BSJ Game Report: Red Wings 3, Bruins 1 - B’s fall again to worst team in NHL

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-1 loss to the Red Wings in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

HEADLINES

B’s win streak snapped in brutal fashion: Yes, the Bruins might have been on the second leg of a back-to-back slate when they took to the ice Sunday afternoon in Detroit. But given both Boston’s pedigree and the level of competition down the other end of the ice, the Bruins’ 3-1 loss at the hands of the lowly Red Wings is a brutal hit. The Bruins, still atop the NHL standings with 80 points secured, have now lost five straight games to the Red Wings — including a pair of regulation losses at Little Caesars Arena this season. Yes, two of Boston’s 11 regulation losses ALL YEAR are to a Detroit team that “improved” their record to 14-39-4 on Sunday. Yuck. 

The play of Detroit netminder Jonathan Bernier factored heavily into Sunday’s result, given that Boston outshot the Red Wings, 40-20, on the afternoon. But



a lackluster showing from the power play (0-for-4) deflated the B’s offensive efforts, especially after Boston failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3 sequence in the first period that stretched over 1:18 of ice time. 

Torey Krug’s equalizer just 33 seconds into the third period provided some hope that the Bruins were finally going to be able to land some punches against Bernier over the final frame, but a power-play tally from Andreas Athanasiou less than seven minutes later gave Detroit the lead for good — with Athanasiou twisting the knife again off of an empty-net tally with 29 seconds to go in regulation. 

Of the 11 teams that Detroit has beaten this year, six of them are currently not in the NHL playoff picture (Montreal, Nashville, Anaheim, Ottawa, San Jose and Buffalo). The other unlucky five playoff clubs saddled with a loss to Detroit? Edmonton, Dallas, Vegas, Winnipeg and Boston, now twice in regulation. Boston’s six-game win streak had to end sooner or later, but in this fashion? Yeeesh. 

Offside challenge continues to hurt game: Just a few days after the Bruins miraculously won an offside challenge against the Canucks on Tuesday, it seemed rather inevitable that this horrid rule was going to swing the other way against Boston’s fortunes in short order. Such was the case on Sunday, as Brad Marchand’s potential equalizer in the second period was eventually taken off the board after Detroit challenged for offsides. Following an absurdly long review, the officials ruled that the goal was negated after Patrice Bergeron did not get off the ice quick enough before the puck was dumped into Detroit’s side of the ice. 

https://twitter.com/BruinsDiehards/status/1226580559574507520

We can only waste so many words harping on how foolish this rule is, but from just a pure entertainment perspective, I still don’t know what the NHL benefits from when it comes to taking goals like these off the board, and subjecting fans to 5+ minutes of video reviews in the process. 

TWO UP

Tuukka Rask: For as much as the Bruins have stressed limiting Rask’s workload, they didn’t have much of an option on Sunday afternoon — as expected starter Jaroslav Halak was a late scratch in the matchup due to an upper-body injury (initially ruled as an illness by Bruins PR). As a result, Rask started two games in two days for the first time since March 20-21, 2017. Rask would likely want to have that first goal back against Brendan Perlini, but there was not much he was going to do to stop Athanasiou’s power-play strike. He finished with 18 saves on the afternoon. 

Torey Krug: The Michigan native was one of the few skaters that was able to beat Bernier on Sunday (sorry Marchand), tallying Boston’s lone goal of the afternoon after crashing the net and tapping home a nice feed from David Pastrnak. 

THREE DOWN

 Power Play: Not going to win many games with a shot map like this over 5:24 of power-play TOI.



Special teams were poised to be a mismatch in Sunday’s matinee, given that Detroit’s PK ranks 28th in the league with a success rate of just 74.3%. But Boston was unable to cash in on any of its four stints on the power play, headlined by that extended 5v3 sequence in the closing minutes of the first period. 

NHL Department of Player Safety: The NHL Department of Player Safety issued its ruling on Jeremy Lauzon for his illegal hit to the head of Coyotes forward Derek Stepan on Saturday night — with the league suspending the B’s defenseman for a pair of games for the infraction. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1226248344764395520

While additional discipline was to be expected for Lauzon after getting assessed a match penalty last night, two games does seem a bit harsh — given that Lauzon doesn’t have much of a negative reputation during his short time in the NHL, and the fact that Stepan later returned to the game. 

The league did have every right to suspend Lauzon, but the Bruins might have a bone to pick with the fact that Coyotes winger Lawson Crouse committed a similar hit on Charlie McAvoy and was only handed two minutes for roughing. This league, sometimes. 

https://twitter.com/emarinofsky/status/1226255502222462978

Chris Wagner: Hope was not lost for the Bruins down the stretch, as Boston managed to land 12 shots in against Bernier during the third period. The best chance of the period — and of the game — for the Bruins came from Chris Wagner, who was gifted with an open net off of a fantastic feed from Charlie McAvoy. Alas, Wagner’s shot inexplicably sailed wide, preserving Detroit’s lead. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1226596369365917696

PLAY OF THE GAME

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1226589880194609152

PARTING THOUGHTS

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1226584133763305472

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will resume play back at the friendly confines of TD Garden on Wednesday night, with Boston set to host the Montreal Canadiens for the final time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.