WGD: Game 21: Red Wings vs. Bruins
By Cameron Kuom
5 years agoWe’ve got an Atlantic Division showdown tonight in Boston!
The red-hot Red Wings march into Beantown after overcoming yet another two goal deficit in the Medowlands. If you’re not keeping score at home, that is now four of the last 6 games in which Detroit has won after trailing by two goals. Overall, the Wings are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, and own the NHL’s best record since Oct. 27. All the while, the team is doing so on the backs of their youth.
On the other side, the Bruins haven’t found there stride yet. Dealing with some major injuries they’ve been able to stay afloat thanks to the brilliant performance they are getting from David Pastrnak. Pastrnak currently leads the NHL with 17 goals.
THE RED WINGS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 JUSTIN ABDELKADER |  DYLAN LARKIN |  ANTHONY MANTHA |
 GUSTAV NYQUIST |  FRANS NIELSEN |  ANDREAS ATHANASIOU |
 TYLER BERTUZZI |  LUKE GLENDENING |  MICHAEL RASMUSSEN |
 MARTIN FRK |  JACOB DE LA ROSE |  THOMAS VANEK |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
 TREVOR DALEY |  MIKE GREEN |
 NIKLAS KRONWALL |  DENNIS CHOLOWSKI |
 DAN DEKEYSER |  NICK JENSEN |
Thomas Vanek returns to the lineup after being out with injury. He starts off on the 4th line, presumably to ease him back into play.
The Wings will be without Darren Helm, however, who is slated to be out the next 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury. Taking over his role on the first line is..Justin Abdelkader [checks notes] yup, that’s not an error. Jonathan Ericsson remains out as well. So the blue-line remains the same.
THE BRUINS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 ANDERS BJORK |  DAVID KREJCI |  DAVID PASTRNAK |
 BRAD MARCHAND |  JOAKIM NORDSTROM |  JAKE DEBRUSK |
 DANTON HEINEN |  JAKOB FORSBACKA KARLSSON |  NOEL ACCIARI |
 CHRIS WAGNER |  SEAN KURALY |  DAVID BACKES |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 MATT GRZELCYK |  KEVAN MILLER |
 TOREY KRUG |  CONNOR CLIFTON |
 JEREMY LAUZON |  STEVE KAMPFER |
Boston has been absolutely decimated with injuries. Star center Patrice Bergeron is out long term and his absence has left a huge dent down the middle.
The blue-line is a shell of what is was to start the season. Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Urho Vaakanainen, and Brandon Carlo are all expected to be out. That forces rookies Connor Clifton and Jeremy Lauzon into the lineup.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Jimmy Howard vs Jaroslav Halek
Jimmy Howard gets the start tonight and that’s no surprise. Howard has been excellent over the course of Detroit’s hot streak. Over his last four starts his lowest save percentage was at .933. I repeat, LOWEST.
Jaroslav Halek gets the call for the Bruins tonight. Tuuka Rask’s struggles this season have led to Halak being the go-to-guy. Over his last four starts, three times he has posted a save percentage of at least .970. Not bad I would say. However, the one game where he didn’t stand on his head was a nightmare game where he gave up 6 goals on 25 shots.
HOW TO WATCH
The game kicks off at 7:30 P.M. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit, MSG+, and NHL.TV.
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