Schedule and 2013-14 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 54-19-9=117pts, Detroit 39-28-15=93pts
Game 1 on Friday, 18 April: Detroit wins at Boston, 1-goal-nil
Game 2 on Sunday, 20 April: Detroit loses at Boston, 4-goals-1
Game 3 on Tuesday, 22 April: Boston wins at Detroit, 3-goals-nil
Game 4 on Thursday, 24 April: Boston wins at Detroit, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 5 on Saturday, 26 April: Detroit loses at Boston, 4-goals-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Boston Bruins hosted and bested the Detroit Red Wings 4-goals-2 to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1221, 4-games-1. With the series 1221 victory, the Boston Bruins improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 48-47 overall and 12-10 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1221 loss, the best-of-7 NHL playoff series record of the Detroit Red Wings falls to 55-43 overall and 17-9 in the Preliminary round. Series 1221 followed a LWWWW to completion, as achieved by the victorious Boston Bruins; series 1221 thus becomes the ninth NHL Preliminary-round series, the 32nd NHL series (all rounds), and the 57th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow such a win order to completion. Upon completion of series 1221, the Detroit Red Wings now have the most best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff games losses at 259, followed by the Boston Bruins at 258; the irony is that, unless Boston can sweep its way to the 2014 NHL championship, the Bruins are almost guaranteed to tie and surpass this mark of ignominy during the rest of the 2014 NHL playoff series (a burden the Bruins would gladly bear, surely).

After Game 4: The Boston Bruins visited and bested the Detroit Red Wings 3-goals-2 in overtime to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1221 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 17-2 and a Game 5 record of 10-9. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 2-17 (with an active five-series losing streak) and a Game 5 record of 7-12. Through failing to take advantage of the opportunity in series 1221 Game 4 to tie Boston 2-games-all, the Detroit Red Wings tie the Boston Bruins for most best-of-7 format MLB/NBA/NHL playoff game losses at 258. Boston trailed on the road by two goals as late as 10:13 into the second period but prevailed: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2013, inclusive, road teams down two goals at 10:13 into the second period had a game record of 42-382 (.099).

After Game 3: The Boston Bruins visited and shut out the Detroit Red Wings 3-goals-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1221 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 20-9 and a Game 4 record of 13-16. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 13-19 and a Game 4 record of 16-16. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series, teams such as the Boston Bruins which split Games 1-2 at home and then win Game 3 on the road via shutout have a 14-8 (.636) series record; two of the 14 series wins were posted by earlier incarnations of the Boston Bruins themselves (in series 247 over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1972 Quarterfinals; in series 1134 over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 Semifinals – Boston won the NHL championship in both 1972 and 2011).

After Game 2: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-goals-1 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1221 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 22-14 and a Game 3 record of 19-17 (with an active five-Game 3 winning streak), while the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 21-18 and a Game 3 record of 18-21. In terms of overall MLB/NBA/NHL team best-of-7 playoff game losses, Detroit narrows the Boston lead to 258-256.

After Game 1: The Detroit Red Wings visited and bested the Boston Bruins 1-goal-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1221 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 38-14 and a Game 2 record of 36-16 (with an active three-Game 2 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 13-33 and a Game 2 record of 18-28. The series 1221 Game 1 loss by the Boston Bruins is the MLB/NBA/NHL-leading 258th best-of-7 playoff game defeat suffered by the Bruins – Detroit is second on that list with 255 such losses. Series 1221 Game 1 is the 43rd 1-goal-nil victory by a road team in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the third won by Detroit, and the first won by Detroit in regulation (the Red Wings won series 54 Game 6 in Toronto over the Maple Leafs during the 1945 NHL Finals, and won series 605 Game 6 in Minnesota over the former North Stars during the 1992 NHL Preliminary round – both in overtime).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2013-14 NHL regular season, Boston finished 24 points ahead of Detroit. From 1939 through the 2013 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 24 regular-season points, they have posted a 7-4 (.636) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1221 is the 98th best-of-7 playoff series for Detroit, and the 95th for Boston. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, Detroit has a 55-42 series record, a 17-8 Preliminary-round series record, and a 52-45 Game 1 record, while Boston has a 47-47 series record, an 11-10 Preliminary-round series record, and a 48-46 Game 1 record. Series 1221 is the seventh best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between Detroit and Boston: Boston has won four of the six previous series, but the last such series was series 112 (in the 1957 NHL Semifinals round).