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Boston Bruins

Bruins dig themselves in too deep in loss to Red Wings

By Ty Anderson
Mar 12, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Adam Erne (73) scores a goal on Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The arenas changed, but the opponent and the start remained the same for the Bruins on Sunday.

Matched up against a desperate Detroit squad for the second day in a row, the Bruins once again quickly found themselves in an 0-2 hole behind power-play and shorthanded markers from the Red Wings. If we learned anything from yesterday’s comeback win at TD Garden, it’s that a two-goal deficit was nothin’ for this team.

But this time around, the Bruins could not find that next gear to pull themselves in it before the hole was dug too deep to the tune of an 0-4 hole deficit, and instead fell by a 5-3 final at Little Caesars Arena.

  • Up one through 20 minutes of play after Alex Chiasson’s second power-play goal in as many games against the Bruins this weekend, the Red Wings then doubled their edge just 6:34 into the middle frame when Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider picked Bruins winger David Pastrnak’s pocket at the attacking blue line for a shorthanded breakaway strike on Jeremy Swayman.

    In addition to this being the Black and Gold’s second shorthanded goal against in their last two games, it also made Seider just the ninth defenseman to score a shorthanded goal against the Bruins since 2005.

  • The Wings continued to pour it on Swayman and the Bruins in the middle frame, and struck for another two tallies, with markers from Dylan Larkin and Adam Erne within a 4:29 stretch.

    “I thought our second was very much like our first,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after the loss. “We just didn’t have the same compete level on one-on-one pucks, and we weren’t first on pucks. I thought Detroit out-skated us and outworked us.”

    Larkin’s goal was good for Detroit’s second power-play goal of the afternoon, making it the first night of at least two power-play strikes against the B’s league-best penalty kill since Dec. 17, 2022. Overall, it was just the Black and Gold’s fifth night of at least two power-play goals against this season.

  • But given some late-period life with a Matt Grzelcyk goal to cut the deficit to three through 40 minutes of play, the Bruins went for another balls-to-the-wall comeback push in the third period of play.

    A Jake DeBrusk snipe at the 3:37 mark of the third period brought the Bruins within two with plenty of time on the clock, and a Pastrnak shot through the Red Wings’ Ville Husso made the B’s hopes real and made it a one-goal game with 13:36 remaining in the third period.

  • From there, the Bruins did absolutely everything they could to get Husso & Co. to break, with eight of the game’s 10 shots on Husso before Andrew Copp sealed things for the Wings with an empty-net dagger.

    The goal obviously wiped out the Bruins’ comeback hopes, and came with plenty of near-goal chances to linger in the B’s heads, from Pavel Zacha’s near-strike to countless net-front jams from all four lines.

    The Wings’ Husso captured the victory with a solid 30-of-33 outing in the Detroit crease, while Swayman took the loss with four goals on 25 shots faced.

  • Mar 12, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta (2) battle for the puck during the first period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

    Mar 12, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta (2) battle for the puck during the first period at Little Caesars Arena. (Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports)

  • On an injury front, the Bruins played this game without defenseman Hampus Lindholm available. The 6-foot-4 Lindholm is dealing with a foot injury sustained on a blocked shot in Saturday’s win, but should be good to go for the B’s next contest, according to Montgomery.

    The Bruins also made a midgame roster move and assigned Jakub Lauko back to Providence. Lauko had joined the team for their trip to Detroit as an emergency recall.

    The Bruins will return to work Tuesday night with what should be a classic ‘get right’ tilt against the Blackhawks.

Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Bruins. 

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has been covering the Bruins since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

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