In Boston, the Detroit Red Wings let a 2-0 first period lead slip away on Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins rallied with two goals in the middle frame to tie it, 2-2, and Garnet Hathaway scored at 13:54 of the third period to give Boston a 3-2 win.
“Our game is moving through the zones, trying to get into the [offensive] zone,” Hathaway said. “I think we were hoping to wear [Red Wings goalie Magnus Hellberg] down a little bit tonight. Then the goal for the [fourth] line was just kind of the cherry on top.”
Linus Ullmark made 29 saves in the Bruins win.
Boston improved to 50-9-5, they set a new NHL record for fastest team to 50 wins on a season.
“It’s been fun. It’s a great team,” Boston’s Patrice Bergeron said. “Great team chemistry as well, and I think [that guys] stick together, but obviously our depth is something we want to rely on.”
Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the opening stanza on goals from Andrew Copp and Alex Chiasson.
“Second period burnt us,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “Our four penalties happened in the first 30-35 minutes (of the game), and it’s just too much on our group. And it just gives their top guys too much momentum. So it’s unfortunate because we had a really good opportunity.”
Copp scored shorthanded, and Chiasson scored off the power play for the two goals in the first.
Boston replied in the second period when Hampus Lindholm trimmed the deficit to 2-1 for Boston.
“[The Bruins] show why they’re the team they are,” Lalonde said. “They push in the second. Their goalie is the Vezina winner with the way he played in the third, and they found a way in the end. But again, I’m most encouraged, at 2-2, the play of our third (period).”
Detroit dropped to 29-27-9.
Dylan Larkin had a goal waved off after video review.
“Tough swing there,” Larkin said. “We think we go up 3-1, and they call the penalty late. … But we responded well, and we had a good third period. We just came up short, and it was really hard tonight, but I thought it was a good effort because we battled a lot out there.”
Bergeron then scored to send the game to the third period tied, 2-2.
Hellberg made 35 saves in the Detroit loss.
“Yeah, it was a great [start],” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said. “I think if we start the rest of the season like that, we will give [ourselves] a really good chance of winning a lot of hockey games. But other than that, I think we just have to out-compete teams in the second period to put our game up a notch a little bit more.”
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