The Wings had one game to go before breaking for a few days for the Christmas break. They rolled into Boston following a loss in Philadelphia and needing an important two points against a division rival.

The first period got off to a bit of a scary start as Tyler Bertuzzi blocked a shot and was slow to get up in the first thirty seconds. Then, Martin Frk lost an edge and collided hard into the boards, needing to be helped off the ice. Both would return to the ice, Frk just in time to serve a too many men on the ice penalty.

It was an unfortunate time for the bench to take this penalty, as Detroit was already serving a penalty. Boston struck first by capitalizing on this 5-on-3 opportunity.

Detroit didn’t stew in that for very long, though. Despite still having to kill off that too many men penalty, Darren Helm forced a shorthanded turnover at centre ice and sent Frans Nielsen into the Boston zone. Nielsen made no mistake and tied the game at one for his 9th of the season and Detroit’s 7th shorthanded point of the season. They now lead the league in 4v5 goals for.

Though Detroit escaped the period in a tie, they were outshot 11-6 (10-5 at 5v5) and out-attempted 19-10 (17-9 at 5v5) by the Bruins.

The second period, though scoreless, was much better for Detroit. The Wings outshot the Bruins 13-9 (13-8 at 5v5) and out-attempted them 22-20 (20-18 at 5v5). They had one full powerplay opportunity but failed to get a single shot off.

Detroit started off the third on the power play, but only managed a single shot on goal. It was bad. Boston even managed to get two 2-on-1 shorthanded opportunities.

Just past the five minute mark of the period, the Bruins pulled ahead on a feed through the slot from Marchand to Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron made no mistake in burying the puck.

Despite outshooting the Bruins 12-6 in the third, the Wings couldn’t even the score. Bergeron would add an empty netter as the Bruins closed it out by a score of 3-1.

Tonight’s Motor City MVP is Frans Nielsen for scoring the lone Red Wings goal on the penalty kill. Nielsen has been invaluable on the PK this year and his performance on a line with Helm and Glendening has been fantastic.

The Wings have earned a well deserved rest with their friends and families over the Holiday season. Their next game is on Wednesday, December 27th against the New Jersey Devils in the Garden State. Game time will be 7:00 P.M. ET and you’ll be able to watch the game on Fox Sports Detroit and MSG +2 if you’re in the New Jersey area. As always, Brock Seguin will have your pre-game report on WingsNation.com.

From all of us here at Wings Nation, have a very happy holiday season. And thanks for reading.