Red Wings’ Goal-Scoring Back on Track in 6-1 Rout of Bruins

The Detroit Red Wings scored more goals on Friday night than they had in their previous four games combined, ending a goal drought with a 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

Detroit had been shutout twice in the four games leading up to Friday’s win, with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers and a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators giving them only four goals combined over that stretch.

Todd Bertuzzi led the Red Wings with a pair of goals, including the one that opened the game’s scoring just 1:10 into the first. He moved up the right wing on a two-on-one with Brian Rafalski and blasted the puck from the top of the right faceoff circle over the shoulder of Boston netminder Tuukka Rask.

Exactly two minutes later, Danny Cleary made it 2-0 when he drove to the net and took a feed from Jiri Hudler, banging it past Rask.

David Krejci cut the lead in half with a power play goal with 2:07 remaining in the first. Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard got tangled up with Milan Lucic at the side of the net and Lucic got the puck to Krejci to bang into the open goal.

Hudler restored the two-goal lead at 1:09 of the second, going to one knee to roof a shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle past Rask on a feed from Henrik Zetterberg.

Zetterberg added a goal of his own with 3:46 remaining in the period, coming from the side of the net to backhand a shot over Rask on a Detroit power play.

Bertuzzi’s second of the night made it 5-1 just 24 seconds later when he got to a loose puck behind the net and banked it in off of Rask.

Tomas Holmstrom wrapped up the game’s scoring, beating Tim Thomas from the top of the crease off a feed from Hudler with 6:09 left in the game and the Red Wings on a five-on-three. Thomas had replaced Rask to start the third period.

The Red Wings scored twice on six power play chances on the night while the Bruins’ lone goal came on one of their three tries with the extra attacker.

Howard finished the night with 25 saves on 26 shots. Rask made 14 saves on 19 shots and Thomas stopped 14 of the 15 chances he faced.

The two teams will meet again on Sunday in Detroit for the back end of the home-and-home series.