By Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter @adbblue
The Boston Bruins suffered their first loss in regulation Saturday night, falling 5-4 to the Detroit Red Wings. After a strong start for the Bruins, building a 2-0 lead, the wheels came off.
The Red Wings controlled much of the game through the second and third periods and limited Boston’s offensive zone time. Overall, it was a very undisciplined performance in too many areas.
The start of the first period was uneventful, as neither team could generate any offense. That changed, however, when David Pastrnak threw a puck on net that Red Wings goalie Ville Husso wasn’t able to tie up. James Van Riemsdyk found the loose puck and buried it for a 1-0 lead.
Boston extended their lead when Matt Poitras absolutely undressed Husso and tucked it home to make it 2-0. Detroit got the first power-play opportunity of the game after Parker Wotherspoon was called for holding, but the dominant Bruins penalty kill fended it off. The Red Wings got another chance on the man advantage after Brandon Carlo took an interference penalty, and they cashed in.
Lucas Raymond got the Wings on the board, beating Linus Ullmark to make things 2-1. It was only the second power-play goal the Bruins have allowed this season. Boston got a power-play chance of their own but did not capitalize. Ullmark was solid in net, making 11 first-period saves. Detroit outshot the Bruins in the opening frame, 13 to 12.
The Red Wings had the upper hand for most of the second period and went on the power-play three times. On their third opportunity with the man advantage, Jake Walman tied the game at 2-2 on a one-timer that went top-shelf past Ullmark.
Boston answered on one of their few chances in the second period when Jake DeBrusk found Charlie Coyle down low for a tap-in goal. That gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead. The Red Wings continued to apply pressure, pinning Boston back in their own end. Detroit had the shots on goal advantage 8 to 4 in the period.
The Red Wings continued their heavy offensive pressure into the third period. The Bruins had a bit of a pushback, but after a miscommunication at the blue line, Dylan Larkin zoomed down the left wing and beat Ullmark to tie the game 3-3. The Wings struck again on a second chance opportunity when David Perron slipped one under Ullmark for a 4-3 lead.
Just under two minutes later, Detroit extended their lead to 5-3 after Andrew Copp put home a rebound that went off the crossbar. The Bruins got one back when David Pastrnak scored a power-play goal to make it a 5-4 game. Boston had any chance of tying the game late evaporated when they took three straight penalties in the final two minutes of the game.
It was a tough one to swallow for the Black and Gold after blowing a first-period two-goal lead. Boston is now 9-1-1 in their Centennial season. Next, they’ll head to Dallas to take on the Stars Monday night for an 8:00 p.m. puck drop.
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