National Hockey League
Detroit 6, Boston 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, March 31, 2019
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Referees: Tim Peel, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Libor Suchanek, Tyson Baker
Attendance: 19515

Detroit's Anthony Mantha recorded his first career hat trick and five-point game, and the Red Wings scored four times in the third period in a 6-3 win over the visiting Boston Bruins on Sunday.

Mantha scored Detroit's first three goals and assisted on the final two as the club rallied from a 3-2 third-period deficit to win its season-best fifth straight game.

Taro Hirose scored his first NHL goal, Dylan Larkin had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bertuzzi notched three assists for the Red Wings, who won for the seventh time in their last eight games.

Andreas Athanasiou and Niklas Kronwall had two helpers apiece, and Jimmy Howard made 31 saves to win his fourth straight decision and beat Boston for the third time this season.

Jake DeBrusk, Brad Marchand, and David Backes tallied for the Bruins, who started their three-game road trip by losing their second straight contest and third in the last four.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots and David Krejci posted two assists.

Mantha scored on the game's sixth shot on goal at 10:26 of the first period, thanks largely to some wizardry from Larkin.

The 22-year-old Larkin, who leads Detroit in points, goals and assists, blindly backhanded a cross-ice pass from the corner to the right circle for Mantha, who cashed in to become the third Red Wings player to reach the 20-goal plateau.

Mantha made it 2-0 with his one-timer with one second left in the period, and his point streak sits at five games (five goals, seven assists) as does Larkin's (five goals, three assists).

DeBrusk extended his career-high goals for a season to 25 at 2:01 of the second period. He finished Krejci's slick saucer pass on a 2-on-1 and halved the deficit to 2-1.

Marchand's short-handed goal at 9:50 was a result of Patrice Bergeron's dodgy move around Mantha, also on a 2-on-1. Bergeron backhanded a pass, and Marchand belted in his 35th marker.

Backes gave Boston its first lead at 3-2 with one minute to play in the second when he deflected in Kevan Miller's shot for his seventh goal.

Mantha recorded his hat trick with his 22nd goal of the season and Hirose scored just eight seconds later in the second minute of the third period for a 4-3 lead. Filip Hronek and Larkin (empty net) added the final two tallies.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Detroit
David Krejci 2 Points Anthony Mantha 5
David Backes 1 Goals Anthony Mantha 3
David Krejci 2 Assists Tyler Bertuzzi 3
N/A Power Play Goals Anthony Mantha 2
Brad Marchand 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Jaroslav Halak .815 Save Percentage Jimmy Howard .912
Jaroslav Halak 22 Saves Jimmy Howard 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 34 3 0-4 3-5 25 28
Detroit 28 6 2-5 4-4 13 26
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .516 after a win and .312 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Bruins have a W/L % of .617 after a win and .562 after a loss.