Event: Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings
Date/Time: Friday, November 25, 2011 - 1 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Friday's game between the Bruins and Red Wings will be broadcast live on NBC and TSN. The game can also be heard on the 98.5 the Sports Hub Radio Network, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: The Black and Gold barely slipped by the Sabres on Wednesday, winning a 4-3 shootout victory in Buffalo. The Bruins fell 2-0 after the first period, but managed to come back and eventually tie it up in the third, 3-3. It took five shooters, but eventually Benoit Pouliot put the puck past Jhonas Enroth and Boston extended its winning streak to 10 games.
Sabres alternate captain Paul Gaustad started a dance with Milan Lucic less than two minutes into the first period and that set the tone for the entire game. Fortunately for the B's, they were able to come out of the emotional game with another victory.
The Red Wings also took home a win on Wednesday, beating the Calgary Flames 5-3.Tomas Holmstrom scored twice in the game, and the Wings as a whole scored three in the third period to earn that victory. With those two points, the Wings have won their past three games and seven of their last nine.
Storyline: Speaking of emotional games, these two teams have had their fair share of them. Almost exactly 20 years ago, the Red Wings and Bruins met in a frenzy of a game that resulted in 130 total penalty minutes. The Bruins won that game 4-1, but more recently have had trouble taking down Detroit. The last time the Bruins beat the Red Wings was November 29, 2008--almost three years ago--and Phil Kessel had the game winning goal in a 4-1 game. Since that date, the Bruins have been smacked around by Detroit, and have a 0-3 record including two losses last year in Detroit.
Tim Thomas has four starts against the Red Wings, but his numbers suffer. He is 1-3-0 with a 3.03 GAA. Tuukka Rask isn't any better. In his one game he played against them last year, he allowed five goals off 19 shots in just 40 minutes. That leaves him with a 7.50 GAA and a .737 save percentage.
Players To Watch: It shouldn't be a surprise, but Pavel Datsyuk is once again showing his offensive prowess. In the last game against the Flames, Datsyuk had one goal and two assists, giving him a total of three goals and five assists in his last four games. Holmstrom is also lighting things up with two power play goals and Todd Bertuzzi seems to be a Bruins killer after he scored two goals in each of the meetings between these two teams last year.
The only Bruins players that have goals from last year against Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard are Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand and David Krejci. They have all had success this year, so don't be surprised if they are amped up for this game.
Prediction: If there's a team that could break up the Bruins winning streak, it would be the Detroit Red Wings. They have the talent and drive to accept the challenge and derail a hot team. Final Score: Red Wings 5, Bruins 4.
For more Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup Of Chowder.