Boston — Statistically, in the standings, or to the eye test, the Boston Bruins are the NHL’s best team this season.
The Red Wings saw why up close Saturday.
The Wings were the better team for the opening 20 minutes, but the Bruins methodically roared back and won 3-2.
Garnet Hathaway put a rebound past goaltender Magnus Hellberg at 13 minutes, 54 seconds of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie.
Boston (50-9-5), stayed on pace to set records for most wins in a season (62) and points (132).
The Wings (29-27-9) have lost six of their last seven.
The teams return Sunday to Little Caesars Arena for the capper on a weekend back-to-back series (1:30 p.m./TNT/WXYT 97.1).
Andrew Copp (shorthanded) and Alex Chiasson (power play) scored 2:56 apart early in the first period, as the Wings got off to as good a start as they could have hoped.
Hampus Lindholm and Patrice Bergeron (power play) had second-period Boston goals.
Copp intercepted a David Krejci pass and took off on an odd-man rush. Copp kept the puck and whipped a shot past goaltender Linus Ullmark, Copp’s seventh goal, at 1:36.
The Wings added a goal, quickly, on the power play. Chiasson, who continued his impressive play for the Wings, capped a nice passing play with David Perron and Dylan Larkin, scoring his first goal as a Wing at 4:32.
The Wings outshot the Bruins 15-11 and generally kept the Bruins in check throughout the period.
But momentum shifted in the second period.
BOX SCORE: Bruins 3, Red Wings 2
Boston outshot the Wings 18-2 in the middle period and it was only the work of goaltender Magnus Hellberg early that kept the Bruins off the scoreboard.
But Lindholm finally got the Bruins rolling with his eighth goal, snapping a shot from the top of the slot that found an opening past a screened Hellberg at 12:43.
Then, a huge turning point.
Larkin appeared to have scored banking a shot off Ullmark and into the net, only for it to be waved off, as Larkin was called for an interference penalty moments before.
Now on the power play, the Bruins carried all the momentum to Bergeron’s tying goal, his 24th, redirecting a pass from Jake DeBrusk at 14:11.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan