The Carolina Hurricanes brought their four-game winning streak to the Motor City in a battle between division leaders. The Canes won all three games on their most recent homestand, finishing it with a 3-2 win over the Kraken on Saturday. With Sergei Fedorov's number being retired pre-game, the Red Wings would have plenty of juice before this big clash.
William Carrier missed the game with a lower-body injury, bringing Jesperi Kotkaniemi back into the lineup amid trade rumors. Frederik Andersen was back in the net, trying to get his second straight victory after breaking his drought on Thursday. John Gibson took the start for Detroit after being named the league's second star of the week on Monday.
The Hurricanes were the better team in the first period, but that was after James van Riemsdyk scored on the power play 1:32 into the game. After that, it was almost all Carolina. Alexander Nikishin hit the post shortly after the goal, and Sebastian Aho did the same as the Canes finished their second penalty kill. They couldn't get anything to go in, sitting in a 1-0 hole after 20 minutes.
If the Red Wings felt lucky to be ahead after 20, they made sure to put the Canes in their place in the second. Alex DeBrincat doubled the lead 88 seconds into the middle frame, and Albert Johansson tripled it before the period was five minutes old. The Canes spent some time in the offensive zone, but they couldn't find their game. Detroit maintained its 3-0 stranglehold through two periods.
The Canes' special teams were exactly that in the third period. Jackson Blake started the comeback on the power play to break Gibson's shutout. Then, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho made more magic short-handed. The latter fed the former for his 21st goal to bring the Canes within one. To finish it, Shayne Gostisbehere wired a wrister on the power play to force overtime and earn a point.
This epic game didn't deserve the finish it got. Both teams had chances to score, but the game-winning goal came because the referee missed a call. On a 2-on-1, DeBrincat found Andrew Copp for a tap-in after Copp cross-checked Gostisbehere out of the way. It was a baffling bad miss by the stripes, handing Detroit the second point in a 4-3 finish.
There's really only one thing anyone wants to talk about
If you go to work tomorrow and make a mistake that costs your company money, there's a better than not chance you'll be reprimanded, with the possibility of termination. When you're an official in any sport, and you miss a call that changes the game, you're given another assignment without any questions asked. It makes you wonder how good the system really is.
The Hurricanes lost tonight's game on a play in overtime that could've been called two different penalties. Instead, it was allowed to happen, leading to an overtime loss for the visitors. Andrew Copp got away with a cross-check for sure, and interference if you really want to go by the letter of the law. He got away with it nonetheless, scoring the winning goal.
Have no fear, though, because Gostisbehere and Sebastian Aho each got 10-minute misconduct penalties after it was over. I guess the stripes didn't like their job assessment. This came at the same end of the ice where the same official missed a clear horse-collar tackle against Logan Stankoven in the first period. It's a sour way to end an otherwise fun game.
Special teams led the way in the third period
The Canes put themselves in a tough spot after getting nothing out of a good first period and starting the second period flatly. It was going to take something special to get them a point. I was down on their chances when they didn't score on the power play late in the second. Little did I know that the power play would kick the comeback into motion.
Jackson Blake got the party started, but Taylor Hall deserves some love for the pass that set it up. Seth Jarvis created his chance short-handed, standing up Dylan Larkin at the line before he and Aho showcased their chemistry. To close it out, Gostisbehere took advantage of time and space on a 5-on-3 to find the top corner and tie it. It's good to see both units complementing each other.
At the end of the night, the Hurricanes fought their way back to earn a point, making them the first Eastern Conference team to hit 60 points, with Detroit joining soon after. Aho was the only Hurricane with multiple points, assisting on the last two goals. We can complain about the missed call until we're blue in the face. It won't change the outcome. We'll have to just move on. Speaking of which...
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes finish the twin bill tomorrow when they head to St. Louis to meet the Blues for the first time this season. This weekend, another back-to-back looms. The Canes host the Panthers on Friday night before flying back to Newark for their second trip to New Jersey in two weeks. With Monday being a holiday, the Canes will play an afternoon game at home against Buffalo.