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If there’s one thing that could cure the home woes of the Boston Bruins, a team with just one win in seven games at TD Garden this year, it’s a visit from the Detroit Red Wings.
With wins in each of their last four games against the Red Wings, and without a loss to Detroit on Boston ice since Oct. 2013 (and just three regulation losses in Detroit’s last 10 trips to the Hub), the Black and Gold have found ways to consistently bring their best to the rink against an Original Six rival.
“We’ve played well against them. I think there’s a big amount of respect that goes toward that team because of their skating ability, their skill ability with the puck, there’s a lot of experience there, they’ve always been a good team and they continue to be a good team,… B’s coach Claude Julien said.
“I think there’s been a real great amount of respect so that we’ve prepared ourselves in regard to that. And we know we have to have our A game. You know we’ve been able to have, more or less, our A games against them or beat them. And that’s been the biggest key to trying to beat the Red Wings.…
Detroit comes to Boston on night two of a back-to-back that began with last night’s 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks at Joe Louis Arena. It was a loss in which the Wings did a lot of things right, or so you’d think -- they surrendered just 14 shots on goal in total and just three in the third period, both season-bests -- and saw the return of crafty centerman Pavel Datsyuk (ankle).
Datsyuk, who will pass former Bruin Sergei Samsonov and move in eighth for most NHL games played by a Russian-born player tonight, logged 20:53 in his season debut, and peppered the San Jose net for four shots on goal. And while Datsyuk has suited up for just game this season, the Bruins are all too familiar with the 37-year-old (Datsyuk has three goals and 14 points in 15 career games against the B’s) and his undeniable game-changing ability if you give him time and space.
“His smarts on the ice,… Boston alternate captain Patrice Bergeron said when asked about Datsyuk’s keys to success. “It doesn’t matter if it’s offensively or defensively -- he’s so deceptive with the puck and without it he’s always going to battle for it and find ways to take it away from us, so he’s a very smart player, and I think that’s his biggest attribute.…
But even with the return of Datsyuk, this is a Detroit club that played last night. And that, theoretically, should give an advantage to the B’s. But after being on the wrong side of hosting a seemingly tired team that lost the night before -- the Bruins’ home losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars are two games that stick out -- Julien doesn’t want his team to focus on that heading into tonight’s tilt.
“To me those back-to-backs to me mean absolutely nothing right now. I mean we’ve played back-to-back and you know we’ve handled those back-to-backs well. We’ve won both I think, our second game in two nights and won three of the four,… Julien said of Detroit’s travel and his own club’s success when it’s come to back-to-back affairs. “Guys are in good shape now, they’re not skating this morning they’re at the hotel or whatever getting some rest and preparing for tonight so there’s no issues there.
“There’s no reason there for us to even think that we’re going to take advantage of that because I think it’s more about how are we going to play our game and wear them out as the game goes on but I don’t think it will have anything to do with the fact that they played last night.…
This will be the first of four head-to-head meetings between the Bruins and Wings this season.
On the second leg of a back-to-back, the Red Wings turn to Petr Mrazek. The Wings’ 1B -- or maybe their 1A depending on who you ask and how they feel Jimmy Howard played in his last game -- the 23-year-old comes into Boston on the heels of a brilliant performance in his last start, a 38-of-38 shutout win against the Caps on Nov. 11. Mrazek’s been excellent for Detroit this year, with five wins and a .938 save percentage in eight starts. This will be just Mrazek’s second career start against the Bruins. He took a loss against the B’s last season in a 22-of-25 showing on Apr. 2 at Joe Louis Arena.
The Bruins will counter with Tuukka Rask. It will be the third straight start for the 28-year-old, who took the loss on Thursday night, stopping 27-of-30 against to the Colorado Avalanche in a 3-2 defeat, and comes into tonight’s contest with just one victory in seven home games this season. Rask enters play with four wins and an .893 save percentage in 10 career starts against the Red Wings.
- Boston winger Loui Eriksson has 15 goals and 27 points in 35 games against the Wings.
- B’s top-line center David Krejci has been held without a point in four of his last six games.
- The Bruins have scored a power-play goal in eight straight games.
- Henrik Zetterberg has six goals and 14 points in 17 career games against the Bruins.
- Rookie forward Dylan Larkin leads all Detroit skaters with 40 shots on net this year.
Other news and notes
Defenseman Colin Miller (lower-body) is not available for the Bruins tonight according to Julien, so expect Zach Trotman to suit up in his place. The 23-year-old Miller, a fixture on the Bruins’ second power play unit opposite Zdeno Chara, has one goal and seven assists in 14 games this year.
“I think it’s more being cautious,… Julien said of the Miller situation.
“He is injured, but [we’re] being cautious. I think in certain situations he could have played.…
For the fourth game in a row, Boston’s Joe Morrow will be a healthy scratch.
The Red Wings come into town without veterans Johan Franzen (post-concussion symptoms), Kyle Quincey (ankle), and Brad Richards (back). Landon Ferraro has missed the last three games, too, with an apparent knee injury.
Detroit has not won in Boston since Oct. 14, 2013.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.