How team play has a fed a hot start for Bergeron-less Bruins, more praise for Raymond, and everything else you need to know before Red Wings' Bruins tonight
Tonight at T.D. Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the Detroit Red Wings will look to return to the win column following a 5-4 OT loss to Seattle Tuesday and a 4-1 defeat to the Jets on Thursday.
After reeling off five straight wins following an opening night loss in New Jersey, there is a sense that the season has begun in earnest now that the road has grown a bit more difficult for Detroit to travel.
"Obviously you're disappointed in losing games, but that's the NHL," said defenseman Justin Holl, before the Red Wings traveled east Friday. "Every team is good, and every team is gonna give you their best, so it's our job to stay even-keeled, stay positive, and just trust who we are."
"That first six games, we obviously had points of adversity, but in the grand scheme of things, those are easy wins in some ways," Holl continued. "And we faced a lot more adversity in the last couple games, and we've actually responded pretty well but just haven't gotten there. But again, this is the league, and the league is extremely competitive, and we're just going to have to be able to put these ones behind us."
Per Lalonde Friday, Ville Husso will get the start for the Red Wings tonight, while Alex Lyon will dress for the first time this season as his back-up.
No Bergeron, No Problem in Early Going for Boston
Heading into the season, it felt as though the Bruins simply had to be in for a step back.
Not only had they set a league record for points a year ago but also their top two centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci (the former a no-doubt Hall-of-Famer, the latter a franchise staple for 16 seasons) had retired over the summer.
Instead, Boston was the last team in the NHL to drop points, and the Bruins are one of two teams yet to lose in regulation (the other is Vegas). Boston heads into tonight's contest at 6-0-1, the best mark in the Atlantic Division.
When asked what he associates with the Bruins on Friday, Derek Lalonde offered, "Structure, unbelievable team game, they're really committed to playing winning hockey."
"I know they haven't had the hardest schedule, but that's exactly what excellent, top tier teams do—always take care of business," Lalonde added. "It's all I've known from Boston since I've been in this league. When you scout the team back, it's black and white, very clear what they're doing, and that's a sign of a well structured, well coached team."
Holl sees something similar, saying that the Bruins "just play a good team game, and they support each other all over the ice. They don't allow a lot of space out there, so it's going be a super competitive game for sure, but it a huge opportunity for us."
To Holl, who is more than familiar with Boston from his years with the Maple Leafs, a hot start to the season for the Bergeron-less, Krejci-less Bruins is no surprise.
"They're just so diligent with what they do," he explains. "Obviously they are two great players that I'm sure they miss, but we're expecting them to every bit as good as they were last year."
"You're getting 50 from Pasta, March is scoring," quipped Derek Lalonde. "I get it, they lose a couple centers, but that's a really good team."
And, sure enough, when you look at the stat sheet, there is David Pastrnak with a team-leading six goals and 10 points, and there is Brad Marchand just behind him with four goals and three assists.
Meanwhile, rookie center Matt Poitras (a '22 second rounder who forced his way onto the NHL roster with an outstanding preseason) has been quick in alleviating fears about Boston's depth down the middle. He's scored three goals and given two assists in his seven-game NHL career.
According to Lalonde, "his pace" stands out, but Poitras' success "is probably a credit to where the team is and the organization [is] when a player like that comes in seamlessly."
"If you buy in, and you play the right way, and you add another player with good habits, it works," he explains. "Credit to a young player like that, but it's [also] a credit to who they are and what they are."
Jeremy Swayman will start in net for the Bruins.
More Praise for Lucas Raymond , the "Horse" of Detroit's Top Line
Lucas Raymond entered the season as a swing piece of paramount importance for the Red Wings.
In '21-22, he defied expectations to force his way onto Detroit's opening night roster (not unlike what Poitras has done this year in Boston) and played his way into the Calder conversation with a 57-point season.
In '22-23, he took a step back in point production (dipping down to 45 points), and questions emerged about what exactly the Red Wings had in the young Swede. His skill and speed were obvious, but what exactly was his ceiling or his ideal role on a team with postseason aspirations?
A (much-needed) uptick in offensive production for Detroit in '23-24 seemed to depend, at least in part, on Raymond returning to and improving upon his rookie-season form.
Through eight games, Raymond has done just that. He has two goals and four assists to open the year, but he's been perhaps even more useful in his work away from the puck.
"He's a confident player right now," said Lalonde of the 21-year-old Friday. "His two line-mates [Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin] have garnered a ton of attention and rightfully so, but he's been with right them."
Lalonde also pointed out that his point production could be higher if he were playing a more premium power play role but that he has nonetheless met the team's every expectation in the early going: "Not getting time on that first unit power play, which is obviously playing at a very high level, but he's everything we hoped into the start of the season—just shy of a point a game, scoring, creating offense."
After he netted the lone goal in Detroit's loss to the Jets, Lalonde lauded Raymond for illustrating the way you have to play against an elite goaltender like Connor Hellebuyck, saying "give Razor credit, he was committed to going right to the net, and he finishes off a rebound from being right on top of that blue paint."
Lalonde observed that as good as the Red Wings scoring touch has been to start the season, Raymond is the one player who perhaps deserves to have scored a bit more than he is.
"As much success as we've had with our offense, with our shooting percentage, he's one that has not had that success," the second-year head coach said. "He's the one that had been doing a lot of good things and hasn't been rewarded with as much offense as he probably deserves."
Alex DeBrincat said of Raymond, "He creates a lot, he makes good passes, and he's also on the forecheck hard. He's getting pucks back. He's really making it easier for us."
"When you know the guy next to you is gonna do the same for you, it makes it a lot easier to go into that battle and try to win that," DeBrincat added. "It is contagious, and he's been the horse of our line."
Raymond will look to continue his strong start tonight in the Garden.
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7:00 PM start) will once again be broadcast by Bally Sports Detroit—available on television or via streaming and BSD+. For out of market fans, it will be on its familiar home—ESPN+.
The Silky Mitten State
Be sure to check out THN Detroit's new podcast: The Silky Mitten State. I'm joined by Connor Earegood of The Michigan Daily, College Hockey News, and THN's new NCAA site. We'll be chatting Red Wings, college hockey across the state, and anything else related to hockey in Michigan that catches our attention. Be on the look out for a new episode every Friday.
Here's a quick video sample from a larger conversation about confidence in Detroit's goaltending.
And here's the full episode (still Spotify only for now, but that should be changing shortly):