Detroit
The Red Wings rallied from 3-0 and 4-1 deficits in the first period, and with 3:04 remaining in regulation, Gustav Nyquist scored to pull them into a tie.
In the shootout, Tuukka Rask and Petr Mrazek stopped the first shots they faced before Vanek scored for the Red Wings and Brad Marchand countered with a goal for the Bruins. Nielsen, who like Vanek joined the team last summer as a free agent, scored on the team’s third attempt and Vatrano missed the net with a chance to extend the 1-on-1 duels.
The Bruins were dominant early before blowing a chance to keep Detroit at a distance in the Atlantic Division standings.
Detroit’s Jared Coreau was pulled 5:13 into the game after giving up three goals on eight shots and was replaced by Mrazek, who played well enough to keep his team in the game. Mrazek finished with 23 saves in a performance that might give him a much-needed boost of confidence.
Vatrano scored twice within the first nine minutes as Boston built a three-goal lead. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists in the opening period, helping the Bruins restore their three-goal cushion.
Detroit’s Xavier Ouellet, Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou scored three straight goals to tie it, but 21 seconds later Adam McQuaid’s go-ahead goal gave Boston the lead again with 5-plus minutes left in the period.
Rask made 20 saves for the Bruins, who were coming off a 4-0 loss at home to the New York Islanders in which their top goaltender was benched after giving up three goals over the first two periods.
The Bruins were aggressive early and it paid off with Vatrano’s goal 44 seconds after the first puck dropped. Brandon Carlo scored less than 2 minutes later and Vatrano scored a season-high second goal at the 8:50 mark of the first period.
The lead, though, wasn’t large enough against a team that rallied from a two-goal deficit to rout Pittsburgh 6-3 and shut out Atlantic-leading Montreal 1-0.
Notes: Boston D Kevan Miller missed his second straight game with a concussion and D Colin Miller was out for a fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
Penguins 4, Canadiens 1
Montreal
Defensemen Ian Cole and Olli Maatta also scored for Pittsburgh, which won its second game in a row after a three-game skid.
Sven Andrighetto scored for Montreal, which lost its second straight and has only two wins in its last six games. The Canadiens’ offense remained in a rut coming off a 1-0 loss Monday in Detroit.
Penguins goalie Matt Martin was back in form after Monday’s wild 8-7 win over Washington, making 19 saves. But Carey Price’s woes continued as Pittsburgh outshot Montreal 26-20.
Jets 6, Coyotes 3
Winnipeg, Manitoba
It was Pavelec’s first NHL game this season after the veteran goalie was the AHL’s Manitoba Moose at the end of training camp.
The 29-year-old Pavelec was recalled Tuesday to start instead of Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson, who each struggled during the team’s winless skid (0-3-1).
Josh Morrissey, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Copp, Shawn Matthais, Jacob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Jets, who started a four-game homestand.
Arizona’s Mike Smith stopped 29 of the 35 shots he faced before being replaced by Louis Domingue following Winnipeg’s sixth goal midway through the third period.