The Red Wings had high expectations for rookie left wing Ville Leino this season. When he failed to come close to meeting them, the 26-year-old Finn felt coach Mike Babcock's wrath.

Leino was back in the lineup for Tuesday's 2-0 win over Boston, after being a healthy scratch the previous game, and will play in Thursday's game against San Jose, too, since the injury-riddled club has no spare forwards.

But if Leino doesn't begin playing harder and showing more intensity, he could become a frequent scratch this season.

"He can't get snuffed out," Babcock said. "What I mean by that is when someone puts their hand on you or their body on you, you got to fight through checks, you got to compete to get into scoring areas."

Competing hasn't been an issue for Leino. Two years ago, the late bloomer was named the top player in the Finnish Elite League. He had a decent season with Grand Rapids (AHL) last year and showed much promise during his 13 games with the Wings, picking up five goals and four assists.

Leino's strength is his ability to hold onto the puck in the offensive zone. He generally goes to the hard areas, along the boards and in the corners, and takes the puck to the net. But he hasn't been doing much of that this season -- he has just two goals and one assist in 12 games.

RED WINGS 2, BRUINS 0: Chris Osgood put together his second straight strong outing, stopping 29 shots for his 50th career shutout. Only New Jersey's Martin Brodeur has more shutouts (103) among active goaltenders. Henrik Zetterberg (power play) and Tomas Holmstrom scored goals 3:22 apart in the first period, and the Wings made it stand with a strong defensive effort.

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