Frederic scores 2 goals as Bruins win 3rd straight by downing Red Wings, 5-3
By DANA GAURUDER Associated Press
DETROIT - Trent Frederic scored twice, Charlie Coyle had the go-ahead goal and the Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Sunday.
Boston forward Pavel Zacha scored an empty-net goal in his 500th regular-season game.
Jake DeBrusk also added an empty-netter and Charlie McAvoy had two assists for the Bruins, who have won three straight. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves.
Boston beat New Jersey at home Saturday night.
"We have a tough travel with a 5 o'clock game, but we had really good energy and it was nice to pull that one off," Frederic said. "Call it a little bit of a gutsy win."
Jake Walman scored his third goal in two games for Detroit. Ben Chiarot and J.T. Compher had the Red Wings' other goals, and Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots.
"We did some quality things tonight," Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. "You look back, we easily could have won that game. Probably our most complete 60 minutes from start to finish in a while. It just came against a team with a very slim margin of error to be successful."
The Atlantic Division opponents split their four-game season series.
Frederic scored his first goal of the game with 51.8 seconds left in the first period. David Pastrnak flicked the puck out of his own zone as Frederic got behind Detroit's defenders. Frederic backhanded the puck over Lyon's left shoulder.
"Pasta hit a nice little 60-degree wedge shot to me, and I was a little slow, so all I had was the backhand," Frederic said. "I was lucky to get that over his shoulder."
Frederic crashed into Lyon, who was checked out by the team's trainer but remained in the game.
Frederic's second goal and ninth of the season came at 4:25 of the second. He skated in along the right boards and wristed a shot that whistled through Lyon's pads.
"I think he's playing faster," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "He's underrated as to how great a skater he is, and now he's going north consistently instead of delaying, which he did a lot. He's opening up space for himself and he's got great hands."
Walman notched his ninth goal this season at 13:01. He lifted a shot from the left circle over Swayman's shoulder.
Chiarot scored his third goal later in the period from the slot to tie it at 2. Boston's challenge of goalie interference was denied.
Boston regained the lead at 3:52 of the third. McAvoy passed the puck to Coyle, who scored his 13th goal from the slot.
DeBrusk's empty-netter came with 2:01 remaining. Following a Boston penalty, Compher scored on a rebound with 1:22 left.
Detroit had gone 0 for 5 on the power play before Compher's goal.
"I thought we had chances," Compher said. "It wasn't perfect tonight. You're judged on goals and we weren't able to capitalize early in the game."
Zacha's empty-netter with 24 seconds to go clinched the Bruins' victory.
UP NEXT
Bruins: At Columbus on Tuesday.
Red Wings: At San Jose on Tuesday.