Detroit — Tyler Bertuzzi has been in many games like this at Little Caesars Arena — especially in recent weeks.
But as it turns out, even a trade to the NHL’s top team can’t stop him from ending up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The Detroit Red Wings exploded for three second-period goals in Bertuzzi’s homecoming and weathered a third-period comeback attempt by the league-leading Bruins to escape with a 5-3 win.
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 5, Bruins 3
“Great win. Really happy with it,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “We got rewarded today with an outcome, but our six periods on a whole, I thought, were great. Outside of the second period (Saturday) when we were really on our heels, I’m really proud of the guys and the effort and the approach this weekend.”
One day prior, the Bruins overcame a 2-0 deficit in Boston to beat the Red Wings, 3-2.
Alex Chiasson, Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, Adam Erne and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings (30-27-9), who had lost six of seven entering Sunday. Ville Husso made 31 saves.
“There’s a lot of pride in our locker room and (this weekend was) a huge opportunity, huge test … for us, that’s how we looked at it,” Larkin said. “We got back-to-back games with the same team, a team that’s on a record pace. We had a great two games. … I thought both games, we battled hard.”
Matt Grzelcyk, Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak scored for the Bruins (50-10-5) as they suffered just their 10th loss in regulation this season. Bertuzzi was held off the scoresheet for a second straight game against his former team.
After grabbing a 4-0 lead with under five minutes to go in the second period, the Bruins made it 4-3 just 6:24 into the third. Detroit was able to weather the final 13:36 without allowing another. Copp added an empty-netter with 23 seconds left to seal it.
“We’re up 4-1 after the second period, and we were feeling good about the start of our third,” Lalonde said. “But I really thought we were leaning towards scoring our fifth goal instead of just keeping them from scoring their second. We gave up two really easy goals to make it 4-3.
“It was really disappointing and a little immature of our group, which is fine. We’re still trying to grow. But if we’re ever going to get somewhere as an organization — if we put ourselves in those situations, we will have to manage that much better.
“The good teams — the great teams — they manage those much better.”
Chiasson tallied a second power-play goal in as many days against Boston when he got the scoring started for Detroit at 12:22 in the first. Larkin’s point-blank shot was stoned by Jeremy Swayman, but the Bruins goaltender couldn’t recover for a rebound as Chiasson, who also scored the day prior and has four points in five games, slammed home is second goal of the season.
Lalonde complimented Chiasson’s instincts after the game.
“It’s relieving pressure, it’s taking guys’ eyes away, it’s spinning off a check in front to be able to bang home a rebound, it’s about taking the goalie’s eyes away,” Lalonde said. “And he’s got really good instincts on it.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our power play has got a little spark with him being the net-front guy.”
After a chippy first period in which the Bruins only got four shots on goal, Boston came out of the first intermission with some juice. They landed five shots on goal in the opening five minutes of the frame before a tripping penalty on Jordan Oesterle put them on the power play.
Just as it did the day before, Detroit’s penalty kill gave the team a boost. Seider stole a puck at the blue line and was off to the races, beating Swayman with a backhand on the breakaway at 6:34 for his fifth of the year.
Seider downplayed his move after the game, saying he was “probably (as) surprised as everyone else. That’s not something I practice on a daily basis, that’s for sure.”
The Red Wings added to their lead twice more in the second period. Larkin sniped Swayman from the slot on a power play to hit the 25-goal milestone for the third time in his career. With 4:52 to go in the period, Erne added another. He corralled a rebound off the stick of Jonatan Berggren, whose shot hit both posts before Erne put home the rebound, his eighth.
Grzelcyk gave the Bruins some life near the end of the second. Detroit’s defensive zone coverage got caught lacking; he took advantage by sneaking down for a pass from Marchand and firing it over the shoulder of Husso at 16:52.
The Bruins’ comeback attempt didn’t stop there. DeBrusk caught Seider waiting for a bouncing puck at the blue line, chipped it past the Red Wings defenseman, and scored on the breakaway to make it 4-2, Red Wings, just 3:37 into the third.
Boston continued flipping the mood at LCA with another goal less than three minutes later. Moments after Larkin hit the post on a breakaway, Pastrnak was allowed to walk in all alone from the high slot and rip a shot that beat Husso cleanly, Pastrnak’s 46th goal of the season.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi
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