Boston — It was strange seeing Tyler Bertuzzi in a Boston Bruins uniform.
It’ll be equally weird Sunday as the Bruins visit Little Caesars Arena, to watch and listen to Bertuzzi being introduced as anything other than a member of the Red Wings.
But the Wings and their fans got their first dose of the strangeness during Saturday’s 3-2 Bruins victory over the Red Wings.
Bertuzzi played 16 minutes, 43 seconds on 22 shifts, with a minus-one rating and three shots on net. Bertuzzi was credited with one blocked shot and one hit, while playing on a line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak.
The Wings dealt Bertuzzi to the Bruins before the trade deadline for a 2014 protected first-round draft pick and 2015 fourth-round pick.
Captain Dylan Larkin was visibly shaken the day of Bertuzzi’s trade, even after earlier that morning agreeing to an eight-year contract extension with the Wings.
Larkin noticed Bertuzzi Saturday on the ice.
“I was very aware,” Larkin said. “I watched him and it was real weird. But I noticed him a lot.”
One of the better agitators around, when he needs to be, Bertuzzi was fairly silent in that regard.
“Very quiet,” Larkin said.
Impactful start
The Wings promoted Alex Chiasson from Grand Rapids after trading Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Oskar Sundqvist, in need of forwards.
Chiasson, an 11-year NHL veteran, continues to make a positive impact.
Chiasson scored his first goal as a Red Wing in the first period, on a power play. Chiasson deftly redirected a pass from David Perron, giving the Wings an early 2-0 lead.
Chiasson has a goal and two assists in four games, while fitting nicely into the Wings’ bottom-six forwards.
“He’s a good, instinctive, power play guy, net-front,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He’s doing good. Five-on-five, (in the third period) he had a big time chance, (Austin) Czarnik set him up, and (goalie Linus) Ullmark made a great save there.”
Larkin has spoken glowingly of Chiasson’s contributions thus far.
“He’s come in and done a great job,” Larkin said. “He’s a total team player and does a great job on the power play. Quick shifts, and he’s getting moving and chipping in and standing up for guys. He’s been a great addition.
“I’ve really liked having him here.”
Nothing different
Saturday’s performance was typical of goaltender Magnus Hellberg in recent games.
Hellberg has lost four of his last five starts, though it’s difficult to lay the blame on the goaltender.
“He’s been good for us all year,” Lalonde said.
Still, there is a trend developing of Hellberg perhaps fading in the second half of games and opponents capitalizing with goals.
“There’s a little pattern here with him tiring a little bit in the second half of the game,” Lalonde said. “It’s something he can improve on personally. But he’s been excellent. He gives us confidence. This is the second game in a row where he’s really given us a good opportunity.”
Ice chips
The Wings’ start was about as good as any this season, taking a 2-0 lead and scoring a power-play and a shorthanded goal against the Bruins.
“We came out ready to compete,” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “Then we just got away from the game a little bit. That really hurts when you put a lot of effort in and just don’t get the outcome we wanted.
“If we start the rest of the season like that, we’ll give our fans a chance of winning a lot of hockey games.”
… A big turning point late in the second period was Larkin apparently scoring to put the Wings ahead 3-1, but the goal was wiped off because he had been called for interference. Boston’s Patrice Bergeron promptly scored on the power play, tying the score 2-2.
“It’s the right call,” Lalonde said. “It’s unfortunate because (Boston’s Brad) Marchand did the same exact thing, tomahawked a stick out of a hand and (the refs) don’t see it. But it’s a penalty and it was our fourth one and it was too many, unfortunately.”
… While becoming the fastest team in NHL history to get to 50 victories (50-9-5), the Bruins raised their home record to a staggering 27-3-3. They are 28-6-3 against the Eastern Conference.
Bruins at Red Wings
▶ Faceoff: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Little Caesars Arena.
▶ TV/radio: TNT/97.1 FM
▶ Outlook: The Bruins (50-9-5) became the fastest team in NHL history to get to 50 victories with Saturday’s victory over the Red Wings. … This will be the first homecoming for LW Tyler Bertuzzi, who was dealt to Boston just before the trade deadline. … G Ville Husso will get the start for the Wings.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan