DETROIT -- The Red Wings did not play a perfect game Thursday, but they certainly laid out the blueprint for success.
In the salary cap era, the Wings are no longer the team of highly-paid superstars.
These days, the Wings have to play a high-energy, tight defense-style game in order to win.
In their home opener against the Boston Bruins, they did just that in a 2-1 victory.
"This is our recipe for success," goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "A lot of nights it's going to take working a full 60 minutes. There are going to be a lot of hard-fought games and games that mean something for us this year. It's going to be a fun year."
Howard had 16 saves.
The Wings held the Bruins without a shot until 12:01 of the first period.
Then, naturally, Patrice Bergeron's shot from the slot went over Howard's shoulder.
"Surprise, surprise, the first one goes in, I was like, 'Sweet way to start your night off,'" Howard said.
But the Wings got second-period goals from Justin Abdelkader on a deflection and Gustav Nyquist on the power play to take a 2-1 lead.
"I think overall we played a real good game," Nyquist said. "We skated hard, I think we were a fast team. They played (Wednesday) night so we knew they were going to be a little tired so we tried to come out hard and I think we did that."
The new power play looked anemic in the first period but got more traction as the game went on.
"I think we're getting a little more on the inside right now," Nyquist said. "I thought our breakouts didn't really work the way we wanted, but that's something we can improve. But in zone, we're getting a lot of bodies in front and I think that's where we're gonna score a lot of goals so I like that."
Johan Franzen assisted on both Detroit goals.
"I thought he was outstanding," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought it was a real good game for Mule. They're veterans, him and (Henrik Zetterberg), so their exhibition didn't go for them as good. I thought both really competed hard for us (Thursday night) and they competed against world-class players."
Then in the third period, the Wings held on for dear life, especially when the Bruins had a late power play.
"I'm pretty confident in the penalty kill, so I thought let's just kill it off," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "We came out for the third like a young group, I didn't think we were as assertive as we should have been, so having the penalty kill, you can be really aggressive."
It's just the first game of 82, but the Wings certainly got off on the right foot, showing what they're capable of when they skate fast and play hard.
"It was good," Abdelkader said. "They're one of the teams everyone is talking about to be Stanley Cup favorites so it's good for us. It's night one. We have to follow that up. Can't be content and happy."
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