroit out of it for a time before a 4 on 4 to close out the second saw them trying to pick up the pace but too late. They were once again outshot 11-5 with a lot needing to occur in order to level back and make the third period a priority.

Through seven minutes of play in the final stanza, Detroit had five shots but they couldn’t get on the pace they wanted to outplay and outscore the Bruins. It got much harder as Boston made it 3-1 at 11;39 with Danton Heinen scoring his 12^th easily on the Detroit netminder that took the wind out of the Red Wings. Rask was still stunning in net having allowed them a goal but denied every other opportunity Detroit got.

The situation was bad for the Red Wings as time was running out leading them to pull Howard from the net. They did everything with six men in play to get a goal and move closer in the margin. Frans Nielsen made the first move with 1:24 left as he got on a rebound in front of the net for his 12^th. With a minute to go, the Red Wings continued their relentless chances getting Howard out of the net after the center ice faceoff. They charged the puck close to the Boston net with Nielsen nearly getting the job done but Rask made a huge stop to stop play.

With 43.6 left in regulation, Detroit used their timeout with coach Jeff Blashill setting a play up for them with the faceoff taking place in the Boston zone. The Bruins won it going with a plan to keep it on the boards and kill time. Another chance was foiled by Boston who had Rask grabbing the puck on a wraparound attempt. He held it together for them to bring the game to a close earning his 22^nd win of the season.

The 30-year-old was clearly on a roll for himself stopping 26 on the night for a .929 save percentage helping his team gain two points. Howard ended his rough night in net stopping 28 but recording his 17^th loss. The Red Wings would try to brush it off as they continued their homestand against the New York Islanders Friday.

Red Wings lose close comeback to Panthers

Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his goal with teammate MacKenzie Weegar #52 during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the BB&T Center on February 3, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

A strange ending came at the end of the game that sent the Red Wings steaming at BB&T Center Saturday night. Calls for a penalty went unanswered as Jonathan Huberdeau scored the game winning goal that gave the Florida Panthers a 3-2 win. It gave them a four-game winning streak and a reach of the Red Wings who stand ahead of them in the standings. The loss snapped Detroit’s two game streak that saw them act slow after a back to back but were very much trying to compete.

Detroit’s victory on Friday night was not only important coming into Florida but also to their chances of keeping up the winning streak while facing Atlantic division foes. The Red Wings sought their fourth win on the road and goaltender Petr Mrazek back in net. His 1.02 GAA and .967 save percentage gave him so much confidence to do well once again. He would gain face a team that carried a three-game streak of victories after beating the Islanders and Sabres on the road. With the teams on a collision course where one would be defeated, the importance of starting on time would be the essential point.

Tomas Tatar wanted to be the one to get things started and nearly did so with a break ahead of Mike Matheson going a shot. While the puck went to the five hole of Harri Sateri, the puck never crossed the goal line. The Panthers got their push together after witnessing the threat thereby taking the role themselves. A good scoring chance from Huberdeau got something off of Aaron Ekblad where the puck rang through the net with the team knowing they scored which was then confirmed quickly. Ekblad got his 10^th of the season with Huberdeau accepting his 33^rd assist.

Detroit’s performance took a slide from that point forward as they struggled to keep a tight defense around Mrazek that nearly led the Panthers to widening the gap. Florida couldn’t heighten the strength but had an edge over Detroit through a majority of the period. When it was near a close, the Red Wings showed some frustration while they slowly gained shots at Sateri to try and put the offense back into gear. During 4 on 4 play, Detroit had possession of the puck but couldn’t create any further scoring chances.

The pace was still slow for the Red Wings and the Panthers who were struggling despite the home team having the lead. Through the first several minutes, Florida seemed to have the advantage but had difficulties breaking another goal through Mrazek. His relentlessness gave his team some pep to get some plays together and level the game. At 8:51, it was exactly what the Red Wing achieved as they came into the Panthers zone with a 3 on 2 chance. Frans Nielsen found defenseman Danny DeKeyser coming down the center line where he got the pass, eyed his aim and launched the puck high over the shoulder of Sateri for goals in two straight games.

Andreas Athanasiou got inspired to get himself back in the scoring sheet and nearly got Detroit it’s second of the night. Despite missing, the Red Wings were gaining a hold of control that had them shot for shot against Florida. The Panthers put a stop to it five minutes later when they got a break that led to Aleksander Barkov’s rifling of the puck that gave them back the lead for his 16^th of the year. It was their momentum that allowed them to stay out front for the duration of the period. They both had nine shots respectively with the Red Wing wanting to keep the game level.

Three minutes into the third period, they managed to do it a third time with DeKeyser scoring his second of the night. After a rebound came to the 27-year-old defenseman it went off his skate before getting a stick on it before it crossed the goal line making it a good goal. With both on a pace that made the game intense, fighting for the go ahead and possible game winning goal was very critical.

The Panthers almost had the job done in the final minutes where they had a shot very close to going in but instead moved all around the crease where both the Red Wings and the Panthers fought for it. A minute remained on the clock and the game was still tied. Florida went for a chance at making things happened while they had possession. A few tries on Mrazek led to a play where Huberdeau got in the crease of the Detroit netminder and bumped into the goaltender slightly.

As Mrazek fell back, Huberdeau hit the puck with his stick between the five hole to score it with 7.7 seconds left. A call from the league in Toronto challenged the call to have it looked at. After a few minutes, officials decided that there was no interference on Mrazek giving Florida the game in hand.

Coach Jeff Blashill lost his cool as well as Mrazek who came off the ice to give the Red Wings a sixth man. It wasn’t enough time for them to make anything of it thereby suffering a very tough loss. The team took their time to leave the ice in the hopes that something could be changed and that play could move into overtime. There was nothing more to be done as they reluctantly left the bench ending the night in controversy.

Despite being out of the chance for any points, they’ll try to get back at it when they host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Red Wings score unanswered goals to beat Hurricanes

Members of the Detroit Red Wings celebrate a goal scored by Danny DeKeyser #65 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period of an NHL game on February 2, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Red Wings saw a lot of parts come together to dominate on a Friday night at PNC Arena. Darren Helm got three points on the night that helped Detroit down the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. The consecutive victory gave them a lot of momentum with plenty of shots that saw them score all unanswered; overwhelming Scott Darling in net for the home team. Petr Mrazek got back to back wins for his seventh this season.

Detroit’s shootout win over the Sharks on Wednesday gave them a lot of confidence to make the short road trip in the southeast successful. Mrazek earned another back to back start after his terrific performance and a 1.02 GAA while going 3-0-1. Cam Ward had been helping Carolina who sat on a three-game winning streak but would not start. With the Red Wings in another goaltender battle they would need to see the lamp lit from some of their best and gain a footing in the division standings.

Before they gained a grip of any kind, the Hurricanes moved quick to gain shots at the puck and Mrazek in net. They got an even bigger push of offense as Dylan Larkin took a penalty at 6:19. With a lot of action from Carolina, they made it happen on a second opportunity that got on the stick of Sebastian Aho who scored with three seconds self on the man advantage. It was his 18^th of the season and the best way to get ahead of the Red Wings.

Detroit picked up the pace and competed well pressuring Darling who locked them out on the glove side. They got even at eight shots apiece with six minutes on the clock as tensions were running high. Detroit focused on the mission at hand and nearly halfway through the remaining time, they got the game tied with Danny DeKeyser scoring his second of the season on a deflection that got through over the left shoulder of Darling. “Anytime I can get a chance to put the puck on the net it’s what I’m gonna try to do,” said DeKeyser who scored for the first time in 18 games. “Luckily that one found its way in.”

The Red Wings were still on the hunt for a second nearly getting one with Jordan Staal snapping the stick of Gustav Nyquist to avoid that happening. Carolina took a penalty for it where they nearly made up for it with a big steal from Joakim Nordstrom who went on the breakaway that Mrazek saved. With everything looking well rounded, the Red Wings finished the period outshooting the Hurricanes 16-13 getting a lot more pucks to the net.

They were having trouble repeating in the second as the Hurricanes got ahead on shots during the second period holding Detroit to one through four minutes. It all changed as Trevor Daley earned back to back goals with a drive at center that gave him his fifth for the Red Wings. It was a well set up pass for the defenseman that lit a fire under Detroit to overtake the Hurricanes by the eight-minute mark.

They were both on one another as the Red Wings played to defend their score while trying to increase it as well. The remainder of the second period saw Detroit’s Darren Helm trying to get a breakaway style attempt but he was unable to push forward enough. Despite coming up short individually, Detroit managed to play well throughout to stay ahead as the period came to a close. Both teams had 11 shots on one another with the third period having a goal stand as the margin.

The Hurricanes knew of the situation and jumped on the puck shooting four times through four minutes wanting nothing more than to tie the game. They didn’t help their chances handing Detroit a power play that they couldn’t convert on. Instead of letting it get on their nerves, the Red Wings kept up with their even strength play where captain Henrik Zetterberg pulled off a back check for possession. He made the pass to Nyquist who went in on Darling to fire the puck scoring his 15^th and first in nine games. Zetterberg earned the assist that moved him into fifth on the all-time Red Wings for career assists with 605.

The two-goal lead for them was a good sign of taking things under control to complete the game in regulation. Detroit handed their opponents a chance to regain lost ground on another power play that went sour two minutes later. On a loose puck in the neutral zone, Helm came out of the box to get on the puck to go on an easy breakaway. He ripped the puck into the net that made it 4-1 for his fifth and three points on the night.

He nearly had another breakaway chance but it was quickly foiled by the Hurricanes who were already defeated but not ready to go down any worse. They played the final minutes where the Red Wings didn’t get anymore but finished strong to get a road trip on the right start. Mrazek finished 60 minutes of play with 36 saves for a .973 save percentage.

“I think tonight we played really well,” Mrazek said to Fox Sports Detroit reporter John Keating after the game. “We did lots of things right that we wanted to do. The guys did a great in front of me. The second penalty kill in the third period was important for us up 3-1 and it was a good job by our guys near the net.”

Darling got rocked through the last 43:39 where he faced 38 shots stopping 34 that gave him a save percentage below 90 percent. While they start from scratch Detroit would try their best to complete the two game away run facing the Florida Panthers Saturday night.