Red Wings End Bruins’ Streak in Shootout

Todd Bertuzzi scored on the final shot of the shootout Friday afternoon, giving the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in the NHL’s inaugural Thanksgiving Showdown.

Detroit’s victory ended a ten-game Boston winning streak.

Bertuzzi beat Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask on Detroit’s third shootout shot, swinging out to his right before backing in towards Rask and flipping ther puck past him.

Pavel Datsuyk also scored in the tiebreaker, while Nathan Horton beat Detroit’s Jimmy Howard.

The Bruins controlled play for much of the game but it was the Red Wings who scored first. With 7:17 remaining in the opening period, Valtteri Filppula carried the puck into the Boston zone and passed it off to Henrik Zetterberg, who sent it back to Filppula for a tip from the top of the crease past Rask.

Boston’s Daniel Paille tied things up at 4:05 of the second. Attempting to clear the puck from behind his net, Howard sent a pass along the boards right onto the stick of a forechecking Horton. Horton put it out to Paille, who was able to backhand a shot into the net as Howard dove to get back into position.

Datsyuk restored the Red Wings’ lead just 35 seconds later. Bertuzzi sent a pass from the right wing boards between defenseman Zdeno Chara’s legs to Datsyuk in the right faceoff circle. As he cut to the goal alone, Datsyuk kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and batted it past Rask.

Patrice Bergeron tied the game back up at 7:52 of the third period. Zetterberg bobbled a pass in the left faceoff circle of his own end and Bergeron picked up the loose puck before driving a shot past Howard.

Howard finished the night with 41 saves on 43 Boston chances. Rask stopped 29 of Detroit’s 31 shots.

Neither team scored a power play goal. The Wings had three tries with the extra attacker while the Bruins had two.

The win temporarily put the Red Wings in first place in the Central Division, a spot they relenquished when the Chicago Blackhawks won later in the day.

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Patrick Eaves, Fabian Brunnstrom and Mike Commodore were the healthy scratches for Detroit. Brunnstrom did not make the trip to Boston as the team allowed him to stay home with his wife, who is expecting their first child.