Red Wings Roll to 6-1 Win Over Bruins in Opener of Home-and-Home Series at Garden

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Feb 11, 2011

Red Wings Roll to 6-1 Win Over Bruins in Opener of Home-and-Home Series at Garden Final, Red Wings 6-1: This one mercifully comes to a close for the Bruins, who couldn't get anything going against the Red Wings nor do much to slow the Detroit attack.

They'll get another chance on Sunday when the clubs complete the home-and-home series in Detroit.

Third Period, 17:27, Red Wings 6-1: Milan Lucic rings the pipe from the high slot. Nothing going right for the Bruins on this night.

Third Period, 13:51, Red Wings 6-1: The Red Wings convert the two-man advantage, with Tomas Holmstrom scoring from the top of the crease off a pass from the right corner by Jiri Hudler.

Third Period, 13:09, Red Wings 5-1: Now Chara gets called for hooking, giving Detroit a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:09.

Third Period, 12:18, Red Wings 5-1: Brad Marchand drops the gloves to go with Patrick Eaves, but not surprisingly Eaves refuses to go. Marchand gets two for roughing, the Red WIngs look poised to go 23 straight games without a fight.

Third Period, 10:41, Red Wings 5-1: The Bruins still stuck on two shots in the third more than halfway through the period. That's not the way to come back from a four-goal deficit.

Third Period, 8:32, Red Wings 5-1: The Bruins aren't making any headway in their efforts to cut into this lead, and time is running out to make a game of this one. Boston has actually been outshot 8-2 so far in the third.

Third Period, 6:45, Red Wings 5-1: Thomas looks sharp after coming on in relief, making back-to-back tough saves there.

Third Period, 4:15, Red Wings 5-1: Blake Wheeler just threw his biggest hit of the year. Unfortunately it was on linemate Zach hamill, as the two collided in front of the Bruins net with Hamill taking the worst of it.

Third Period, 2:25, Red Wings 5-1: Thomas makes the save on Detroit's first shot of the period. It's a start.

Third Period, 1:00, Red Wings 5-1: The Bruins kill off the rest of Horton's penalty. Also, Tim Thomas replaced Rask to start the third in Boston's goal.

Third Period, 0:00, Red Wings 5-1: The final frame is under way, with the Bruins needing a strong start to have any chance at a comeback. At the very least, they need a statement period to show they can compete with the Wings heading into Sunday's rematch in Detroit.

Brick's Keys to the Third: Just spent a few minutes with NESN analyst Andy Brickley for his take on what he's seen so far in this one and what the Bruins need to do in the third:

"I thought the power-play goal at the end of the first might have woke the Bruins up," Brickley said. "The first 15 minutes they were not sharp at all, but the power-play goal was encouraging. Then that first goal in the second period was very deflating. A total lack of coverage. The Bruins know what they need to play with, and they just are not generating enough of it tonight.

"I tip my cap to Detroit. They have been very impressive. Mike Babcock said their last game was unacceptable and embarrassing, and he certainly has his players' attention tonight. But that said, they are just 5-6-1 in their last 12, so they do have some doubt there.If the Bruins can cut into this lead, they can play on that doubt. But they have to be within 5-3 by the 10-minute mark."

End Second Period, Red Wings 5-1: And that period mercifully comes to a close for the Bruins, who have no answer for Detroit's speed and depth so far in this one.

Second Period, 18:23, Red Wings 5-1: The Bruins are shorthanded again, as Nathan Horton takes a slashing penalty retaliating for a hit by Jonathan Ericsson.

Second Period, 16:38, Red Wings 5-1: The Wings add another one as Rask mishandles a dump-in and Todd Bertuzzi banks it in off Rask from behind the goal line.

Second Period, 16:14, Red Wings 4-1: The Wings take advantage of their power play, as Henrik Zetterberg steps out from behind the net and pops one in with a backhander at the left post.

Second Period, 15:22, Red Wings 3-1: After the Bruins nearly score in front, Recchi can't keep the puck in at the point and has to take a hooking penalty as Darren Helm breaks in alone for a shorthanded bid.

Second Period, 13:55, Red Wings 3-1: The Bruins get another power-play chance as Jakub Kindl is called for holding. Good work by the Hamill line led to that penalty. That unit, with Wheeler and Ryder, has had several strong shifts in a row here in the second period.

Second Period, 12:22, Red Wings 3-1: Marchand breaks in for a chance in close, but Howard makes the save. The Bruins have actually taken over the lead in shots with that bid, leading 15-14.

Second Period, 10:02, Red Wings 3-1: Strong penalty kill by the Bruins, who really needed that.

Second Period, 8:02, Red Wings 3-1: Delay here at the Garden as some repairs to the glass need to be done.

Second Period, 8:02, Red Wings 3-1: The Bruins have a big penalty kill here, as they can't afford to fall further behind. Patrice Bergeron is headed to the box for two minutes for high-sticking.

Second Period, 5:26, Red Wings 3-1: Lidstrom shows his smarts as he ducks out of the way of a big hit attempt by Nathan Horton, but Krejci does connect on Niklas Kronwall in the corner.

Second Period, 3:45, Red Wings 3-1: First sign of any rough stuff, as Michael Ryder shoves with Justin Abdelkader after taking an extra jab at Howard tying up the puck following Ryder's redirection of a Steven Kampfer point shot.

Second Period, 1:09, Red Wings 3-1: And the Wings score on their first shot of the second period as well.

This time it's Jiri Hudler scoring on a one-timer from one knee along the goal line to the right of the net off a pass by Henrik Zetterberg.

Second Period, 0:00, Red Wings 2-1: The middle frame is under way here at the Garden, with the Bruins needing a better start than the last period.

First Intermission Notes: This wasn't the start the Bruins were looking for, though it wasn't exactly surprising to see the Red Wings come out strong after being called out for their recent lackluster play by coach Mike Babcock.

The Bruins contributed to Detroit's early success with far too many turnovers and sloppy plays, and were no match for Detroit's speed early.

After giving up goals on Detroit's first two shots, Tuukka Rask settled down and kept the Bruins in it with some big saves. Detroit outshot Boston 12-7 in the period, but the Bruins closed the gap as they finally struck on the power play.

Boston came in hoping to play a physical game against the Wings and they are outhitting them 11-4 so far, but it's down little to slow the Detroit attack. The Bruins will need to tighten up their defensive play considerably to come back and pull this one out.

End First Period, Red Wings 2-1: The opening 20 minutes are in the books, and the Bruins survived some sloppy play and a strong start by the Red Wings and are fortunate to go into the break down just a goal.

First Period, 17:53, Red Wings 2-1: A broken stick is the first break Boston gets, as Zdeno Chara breaks his stick on a shot from the right point.

Milan Lucic collects the puck to the right of the net and passes out to David Krejci in the right slot, and Krejci tucks it in behind Howard for a power-play strike.

First Period, 16:24, Red Wings 2-0: Some nice PK work by Blake Wheeler draws a hooking call on Brian Rafalski to even the sides.

First Period, 15:29, Red Wings 2-0: Adam McQuaid is called for hooking, giving the Wings the first power-play opportunity of the night.

First Period, 15:01, Red Wings 2-0: Brad Marchand wipes out attempting a spin move in the Detroit zone, turning the puck over for a Wings odd-man break the other way, stopped only because the Wings went offsides on the play.

First Period, 13:29, Red Wings 2-0: The Wings nearly strike again, as Cleary comes in alone on a breakaway, but Rask makes the stop.

First Period, 12:18, Red Wings 2-0: The Bruins have settled things down a bit and limited Detroit's chances, but they've yet to create many opportunities of their own.

First Period, 9:49, Red Wings 2-0: The Bruins have turned in one of their worst starts of the season so far, as Detroit is totally dominating this game. The Wings a step ahead of the Bruins on almost every play, and Boston is helping them with way too many turnovers and sloppy plays.

First Period, 7:30, Red Wings 2-0: Rask has settled down and made some big stops to keep this one from getting totally out of hand early, but he's being left out to dry by the Bruins defense so far.

First Period, 4:08, Red Wings 2-0: Rask gets the Bronx cheer as he ties up the puck in the crease, Rough return to action for Rask in this one.

First Period, 3:10, Red Wings 2-0: It's two shots and two goals for the Red Wings as Danny Cleary scores exactly two minutes after Bertuzzi.

Cleary banged it home from the top of the crease off a feed from Jiri Hudler.

First Period, 1:10, Red Wings 1-0: The Red Wings strike quickly, with Todd Bertuzzi scoring on the Wings' first shot of the game.

Bertuzzi beat Rask with a blast from the right circle.

First Period, 0:33, 0-0: Bergeron with an early chance in front, but his backhander goes wide.

First Period, 0:00, 0-0: And this Original Six clash is under way at the Garden.

7:05 p.m.: Loud ovation for Lowell's "Irish" Micky Ward as he comes out for ceremonial puck drop at center ice.

Too bad Detroits doesn't have a fighter to put on a show for the boxing legend in this one.

7 p.m.: As they usually do, the Bruins will start the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi in this one, with Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid on defense and Tuukka Rask in net.

The Red Wings counter with Jiri Hudler, Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary up front, Nicklas Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson on the blue line and Jimmy Howard in net.

6:55 p.m.: No surprises with the scratches, as Tyler Seguin and Mark Stuart are out for Boston as expected, along with Daniel Paille, who will be serving the third game of his four-game suspension.

Detroit has scratched Jan Mursak and Valtteri Filppula, both of whom are battling injuries.

6:45 p.m.: No changes in the lines for Boston in warm-ups, with the forward lines staying:

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi

Wheeler-Hamill-Ryder

Caron-Campbell-Thornton

Defense pairs:

Chara-Kampfer

Seidenberg-McQuaid

Ference-Boychuk

Those drills were skated to the accompaniment of Johnny Boychuk's new pre-game playlist that he debuted Wednesday. It's an eclectic mix that includes the Dropkick Murphys, Snoop, Against Me and Rise Against. It worked on Wednesday with the Bruins' 8-6 win, so why not try it again.

6:30 p.m.: After an entertaining interview session with Lowell boxing great Micky Ward, who is on hand to drop the puck for this one, it's back up to the ninth floor for warm-ups, where Tuukka Rask and Jimmy Howard did lead their teams out onto the ice.

That will be the goaltending matchup for this one, as two of last year's top rookie netminders will face each other as sophomores to open this home-and-home series.

6 p.m.: The Bruins and Red Wings don't face each other often anymore with Detroit in the Western Conference, but they will get to know to each other this weekend, as they open a home-and-home series at the Garden in about an hour.

Claude Julien stated after the optional skate in the morning that there would be no lineup changes, so Tyler Seguin and Mark Stuart will remain healthy scratches against the Red Wings.

Tim Thomas participated in the optional skate, while Tuukka Rask did not. That would seem to indicate that Rask will get the start in this one, setting up Michigan native Thomas to start in hishome state when the Bruins play at Detroit in the rematch on Sunday.

8 a.m.: The Bruins thrilled the Garden faithful with a wild 8-6 win over Montreal on Wednesday, and will look to build off that team-bonding victory as they welcome another Original Six rival to Boston as Detroit comes to town on Friday.

It's the opening of a rare home-and-home series with the Western Conference power, as the Bruins then head to Detroit for the rematch on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Wings come in holding their customary spot atop the Central Division with a 32-16-6 record, but Detroit has struggled of late. The Wings have lost three of their last four games and been outscored 12-4 in that span. They were blanked by identical 3-0 scores by Columbus and Nashville, and after beating the Rangers 3-2, they fell to Nashville again by a 4-1 count on Wednesday.

"When everything's clicking for them, they're a very good offensive team, so you've got to be careful," Bruins goalie and Michigan native Tim Thomas said. "But they've been struggling lately, so I think we'd like to take advantage of that and play solid and strong in all areas of the ice and not let them get anything started."

The Red Wings engaged in a long and arduous practice on Thursday before departing for Boston, as coach Mike Babcock tries to snap his club out of its recent funk. The Bruins are well aware that Detroit is certainly capable of breaking out at any time.

"This is a team that has a lot of experience," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "A lot of guys on that team have won Stanley Cups. We need to make sure we're playing with lots of energy, and we're going to have to play really smart. That's the approach you have to take."

The puck drops for this one at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.

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