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First Period:
Boston and Detroit had an uneasy first five minutes, both sides trading chances and zone time...right up until the 15 minute mark. By which point, the Bruins completely overtook the Flying Tires in practically every way.
They won battles, they got great chances...but nothing came of it. Being unselfish was good for team play but quite frankly, it might've cost them the opening goal this game. Granted, the play of Jimmy Howard was stellar all game long, so maybe he'd have gotten those would-be shots too. The period ended 0-0, but shots and chances were very much on Boston's side, clearly everything was looking up!
Second Period:
So hey...Martin Frk is a funny name. Heh heh...yeah.
Charlie McAvoy took a hooking penalty to start the period, and Frk found an opening in Rask's body to put the Wings up 1-0.
...yeah, not Rask's proudest moment, but he'd mostly redeem himself over the course of this game.
Thankfully, like so many games recently, Boston made fighting back a priority, and did so with a fantastic sequence in front of Howard, culminating in David Pastrnak floating a perfect pass right to Sean Kuraly, who put it home to tie this game up at 1!
Kuraly off of the sneaky no look Pasta dish ties the game at 1!https://t.co/fw0Pavuz67
— StanleyCup ofChowder (@cupofchowdah) February 7, 2018
That pass was so pretty it kicked a supermodel off of the cover of Vogue.
Things kept going Boston's way, as they hammered Howard with chances until David Krejci's line created a net-man scramble, and Krejci wound up and blasted it right into the net, putting the B's on top 2-1!
David Krejci cleans up the garbage in the high slot, and the Bruins go up 2-1https://t.co/YERz3XzTUI
— StanleyCup ofChowder (@cupofchowdah) February 7, 2018
There were plenty of ways where that could've gone for Detroit...but David Krejci is a chronomancer, and so erased all other alternatives.
Boston finished the period ahead in most categories: goals, shots, and chances.
Third Period:
Danton Heinen for most of this game had been begging for a goal, getting all sorts of great shots on, but either the post or Howard would thwart him. But not anymore, as he put a rocket past Detroit's starter to put Boston up 3-1
Danton Heinen, from Austin Czarnik and Sean Kuraly, and the Bruins get the insurance goalhttps://t.co/InyHPJTwbC
— StanleyCup ofChowder (@cupofchowdah) February 7, 2018
Great hustle by Czarnik, too.
But as things wound down, Boston got hemmed in their own zone for a bit, and while Howard left his net, Frans Nielsen managed to get a rebpund and make this game 3-2
Frans Nielsen roofs the rebound, and the Red Wings cut the Bruins lead to 1 with 90 seconds to gohttps://t.co/9usWkNbosj
— StanleyCup ofChowder (@cupofchowdah) February 7, 2018
Thankfully, Rask made the next big vital stop, and Boston walked away with 2 points in regulation.
Game Notes:
- Big night for Danton Heinen who was finally rewarded with a goal for his strong effort.
- The 4th line's first shift of the game was brutal, and they spent the rest of the game making you forget it ever happened. What a night by those guys.
- For awhile, Tuukka Rask spent most of this game under .900 simply because Detroit wasn't getting shots to him. That 3rd period rush on the other hand well made up for it and quite frankly...is kind of why you want a guy like him between the pipes. Just stone cold cool in some major net-front chaos.
- Its gonna be hard to justify keeping Austin Czarnik in Providence when he goes back. Clearly the guy has the skating legs for primetime.
- Dat PASS
B's are in action tonight vs. NYR. See you there!