On Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes flew with their mentors to the Motor City to battle the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season. After a hard-earned overtime victory over the Flames on Sunday night, the group tried to add another win against a tough Detroit squad. The Red Wings last played outdoors against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, losing 5-3.
Frederik Andersen was between the pipes in Detroit trying to end the team's four-game road losing streak. Andersen suffered a tough loss to the Oilers at home on Saturday. The Red Wings countered with former Hurricane Alex Lyon. Detroit entered the night occupying the second Wild Card spot, so these are a critical two points for them.
It was evident from the jump that this would be a fast and tough game. Detroit opened the contest with a few odd-man chances that were defended beautifully before earning the first power play after Andrei Svechnikov was called for boarding. Facing the league's second-best power play, the Canes' penalty kill dug in. Andersen made four stops as the Canes survived the early test.
Needing desperately to play from in front, Jalen Chatfield dragged the group to the first goal. Pawing down the aerial flip and being the first to play it, Chatfield jumped up to strip the puck from Moritz Seider. He found Jordan Martinook in the slot and the forward buried a backhand under Lyon's arm to take the lead shortly before the intermission.
The Staal line was jumping again to start the second period. The play began with Martinook dumping the puck around the boards. Lyon came out to play the puck, but it bounced on him. The captain was on the spot, swooping in and wrapping it into the net as Lyon scrambled to get back. Less than 90 seconds into the frame, the Canes had doubled their lead.
The Canes didn't score again in the second, but they could've added another goal or two if not for Lyon. At one point late in the frame, the Canes hemmed the Red Wings in their zone for nearly four minutes straight, executing at least two line changes during the sequence. They didn't score, but it felt like they had asserted their dominance over the game as their 2-0 lead remained through two.
It started to feel like the Canes were one goal away from putting the game out of reach, but the Red Wings refused to go away. Lyon kept his crew in the game, making stop after stop early in the third period. Eventually, his team would reward him. Martinook's pass in transition hit a skate, allowing Elmer Soderblom to skate in with speed, easily move around Dmitry Orlov, and snap his shot home.
To make it even scarier, Svechnikov took his second offensive-zone penalty of the game 24 seconds later to give Detroit a chance to tie it. Once again, the penalty kill shut the Red Wings down, allowing just one shot. Taylor Hall had a chance to put the game away with a penalty shot, but Lyon stoned him. Lyon would hit the bench with 2:30 left, but the Canes' defense stifled the Detroit comeback, holding on to snap their road losing streak at four games.
We've been craving a complete 60-minute effort from the Hurricanes on the road for a while now. We finally got it on Tuesday night. The defense led the charge. Jaccob Slavin was on another planet with the number of plays he made. Jalen Chatfield kickstarted the opening goal. Shayne Gostisbehere continued to find the scoresheet, adding an assist. The penalty kill went 3-for-3. It was an all-around stout night from the back end.
Frederik Andersen was another big part of the effort. He was big early, making a 2-on-1 stop against Vladimir Tarasenko before becoming the team's most important penalty killer on Detroit's first chance. His biggest save of the game came late in the second period on JT Compher after Sebastian Aho turned the puck over. He stopped Compher in alone to keep it a 2-0 game. Andersen finished the night with 24 saves to earn an important victory.
Only one line was rewarded in Detroit, but all four lines had excellent chances. One guy who didn't find the scoresheet but was phenomenal was Taylor Hall. He was flying all night. Hall was in the middle of battles, skating up and down the ice at the speed of light, and nearly put the game away by earning a penalty shot. His point production hasn't been there, but Hall has been an excellent addition to the team.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will return home to begin a four-game homestand. First on the list is the Boston Bruins, who will be without captain Brad Marchand after suffering an upper-body injury. Before the Canes return to action on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets, the Lenovo Center will host a PWHL game between the Minnesota Frost and the Ottawa Charge on Friday night.