Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Win Special Teams Battle to Beat Bruins, 5-3

Published

1 year ago

March 12, 2023

The Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings Saturday to become the first team in NHL history to reach 50 wins in only 64 games. On Sunday, the same Red Wings handed the Bruins their first Atlantic Division loss since Jan. 26

The Red Wings won the battle of the special teams, scoring two power play goals and a Moritz Seider shorthanded tally, to beat Boston 5-3. Ville Husso was strong in net for the Red Wings. Alex Chiasson, Dylan Larkin, Adam Erne and Andrew Copp also scored for Detroit. Copp’s goal was an empty-netter to assure the win. He also won key defensive zone faceoffs in the closing moments when the Bruins were pressing for the tying goal.

“We got a little loose, but when it got to 4-3 we really dug in,” said Red Wings captain Larkin who posted two assists to go with his goal. “We just battled and got the job done. That starts with (Husso) in net. He made some big saves.”

25 goals and counting for Dylan Larkin this season

Video: @DetroitRedWings pic.twitter.com/9as59Vig6E

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 12, 2023

Husso needed 30 saves to preserve the win, and 26 came over the final 40 minutes of the game. The Bruins’ last division loss before today was a 2-1 setback to the Tampa Bay Lightning since Jan. 26.

“We never backed down,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We were really competitive.”

Boston owns the third period this season. Coming into the game, the Bruins were +49 in the third period this season. They came from behind to win Saturday’s game and worked hard to do it again Sunday. Jake DeBrusk stripped a puck from Moritz Seider and scored on a breakaway at 3:37 of the third period to make it a two-goal game.

Larkin Registers Three Points

Larkin came close to restoring the three-goal lead when he hit the post on a breakaway.. That looked costly when David Pastrnak scored to make it a 4-3 game at 6:24 of the period.

But the Red Wings were able to play with some confidence. They scored three power play goals and two shorthanded goals over the six periods against Boston.

“Great win,” said Detroit coach Derek Lalonde. “We got rewarded today with an outcome. But our six periods as a whole (against the Bruins over two games) were great outside of the second period (Saturday) when the guys were on their heels.”

This was Tyler Bertuzzi’s first game in in Detroit since he was traded on March 3. The Red Wings played a video tribute to him on its big replay screen. Otherwise, the reunion wasn’t a factor in the game. Bertuzzi even got to play on the top line with David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron, but still didn’t produce a point. The Red Wings kept him off the score sheet for the second consecutive game.

The late-season promotion of Alex Chiasson continues to pay dividends for the Red Wings. He scored a power play goal for the second consecutive game. He has two goals and two assists in the five games since replaced his minor-league contract with an NHL deal. Chiasson has played 636 NHL games.