Notes: Detroit resolute heading into Boston

BOSTON - The numbers are not pretty; in fact, they're horrific.
Eleven losses in row a row in Boston, dating back to April 18, 2014, when former Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk scored a late third-period goal to lift the Wings to a 1-0 victory over the Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Since then, Detroit has been outscored by the Bruins 53-23 in the past 11 games at TD Garden, with the B's scoring four or more goals in nine games, while the Wings have scored two or fewer goals in eight of them.
But for all their troubles in Boston, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill believes the Wings will not dwell on their abysmal record when they face the Bruins Saturday night at TD Garden.

"I don't think it has any effect on us mentally that we feel going into the game like, 'Oh boy, here we go again.' I don't' really feel it as the coach," Blashill told reporters Friday after practice at the Belfor Training Center. "I didn't feel it even when it was Philly going on. In Philly's case it had gone over a number of years, but we had only played them twice (a year).
"We've played Boston more and we haven't done very well in their building, but I don't think it really is a case that it's in our head at all, to be honest with you. I just think we haven't played well enough and they've won. We've got to go there and play a great game. We know that and that's all we think about."
While Blashill maintains the Wings are focused on the task at hand, which is winning every game regardless of where it's played, some of the Red Wings are cognizant of the Beantown hex.
"You're aware of it. We never seem to put it together in Boston. There's been games where it's been close, but we need to find a way," Dylan Larkin said. "It's not something you think about but yeah, they're a good team at home, they're a good team in general. They came in here (Little Caesars Arena) last time, they were a little banged up and we beat them so maybe we can take that confidence going into TD Garden."
On Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 21), the Wings downed the Bruins 3-2 in overtime with Andreas Athanasiou netting the game-winner at Little Caesars Arena.
"I think winning helps period, so the fact that we beat them and the fact we've won more games in the last 15 than we did early is a huge thing," Blashill said. "I think if we were a confident team in their building in the first game we played them (an 8-2 loss), we would have been better off, but we weren't a confident team, we had lost too many games to start the year.
"Certainly, winning helps confidence and hopefully we walk in and are able to absorb bad things that happen to you during the course of the game better than we were then."
Back on Oct. 13, the Wings got hammered in a Saturday afternoon game at TD Garden, 8-2. Once the B's started to roll, they didn't look back.
David Pastrnak had a hat trick, Jake DeBrusk notched a couple of goals and Boston's eighth goal scored by Sean Kuraly came at the 19:58 mark of the third. It was the Wings' worst performance of the season.
And though the bad taste still lingers, Detroit's approach isn't one of revenge against Boston.
"The reality is, we didn't play good enough. They played better than us. They scored and that's the way it goes," Blashill said. "We came into that game and played really good in the first period. Got scored on late and it really went the wrong way.
"But we're a totally different team now, in my opinion. It doesn't mean that it can never happen again. I think we got, one, a lot of the veterans back in the lineup and, two, we've got way more confidence. We're going to go in and try to play the best hockey game we can. That's all we're worried about."
Larkin knows the Wings must start on time because the Bruins are always on top of their game at home.
"It's a loud building. They get on a roll at home, their power play seems to always be clicking at home," he said. So, we've got to stay disciplined and we have to find a way to put (it) together; everyone's first shift has to be hard and we have to keep that going all 20 minutes."
RASK'S GAME COMING TOGETHER:Boston has recently been dealing with the injury bug, especially to their back end.
Defensemen Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy and Kevan Miller are out, along with center Patrice Bergeron.
Chara and Bergeron have missed Boston's last six games, but the Bruins have compiled a 4-1-1 record without them, mainly because Boston's goalies have been superb.
Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak lead the NHL in goaltending with a combined 2.37 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and two shutouts.
In his last four decisions since returning from his leave of absence, Rask is 2-0-2, with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage.
This will be the third meeting between the Red Wings and Bruins this season and Rask was in net for the first two games. He's 1-0-1 versus the Wings this season with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
He will once again be in goal Saturday. Rask's career record versus the Wings is 13-5-3 with a 2.57 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and one shutout.
"He's really athletic. He can stay with pucks. He's pretty calm in net and pretty good at making the first save," Justin Abdelkader said. "We got to make sure that we're over-shooting, we're getting to the net for those second and third opportunities."

Rask got off to a slow start this season; his record is 6-4-2 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .917 save percentage and there was speculation perhaps the 31-year-old netminder was beginning to show some wear and tear.
Blashill, a former collegiate goalie at Ferris State, isn't buying into the talk that Rask is not the same elite level goaltender of yesteryear.
"Tuukka's been a really good goalie in this league. I think he fills the net well, he plays efficient. I think pucks stick to him well," Blashill said. "He's got lots of talent and I think they play real good defense in front of him. I think that combo has made him difficult.
"Like any goalie, though, if you can get traffic, get pucks in and create chaos, even the best goalies, it's a hard night for them. We gotta make sure tonight's hard for him."
NO HARD FEELINGS:As reported, the last time at TD Garden, the Red Wings were drubbed 8-2 by the Bruins, with Kuraly scoring their last goal with two seconds left in the game.
If you think the Red Wings are all worked up that the Bruins were rubbing it in by scoring a meaningless goal in what was a 7-2 blowout with seconds left, you would be wrong.
"You're going to keep playing no matter what the score is. I've been in a few of those games and it's maybe different than other sports like the NFL and they're throwing long passes instead of running the ball, but in hockey you got to continue playing," Abdelkader said. "Obviously, we're not happy with that result. We want to clear that from our memory, and the best way to do that is to go out and have a good game tonight."
When pressed if he really wasn't upset with Boston scoring late, Abdelkader reiterated that hockey is different than other sports.
"If you don't (keep playing hard), you're going to risk getting hurt. You got to continue to play," he said. "(We were) just more mad at ourselves for allowing them to score another goal."
BOBBLEHEAD RASMUSSEN:It may not be the first time he's been immortalized as a bobblehead (his junior team in Tri-City beat the Wings to the punch), but Detroit rookie Michael Rasmussen is pumped for his bobblehead night this Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Well, he's as pumped as the low-key Rasmussen can be.
"It's a big day coming up for me, so yeah, it's going be fun," Rasmussen said.
When Rasmussen, who has been described as the most serious 19-year-old on Earth, was told his bobblehead has a smile, the 6-foot-6, 221-pound forward with the Wing span of a Condor, became reflective.
"Oh yeah? At least one of us does," he said with a … smile.
Without question a smiling Rasmussen bobblehead will be an instant collector's item. Perhaps he'll even grab one for himself.