Red Wings vs. Bruins: Defending Champs Look To End Recent Struggles vs. Detroit

The Boston Bruins meet the Detroit Red Wings on Friday in a marquee "Black Friday" matchup nationally televised on NBC, and the defending Stanley Cup champs will look to end their recent struggles against a talented Detroit team.

Boston has not beaten Detroit since November of 2008. No team dominated the Bruins last season like the Red Wings did in their only meeting at TD Garden.

A year ago the Red Wings swept a home-and-home series by winning 6-1 in Boston and 4-2 at Joe Louis Arena.

Both teams look to ride the hot hand between the pipes on Friday with goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Tim Thomas playing fantastic in recent weeks.

Thomas is the defending Vezina and Conn Smythe trophy winner and currently ranks third in both save percentage and GAA. However, Thomas is just 1-3 in his last five appearances versus the Red Wings with a 3.03 GAA.

Howard is 7-2 in his last nine starts for the Red Wings with a 1.85 GAA in that span. Howard's toughest test of the season will be against the Bruins, who have won 10 straight games, and a win on Friday versus Detroit would give Boston its longest winning streak since 1971.

The Bruins have battled through some tough games during this winning streak, and have shown the resiliency to bounce back after falling behind.

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“You go into every game prepared for everything,” said [Milan] Lucic via CSNNE.com, “I think it just goes to show the maturity of the team... 

“No matter whether we score or they score, we focus on what we have to do next. That’s what we’ve done well this year, especially in these last 10 games.”

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The Bruins can win by any score. During this streak they have won five times by at least three goals and four times by just a single score.

Sophomore forward Tyler Seguin has really risen his game this season, and has been the Bruins best offensive player thus far.

Seguin already has scored 12 goals, eclipsing his goal total from last season (11), and leads the team with 23 points. He is also the league leader with a plus-minus rating of 18.

He will be the toughest player for Detroit to defend on Friday because of his speed and playmaking ability.

The Bruins are again a Stanley Cup contender, but their toughest challenge may come Friday against a veteran Red Wings team with a roster full of great players who have won multiple championships.

Boston is arguably a better team than they were last season, and a win against a talented Detroit team would give them a lot of confidence.

For updates on all NHL/Bruins news throughout the season, follow Nicholas Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.