On Wednesday night the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 6-1, exposing a number of issues on a team that many consider the best in the East.
The Wings superior speed was evident in this game. Detroit skated circles around Boston for most of the game and it was clear that the this led to a big advantage for the Wings in the game. The Bruins may not be known for their speed, but the Red Wings made the Bruins look like they were being held back by weights.
The Bruins did receive good news in the return of injured defenceman Andrew McQuaid. Unfortunately he looked a little rusty taking two penalties in the game, one of which led to the Red Wings go ahead goal. I do like McQuaid and find he has matured as a player but he still needs work in some areas. In this, his first day back after missing eight games he played just under nineteen minutes. He said later in an interview after the game that he felt a little rusty. McQuaid should get better as he gets back into game action. It would be unfair to judge a player too harshly in his first game back, and when nearly all of his teammates seemed out of sorts as well.
With McQuaid back this also meant the dynamic duo was back together; Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid. These two players complement each other nicely with Krug having the speed and offensive flair, while McQuaid has the grit, and steady defensive ability. It should become an important pair for the Bruins going forward.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask had an off night for Boston. He gave up six goals to the Wings while facing only 28 shots. However every goalie has an off night and we have seen that Tuukka can play much better even with the pressure on. We should also put some of the blame for this performance on the team in front of him. The Bruins gave pucks away, were not able to catch the Wings and overall played a poor defensive game. Patrice Bergeron said after the game that the team left Rask out to dry most of the night, and this is true. There were quite simply more quality scoring chances against Boston than we are used to seeing from one of the best defensive eteams in the league.
On the plus side, Jarome Iginla had a strong game, and was one of the few Bruins who seemed to be playing well. He also scored Boston’s only goal, which was assisted by youngsters Mark Bartkowski and Reilly Smith. It is a good sign for the Bruins to see these two get on the scoresheet.
Dennis Seidenberg is still out with an injury he suffered last week. However he may be ready to make his return Friday against the Rangers. With his expected return and McQuaid already back in the line-up, Kevan Miller was sent back to Providence following the game.
We must remember though that every team suffers a few bad losses over the course of a season, and a 6-1 loss or 1-0 loss still means the same the standings. All in all it was the Bruins worst game of the year, consider that Tuukka Rask had not given up more than four goals in any other game this season (And only gave up four on two occassions).
The Bruins took Thursday off, and will look to bounce back with a pair of games this weekend.
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