Red Wings vs Bruins NHL Handicapping
The puck drops on a gritty Original Six match-up on Friday night, as the Red Wings and Bruins do battle in what should be a seven-game series of attrition. Both of these teams are hungry and resilient, but one should be more talented, which may well be the difference.
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Date/Time: Friday, April 18 2014, 7 pm EST
Venue: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston MA
Detroit +1.5 (1.59), Boston -1.5 (2.50)
MoneyLine: Detroit 2.75, Boston 1.48
Over/Under: 5
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Head coach Mike Babcock has done a phenomenal job guiding his Red Wings to the postseason despite a conga-line of injuries that decimated the stars of the team literally all season long.
Superstars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and vital role player Dan Cleary have all missed significant time in 2013-14, but Detroit kept chugging along with call-ups from the Grand Rapids AHL squad. Rookies like Danny DeKeyser and Luke Glendening and youngster Brendan Smith all made their mark as the Wings just snuck into the playoffs by their whiskers (which will now grow considerably longer).
The Wings still aren’t completely healthy; Zetterberg and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will miss the opening series.
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Detroit bumps up against a Boston team that has been probably the best in the NHL this year. The B’s combine an envious mix of elite goaltending (Vezina favorite Tuukka Rask); grit (Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron); size (Lucic and giant D-man Zdeno Chara) and youth (Dougie Hamilton, Torrey Krug).
The Bruins are built to contend for a long time in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, and they have to be one of the Stanley Cup favorites this season. So it’ll be no easy task for the plucky Red Wings.
In order to be successful, Detroit must find a way to solve the Herculean Rask. The Finn has steadily gotten better as he’s accrued starting experience in the league.
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What makes it even tougher for opponents is that the Boston blueline can punish you even before you get a decent look at their netminder.
Still, Boston should not expect an easy series. The Red Wings summon energy when it is most needed and they didn’t wilt under pressure like their HBO 24/7 compatriots the Toronto Maple Leafs. Babcock doesn’t get enough credit behind the bench because the Wings can plug and play youngsters and still grind out victories and tough results.
The Bruins went on remarkable win streaks during the regular season and when it’s all boiled down, Boston is probably just too balanced and talented for the Wings to handle. Look for players like Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson to fill the scoresheet and Rask to stand on his head at least a few times.
Toronto pushed the Bruins to the brink in the opening series last season, until Boston came back in infamous fashion, but since then the Bruins have seemed almost unbeatable. There is less depth in the East, but it still must be said that Boston made mincemeat of their conference opposition.
It must be said that Detroit leads the season series against Boston 3-1, and the Wings have a speedy, puck-possession style that might give the Bruins fits. The Black and Yellow are at home when they can turn the opponent black and blue.
A key player to watch in Game 1 and beyond will be Wings goalie Jimmy Howard. He has been a little up and down in his performance; when he’s on, Detroit becomes a much tougher team to beat. He’ll have to be at his absolute beast, going up against a stud like Rask.
I think Boston can grab an early stranglehold on the series at home in the first game, though look for both goalies to be on their game and thus, for this to be a low-scoring contest.
Boston 2, Detroit 1 (OT)
Take the UNDER
