Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour called it a game of “tough sledding,” and it was that Friday against the Detroit Red Wings.
Both teams employ a pressure game, looking to force bad decisions and costly mistakes. Both stay patient, sticking to their games. Neither gave up a lot of room or open ice.
It took the full 60 minutes but the Hurricanes emerged with a hard-fought 4-2 victory as Martin Necas returned to the lineup off an injury and was the No. 1 star of the game with a goal and assist.
The Canes (25-14-5) took a 3-2 lead on Andrei Svechnikov’s power-play goal at 10:46 of the third period. Svechnikov’s 11th of the season came after Sebastian Aho’s pass to Michael Bunting created a loose puck that Svechnikov punched past goalie Alex Lyon.
“That’s what we were trying to run,” Svechnikov said. “Fishy (Aho) shot it and we were looking for some kind of rebound. We got free down there and tried to beat those guys.”
Aho scored an empty-net goal off a Necas pass with 1:16 left in regulation — Aho and Svechnikov also finished with a goal and assist. And Jordan Martinook, suddenly on a goal-scoring heater, now has scored in four straight games.
“We played pressure, pressure and they did kind of the same thing,” Svechnikov said of the Wings. “They pretty much copy our game, although they’d probably say we copy their game. There was no space, kind of like playoff hockey.
“It’s nice to win those games. We kind of stuck with it all three periods and we got rewarded.”
The Red Wings (23-17-5) came into PNC Arena off road wins at Toronto and Florida, with a little swagger, going 6-0-1 in their last seven games. The Canes, in turn, were looking to rebound from a 5-2 loss in their last game, against the Los Angeles Kings.
Antti Raanta was the Canes’ starting goalie for the fifth straight game but did not get a lot of work. The Red Wings had 12 shots in the game — three in the first period — and had another 10 attempts blocked. Detroit was outshot by Carolina 14-4 in the third.
“It made my job easier,” Raanta said. “That’s the hard-working part of what we try to do every night, and it showed today. It’s always nice to be a goalie when the guys are diving in putting their bodies (on) the line.”
Necas, who stayed on the move much of the night, scored his 10th of the season in the second period, sniping a shot that got past Lyon.
It was a game of punch/counter-punch in the first two periods, both teams quickly responding when falling behind.
Klim Kostin’s goal gave the Wings a 1-0 lead early in the first, but Martinook countered 47 seconds later, getting a piece of a Brent Burns shot to knock it past Lyon.
The Canes had a 2-1 lead after Necas’ goal in the second period, but J.T. Compher’s power-play goal — after the first penalty of the game — tied it about three minutes later.
Wings forward Patrick Kane was at PNC Arena but missed the game as he looks to recover from a lower-body injury. Had he played, it would have been the 1,200th game of a career that should put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Takeaways from the game
▪ Call it pent-up energy after missing five games, but Necas was a man on the move Friday, showing his speed, looking to carry the puck, looking for openings.
Necas cut into the slot with puck in the first period and got off a hard shot that Lyon was able to ward off. In the second period, Necas made another quick move, spinning defenseman Olli Maatta around and then beating Lyon with a snipe from the right circle for a 2-1 Canes lead.
Necas’ speed forced the first Detroit penalty of the game — a tripping call against Jeff Petry with 9:45 left in the third — and led to Svechnikov’s goal.
▪ The first penalty of the game was not called until 1:03 was left in the second period— a holding call against Jaccob Slavin that appeared questionable, certainly to the Canes.
The Canes had a shorthanded rush but mishandled the puck and the Wings were quickly back in the offensive zone and scoring as Compher beat Raanta off a Dylan Larkin pass.
▪ Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield are listed as the Canes’ third defensive pair but that can be deceptive. They’re playing well together, getting better and getting more minutes.
It’s about gaining the trust of Brind’Amour but also about getting the job done when you get the ice time. Orlov and Chatfield can skate, can hit and can make plays looking to jump into the play.
There was a lot of skating and a lot of passing, especially in the first two periods, but few good offensive chances. Time and space were at a premium. With the referees keeping their whistles silent, much of the game was played five on five.
▪ The Canes need more offensively from Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The center has a goal and two assists in the past 23 games after eight goals and seven assists in the first 21 games.
While the Finnish forward isn’t the only one who needs to produce more offense he’s getting a lot of ice time as the second-line center. He centered Bunting and Jesper Fast in Friday’s game.
▪ The Canes took time to recognize Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who was traded to Carolina last season and played 23 regular-season and 15 playoff games.
Gostisbehere, a free agent after last season, has 31 points in 44 games this season for the Wings. He earned his 24th assist on the Compher power-play goal.
