BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his 42nd goal of the season Saturday to lead Boston past the Detroit Wings 4-1, giving Bruce Cassidy of the Bruins his 200th victory as an NHL coach.
Brad Marchand scored his 25th goal of the season and assisted on Pastrnak’s goal for the Bruins, who have won eight of their last nine games. Charlie McAvoy added a goal and an assist and Charlie Coyle had his 13th goal. Tuukka Rask finished with 25 saves to improve to 14-0-6 at home this season.
Darren Helm scored for the Red Wings, who have lost three straight and have the fewest points in the NHL. Jonathan Bernier finished with 37 saves.
Cassidy has 153 victories with Boston and 47 with the Washington Capitals.
The Bruins were outscored 7-3 in two losses to the Red Wings earlier this season. This time Boston was the aggressor from the outset , outshooting Detroit 41-26 for the game.
Though much like in the previous two meetings, the Bruins had trouble finishing off early offensive opportunities.
Boston was awarded the game’s first power play when Gustav Lindstrom was sent to the penalty box for holding Danton Heinen. Boston was on the attack when Detroit’s Darren Helm swiped Torey Krug’s pass near the blue line and started a 2-on-1 break. Krug backpedaled and tried to slow Helm down, but Helm was able to get his wrist shot past Rask to put the Red Wings in front 1-0.
Things changed in the second period when the Bruins needed less than five minutes to manufacture three straight goals.
Boston came up empty on a 3-on-2 break when Brad Marchand’s shot was cleared back up the slot in the direction of a trailing Charlie McAvoy. He gathered it and punched it through a crowd and into the left corner of the net to tie the game at 11:59.
Less than two minutes later, Bergeron put Boston in front when he took a feed from Marchand, cut inside Adam Erne and backhanded his shot by Bernier.
Boston struck again 2:10 later when Heinen poked the puck out of a scrum behind the Red Wings’ net and passed it to McAvoy at the blue line. McAvoy fired a shot, which was deflected by Coyle into the net to make it 3-1.
NOTES: Jeremy Lauzon returned from a two-game suspension for a hit to the head last week of the Arizona Coyotes’ Derek Stepan. ... Bruins winger David Krejci played in his 900th NHL game. ... Detroit’s Mike Green played in his 300th game as a Red Wing.
