Red Wings can't maintain fast start, lose 3-2 to NHL-best Bruins

Boston — Statistically, in the standings, or to the eye test, the Boston Bruins are the NHL's best team this season.

The Red Wings saw why up close Saturday.

The Wings were the better team for the opening 20 minutes, but the Bruins methodically roared back and won 3-2.

Garnet Hathaway put a rebound past goaltender Magnus Hellberg at 13 minutes, 54 seconds of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie, after the Wings rebounded from a disastrous second period to get back in the game.

But one unfortunate break and the Bruins capitalized, just as they have most often this season.

Boston (50-9-5), stayed on pace to set records for most wins in a season (62) and points (132). Saturday's victory also made the Bruins the quickest team to reach 50 victories (in 64 games) in NHL history.

"Methodical," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said of the Bruins victory. "When they need it, they get the push in the second (period) and they needed it. We're probably fortunate to only give up the two (goals), Hellberg was excellent in that period. But again, we had a great opportunity, a missed opportunity in the third."

The Wings allowed four Boston power plays within the first 34 minutes. Given Boston's high-end offensive talent, chances are the Bruins would eventually capitalize and they did.

"The second period burned us," Lalonde said. "We had a real good first, and I liked our third. But the second, the penalties, our four penalties and it's just too much on our group and gives their top guys too much momentum.

"It's unfortunate because we had a real good opportunity today."

The Wings (29-27-9) have lost six of their last seven, as dreams of the playoffs drift further away.

The teams will meet Sunday at Little Caesars Arena for the capper on a weekend back-to-back series (1:30 p.m./TNT/WXYT 97.1).

Andrew Copp (shorthanded) and Alex Chiasson (power play) scored 2:56 apart early in the first period, as the Wings got off to as good a start as they could have hoped.

"It was real good," Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said of the start. "We kept going from there. A good road first period, and then in the second they got on the power play and that's when this team is dangerous on home ice."

Hampus Lindholm and Patrice Bergeron (power play) had second-period Boston goals.

Copp intercepted a David Krejci pass and took off on an odd-man rush. Copp kept the puck and whipped a shot past goaltender Linus Ullmark, Copp's seventh goal, at 1:36.

The Wings added a goal, quickly, on the power play. Chiasson, who continued his impressive play for the Wings, capped a nice passing play with David Perron and Larkin, scoring his first goal as a Wing at 4:32.

But momentum shifted in the second period.

BOX SCORE: Bruins 3, Red Wings 2

Boston outshot the Wings 18-2 in the middle period. It was only the work of Hellberg early that kept the Bruins off the scoreboard until Lindholm finally got the Bruins rolling with his eighth goal, snapping a shot from the top of the slot that found an opening past a screened Hellberg at 12:43.

"The momentum shifted, we fed their offense a little bit," defenseman Moritz Seider said. "You can't give their top lines time and space and that's what we did, and you see the outcome."

Just under two minutes after Linholm's goal, there was a huge turning point.

Larkin appeared to have scored banking a shot off Ullmark and into the net, only for it to be waved off, as Larkin was called for an interference penalty seconds earlier.

Now on the power play, the Bruins carried all the momentum to Bergeron's tying goal, his 24th, as he redirected a pass from Jake DeBrusk at 14:11.

"That's a tough swing there, you think we go up 3-1 and they call a penalty late, and not the ref that was close, it was called on the back side," Larkin said. "They score on the penalty kill and it's a tough swing. But we responded well and had a good third period.

"We just came up short. But it was a good effort, we battled a lot out there, and a lot was going against us."

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan