Fabbri scores twice in Detroit debut as Wings surprise Bruins, 4-2
Robby Fabbri certainly knows how to make an entrance.
He scored two power-play goals in his Red Wings debut to lead Detroit to a surprising 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena.
“Yeah. It definitely helps with the confidence there,” Fabbri said. “Overall, just to see the way the boys played, that really helps coming in. So it was a great win for the boys.”
The win snapped a four-game losing streak and a skid in which the Wings were 1-11-1 in their previous 13 games. The last time the Wings had such a stretch was 2017-18, when they were 1-12-1 from Feb. 28 to March 26.
Fabbri, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Jacob de la Rose on Wednesday night, gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with 8:11 left in the first period with a one-timer from the inside ledge of the right circle. He then made it 3-1, 1:30 into the second period on another one-timer, this time from the inside edge of the left circle, to give him three goals on the season.
“We were just talking in the room there. For the season we’re three percent below the average for shooting percentage. We’re last in the league in shooting percentage,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “He (Fabbri) looks like a guy that can score. He did a real good job with it. He scored in the past. He did a great job as the bumper, finding the open space there, so it’s a good start.”
Tyler Bertuzzi, Fabbri’s old junior teammate with the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, set up both goals.
“That was pretty funny. It brings back old memories,” Fabbri said. “It was good to be back with him.”
Jonathan Bernier, who rallied after a slow start, was outstanding with 26 saves. He was particularly sharp with a point-blank glove save – after going post-to-post – on the Bruins’ red-hot David Pastrnak from the bottom of the right circle late in the second period after Torey Krug’s power-play goal (2:08 left in the period) had brought Boston to within 3-2.
“It just kind of went through everyone’s legs. I knew he was there,” Bernier said. “Obviously I was late, and you want to make an easy save there. But I just tried to cover as much as possible and got the glove on it.”
Pastrnak got an assist on Krug’s goal to stretch his point streak to 14 games (15 goals and 16 assists).
Bernier also had two assists. It is the first time a Red Wings goalie has had two assists in a game since the NHL-World Hockey Association merger in 1979-80, according to hockeyreference.com.
Anthony Mantha’s empty-net goal with 1:28 left clinched the win. It was his 10th goal of the season.
The game looked as if it would be the same old story for Detroit when the Bruins’ first shot – David Krejci’s innocent-looking wrister from the left face-off dot – eluded Bernier just 1:07 into the game.
But Dylan Larkin’s fifth goal of the season tied it just 1:32 later when his attempted pass from the side of the net went in off the skate of Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. That was after Larkin cut in off left wing and went behind the net to the other side of it.
“I thought the answer by Larkin after we got down was a huge, huge thing,” Blashill said. “It allows you to just keep playing. Momentum in a game is such a big deal.”
Briefly
Defenseman Mike Green returned after missing three games with an illness.