Bruins ready for another physical, 'nasty' game, this time in Detroit

Red Wings host Bruins Tuesday night in Game 3 of opening round series

DETROIT – The Red Wings didn't play the game they wanted to on Sunday in Boston.

Coach Mike Babcock's post-game comments spelled out his frustration in his team's willingness to join the Bruins' physical, rough and borderline goonish style of hockey.

"I just looked at the sheet here and we had one, two, three, four roughing calls. We haven't had four roughing calls this year. So you've got to do what you do, not what they do," Babcock said after the game.

It works for the B's, but it won't work for Detroit.

Related: Alfredsson out, Andersson in for Game 3

The B's -- yes, that's how they affectionately refer to them over in Boston. The loyal B's fans would like to see nothing less than another physical beating of the Red Wings, this time in front of their own fans at Joe Louis Arena. 

"The B's hope to deliver the same sort of heavy and nasty game they played in a 4-1 Game 2 win, pounding on Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith and his teammates at every opportunity," writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald. 

Yes, "nasty." That's how they'd like to keep it. And the top-seeded Bruins would appreciate dishing the Wings their own home loss. 

For Smith's part, getting in Zdeno Chara's face has gotten him some notoriety in Boston as the "less intelligent Smith brother." 

Bruins Notebook: Brendan Smith pokes big bear

You decide. It seemed to me that Chara was afraid to drop his gloves. Right ... 

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Meanwhile, his brother, Reilly Smith, scored on the power play.

Despite the Bruins' physical dominance in Game 2, it's clear Boston fans aren't so confident the Bruins have the upper hand in this now best-of-five series. 

"The Bruins haven't won at the Joe since 2007. Let's change that," writes Sarah Connors over at Stanley Cup of Chowder. 

True. Somehow the B's have stayed quiet in Detroit ... during the regular season. Statistics such as that have much less significance in April, if they had any to begin with.

Oh, and, Milan Lucic is still a folk hero in Boston despite -- or maybe strengthened by -- the cheap shot on Danny DeKeyser in Game 1, which the league later fined him for.

Boston Globe: Milan Lucic key to Bruins' win

He did bounce back in Game 2 with a nifty give-and-go with Jarome Iginla which put the Bruins up 3-1, but expect boos at the Joe whenever Lucic touches the puck, another player, spits, sits on the bench ... does pretty much anything.


Lucic was fined $5,000 for this spear to Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser's groin.

Game 3 puck drop is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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