Red Wings Face Bruins in Back-to-Back Clash After Losses

BOSTON – The Detroit Red Wings will battle the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at TD Garden, marking their second game in a back-to-back series. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. as both teams look to bounce back from losses on Black Friday.

Detroit, sitting at 13-11-1 (27 points), comes off a 6-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena, while Boston (14-12-0; 28 points) is coming off a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers.

Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan addressed the team’s challenges, emphasizing the importance of individual execution. “We have players that are very capable… but we can’t go back and wallow in what we did or didn’t do last night,” McLellan said. He highlighted the need for players to learn from their mistakes and to maintain energy despite the compressed schedule.

The Bruins, facing injury concerns, will be without David Pastrnak for the second consecutive game due to an undisclosed issue. Pastrnak leads the team with 29 points. His absence creates a gap in Boston’s offensive strategy, which will be crucial against a motivated Detroit squad.

During their Friday night matchup, the Bruins saw Casey Mittelstadt contribute after returning from injury, while Morgan Geekie scored his team-leading 18th goal. However, Coach Marco Sturm criticized his team’s performance against the Rangers, stating, “A lot of guys didn’t step up when it mattered.”

Detroit captain Dylan Larkin echoed similar frustrations, noting the necessity to start better in games after falling behind early in recent matchups. “Right now, we’re just a little fragile, and mistakes seem to be compounding,” Larkin said.

As both teams prepare, they remain closely positioned in the Atlantic Division standings, organizing for a tight match as they seek redemption from their previous losses.