Who flipped the switch on the Detroit Red Wings?
On Wednesday night, the Wings entered the first intermission with a three-goal deficit to face in the second period as the Boston Bruins were cruising with a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Petr Mrazek got the win over Boston in relief – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“There were some words said, because you just can’t look like that,” Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist said. “We knew it was a huge game against a team we are chasing, and we were really bad at the start.”
The Wings rallied back from the deficit with a big second period and finished off the rally in the shootout for a 6-5 win.
“That’s a big two points,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “When you are down 4-1 after the first period, it is not easy to come back in this league. I think this says a lot about our guys.”
Nyquist’s goal tied the game at 5-5 after the Bruins struggled to regain their form in the second period.
“It was a collapse,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “I’m at a loss for words.”
Tuukka Rask made 20 saves in the loss.
“We were playing great hockey at both ends of the ice in the first period,” said Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who had three points in the period. “We just stopped playing. You have to step on a team’s throat in that spot, and we made mistakes and gave them momentum.”
WATCH: All Bruins vs. Red Wings highlights
Frank Vatrano had two goals and Brandon Carlo scored for Boston to give them a 3-0 early lead.
After Dylan Larkin cut it to 3-1, Bergeron made it 4-1 after the first period.
Xavier Ouellet , Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Tatar scored in the second period to get the Wings even in the rally.
“If we want to be in the [Stanley Cup Playoff] race, we have to play 60 minutes every night, not 40,” Tatar said. “We battled, though, and we are very happy now.”
Petr Mrazek made 23 saves after Jared Coreau was given the hook in the first period for Detroit.
“We’re finding different ways to win, and that’s what we are going to have to do to get into the playoffs,” Larkin said.
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