Red Wings Updates

Bruins Updates

Three Keys to the Game

First of all, this Pastrnak guy is pretty darn good. He might be the best right wing in the game right now. He has 17 goals and 25 points in 20 games, and he can make you hurt in a number of ways. He has soft hands in front of the net, he’s got a great wrister, he can deflect pucks, and he has a knack for finding the quiet areas of the ice. The Wings are going to have to work hard to take away his space, because he’s good at finding vacant places to camp.

And then there’s the Bruins blue liners. They’re pretty green, despite all the black and yellow. Detroit will do well if they can drive the net, get some odd man breaks, and cut across the ice to generate missed assignments. A lot of this will be on Larkin’s line and its speed, but Athanasiou and Bertuzzi, should they play together, obviously have some wheels on them as well.

But the Wings can’t keep fighting back from the brink. Overcoming 2-goal deficits isn’t a sustainable way to win, so the Wings ought to get out fast and put one in the back of the net, preferably in the first ten minutes. The Wings should be well-rested and the Bruins, like most teams at the same point as the B’s in their development cycle, aren’t the fleetest of foot. Not to say that they’re slow, but the Red Wings can make just about any team look slow, so full throttle.