Looking for the numbers breakdown for how these two teams stack up? Look no further as we’ve got you covered as the Red Wings and Bruins drop the puck at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Team scoring
Boston is sixth in the NHL in goals scored with 170. They’re also fifth in the NHL at goals per game with 3.07. Patrice Bergeron is their leading scorer with 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists). Milan Lucic is their top goal scorer with 23 goals and the power forward will be looking to make his presence felt today both physically and on the scoreboard. The B’s may not have one player dominating in scoring, but they do have eight players with 10+ goals this season. The most surprising of that bunch might be rookie Brad Marchand with 15 goals and 14 assists. Zdeno Chara is their top defenseman in scoring with 10 goals, 20 assists.
Detroit is second in the NHL in goal scoring with 183 goals and third in goals per game with 3.29. The Wings are led by Henrik Zetterberg in scoring with 60 points. Zetterberg has 17 goals and 43 assists to pace the Wings and considering he’s been one of the handful of forwards to play every game this year, his carrying of the offense is no surprise. Johan Franzen leads the team in goals with 26 and while we’re doubting he’ll pot five goals the way he did against Ottawa earlier this year, he’s a streaky scorer so if he gets hot again, look out. Nicklas Lidstrom’s 11 goals and 33 assists from the blue line are good for second on the team in scoring and for being the top defenseman in points for Detroit. If you’re missing out on names like Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary, it’s because they’ve been injured recently but with the team getting back to health they’re as dangerous as they ever were once again.
Goaltending
Boston’s goaltending has been all the rage this year and it’s thanks to Tim Thomas. Thomas is 26-6-6 this season and sporting a minuscule 1.91 goals against average with an astounding .941 save percentage. Thomas has seven shutouts this season as well helping to boost those incredible numbers and he’ll get the start today against Detroit. His backup Tuukka Rask hasn’t been the same guy we saw in the playoffs last year so far this season and should he see action today, he’ll bring his 2.89 goals against average and .916 save percentage in to play. For that to happen though Thomas will have to have a pretty rough game.
Detroit is led by Jimmy Howard in goal. Howard is 27-10-3 this season with a 2.85 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The numbers aren’t outstanding in comparison to Thomas but the team has been able to support him with great offense. If things get really out of hand it’ll be Joey MacDonald getting the call off the bench to take over. MacDonald is 1-3-1 this year with a .913 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average in limited action.
Special Teams
Special teams could decide this game and for Boston their power play checks in as the 17th best in the NHL at 17.4%. Their penalty kill is good for 14th in the league at 82.5% and they’ll get that tested in a big way today with the Red Wings. Detroit has the fifth best power play in the league scoring at a 20.9% rate. Being able to score on one out of every five man-advantages is pretty astounding. As for the Wings PK, they’re average stopping teams at a 81.3% good for 18th in the NHL.
Contrast in styles
While we’re not saying that Detroit isn’t a physical team, they certainly don’t roll over for teams that get rough with them, they’re not in the same league as the Bruins when it comes to getting tough. Detroit’s puck possession brand of hockey doesn’t rely on being physically imposing, it’s a brand of hockey that couldn’t be more different than Boston’s tight defensive, physically imposing style of play. Give a read to our compare and contrast piece on these two teams.
Streaks and standings
The Bruins sit atop the Northeast Division with 69 points and are winners of four of their last six games. The Bruins are looking to bounce back after being humbled at home by the Red Wings 6-1. Boston holds a one point lead over Montreal in the division and sit third in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit is leading the Central Division with 72 points and are second in the Western Conference to the Vancouver Canucks. Detroit has won two of their last three and appear to heading towards better consistency and dropping the streaky act. A win today would certainly prove they’re in a good place. They hold a five point lead over Nashville in the Central and a four point lead on Dallas in the West.
NHL Extra
If you’d like to ask James and I questions and get our thoughts on today’s game, you can join us for NHL Extra online and follow along with the action that way. To join us for NHL Extra click here. We’ll be kicking things off at 12:30 p.m.