Red Wings Battle Bruins to the Wire, But Skid Continues with Shootout Loss
The Detroit Red Wings left TD Garden with a point Saturday night, but it’s hard to shake the feeling they left another one on the table.
Facing a banged-up Bruins squad missing key pieces, Detroit had a golden opportunity to snap out of a recent funk. Instead, they dropped their fourth straight game, falling 3-2 in a shootout. Boston’s Casey Mittelstadt netted the lone goal in the shootout, while Jeremy Swayman slammed the door on Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat to seal the win.
For the Red Wings, it’s now a 0-3-1 stretch over their last four outings and just one win in their last six (1-4-1). The Bruins, meanwhile, used the extra point to pull two clear of Detroit in the Atlantic Division standings.
A Gritty, Grinding Game
This one was a grinder from the opening puck drop - a tight-checking, physical battle that didn’t offer much in the way of open ice or offensive rhythm. Both teams had to fight for every inch, and that tone was set early.
“A tough game to play for both teams,” said head coach Todd McLellan postgame. “A lot of tight checking, not a lot of loose ice.
Heavy game, and at times frustrating for both teams. But for us, to find our game as the night went on, it was a really positive sign.”
That’s a silver lining Detroit can try to build on, but the results still aren’t there. The Wings are in a stretch where points are starting to matter more, and close isn't cutting it.
Seider Drops the Gloves, Sparks the Bench
The most electric moment of the first period didn’t come on the scoreboard - it came in the corner, when Moritz Seider answered a heavy hit from Boston’s Mark Kastelic by squaring up and throwing down.
Kastelic had just delivered a big check on Seider, and the 23-year-old defenseman didn’t hesitate to respond. The two tangled in a spirited bout, with Seider holding his own until the final moments when Kastelic landed a series of clean right-hand shots that sent Seider to the ice.
Seider didn’t return until midway through the second period, but the message was clear: Detroit wasn’t going to be pushed around.
“Very tough guy but we needed a little bit of a spark,” Seider said afterward. “We get pushed around sometimes a little bit and some days you need to answer.
It doesn't matter, the outcome. You just have to show face and be ready.”
It was a moment that resonated with the bench - the kind of stand that can galvanize a team, especially one trying to grind its way out of a slump.
Shootout Woes Continue
When the game reached the shootout, it was the Bruins who executed. Mittelstadt’s slick finish was all Boston needed, as Swayman turned away all three Detroit shooters with confidence.
Raymond, Kane, and DeBrincat each had their chance, but none could solve Swayman, who looked dialed in from the moment the puck dropped. The Wings, meanwhile, continue to struggle in the skills competition - a tough pill to swallow in a game where they battled hard for 65 minutes.
Looking Ahead
There’s no panic in Detroit’s locker room, but there’s certainly urgency. The Wings are still very much in the playoff conversation, but the margin for error is shrinking. Dropping points - especially against a depleted division rival - stings a little more this time of year.
Still, McLellan saw signs of life in how his team responded as the game wore on. The physicality, the pushback, the willingness to fight (literally and figuratively) - those are all traits of a team that’s not folding.
But moral victories don’t show up in the standings. The Wings need results, and they need them soon.