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Wings' effort dismal again in Boston |
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Sticking to a script that’s become all too familiar for the Detroit Red Wings in Boston, the Wings were outhustled, outscored and beaten down 5-3 by the Bruins Sunday at TD Garden, the first time all season that the Wings have lost consecutive games in regulation.
“We were sloppy from the beginning,” Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “I think they really looked sharp right away. We had too many turnovers from our side in the first period.
“In the second period we played good, we created a lot of good chances. Unfortunately they scored the goals.
“In the third I think we had chances but we were putting ourselves in tough situations. We have the puck and then all of a sudden they have the puck. In the second period, we did that a few times, the D get caught and eventually they will score.”
Detroit coach Mike Babcock was equally unflattering in his assessment of his club’s performance.
“They just flat-out came hard and we didn’t execute at all in our own zone and gave up a lot of chances,” Babcock said. “Our power play was no good, we gave up two shorthanded goals, our penalty kill was no good, we couldn’t stop them, so we weren’t good.”
The loss dropped Detroit’s overall record against the other three playoff teams in the Atlantic Division – Montreal, Tampa Bay and Boston – to a combined 1-5-3 and Detroit is winless in eight against those teams since a season-opening victory over the Bruins, but Zetterberg felt that the Wings have no one to blame for this than the people they see in the mirror.
“We do it to ourselves,” Zetterberg said. “We’ve got to be better mentally. We can’t give them those kinds of chances. Not against a team like that.
“It’s self inflicted.”
Weiss Guy
A pair of Stephen Weiss turnovers led to shorthanded breakaway goals for the Bruins by Brad Marchand and Daniel Paille and left Babcock seething.
“Tough day,” was all Babcock had to say about the Weiss turnovers.
Others were more verbose.
“Getting two shorties (against), that’s tough to overcome,” Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard said.
Zetterberg felt it was a case of bad luck.
“You try to make a play and it hits their guy and they have a breakaway,” Zetterberg said. “Nine out of 10 times that doesn’t happen, but once in a while it hits their stick and they go away for a breakaway.”
It was the first time since Jan. 24, 2004 at Phoenix that the Wings surrendered two shorthanded goals in a game.
In that game, a 5-2 loss to the Coyotes, the shorthanded goals were scored by current Wing Daniel Cleary with his only career goal against Detroit and Branko Radivojevic.
Monster Mash
Speaking of familiar scripts, Jonas Gustavsson is hurt again. The Detroit netminder was injured at some point in the second period and replaced to start the final frame by Jimmy Howard.
The Wings did not reveal the type of injury suffered by Gustavsson. He only recently returned to action following a 37-game absence caused by a separated shoulder.
Petr Mrazek will be recalled from AHL Grand Rapids to replace Gustavsson.
Howard admitted that watching the first two periods from the bench was nauseating.
“Every game that I’ve played against them it’s a real battle and that’s what you expect when you play against Boston,” Howard said. “You know they’re hard hitting and you better come to play, that’s for sure or they’re going to really run you out of the building.”
Marek Marker
For the second time in three games as a Red Wing, newly-acquired defenseman Marek Zidlicky found the back of the net, scoring a third-period power-play goal when his point shot through traffic deflected off the glove of Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara and past Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg.
“He was waiting until two or three guys were in front of the goalie,” Zetterberg said. “It was a perfect shot, top shelf.
“He moves the puck very well and he skates good. I’ve been playing against him for many years and it’s nice to have him on our side.”
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