BOSTON — A rare upbeat Claude Julien news conference followed Saturday night’s game, as the Bruins won on home ice for just the second time in eight tries this season.
“(It was) much better,” the Boston head coach said after his team’s 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden. “Our compete level was good (Saturday night), our effort, and like I said, every team in this league is good, so you can’t expect your team to dominate for sixty minutes.
“But I think overall, we played well, and we got the lead, and when it was time to defend, we defended well. There’s no doubt those power plays in the third period gave them some life, and some momentum, so I think our guys did a good job of reacting to that.”
The Red Wings scored one power-play goal in the game but came up empty on two other opportunities, including a 6-on-4 late in the third period. It was a nice sign of progress for the Bruins’ much-maligned penalty-killing unit, which entered Saturday ranked dead last in the NHL.
“Our penalty kill has been better,” Julien said. “Even (Saturday), kind of a tough goal there, a couple of bounces and it goes right on their stick, but our penalty kill’s been better.”
Some additional notes from Game 2 of the Bruins’ five-game homestand:
— Tuukka Rask turned in another strong performance in goal for the Bruins, stopping 22 of 23 shots and allowing just one power-play goal. He was particularly dialed in over game’s the final four minutes, during which he was instrumental in killing off a two-man Red Wings advantage that all but sealed the win.Â
“Tuukka was really good (Saturday night),” Julien said. “He was really good, I thought, (last weekend against the New York Islanders). He’s had some good games. I think right now, we keep looking back at some average games, but he’ll find his game. To me, I’m going to be backing him and supporting him all year long, because I know what kind of goaltender he is.
“When things go bad, that’s when you support your goaltender. That’s when you show trust in him, and we’ve shown trust in him because we know he’s going to help us win games like he did (Saturday).”
Rask, who improved to 5-6-1 on the season following an 0-3-0 start, has allowed just one goal in two of his last three starts.
“I’ve felt good,” he said. “Sometimes you have tough times, and sometimes you have good nights — more good than bad.”
— Dennis Seidenberg logged 19:05 of ice time in the win, up from the 15:34 he played Thursday in his season debut. The defenseman has not shied away from contact in his return from back surgery, recording nine hits and blocking four shots over the two games.
“You get excited to play physical hockey,” Seidenberg said. “I didn’t really have it in my mind that I was going to hit a lot or be overly physical. That’s just my game, and I have to stick to it and go with it.”
— Following Saturday’s results, the Bruins, Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers all are tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 17 points apiece. That puts them just two points back of the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning and three behind the second-place Ottawa Senators, but the Montreal Canadiens remain the class of the division with 28 points, tied for tops in the NHL.
— The Bruins began the evening by honoring the victims of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. You can watch the full tribute, which included the playing of the French national anthem, right here.
— Bruins draft pick Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson enjoyed his best game as a collegian Saturday, scoring two third-period goals and assisting on another in Boston University’s 3-3 tie against Providence.
The 19-year-old Swedish forward, whom the Bruins selected 45th overall in the 2015 draft, ranks second among BU skaters this season with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 10 games.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
