In an early week matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, the Hurricanes rode a strong showing from goaltender Frederik Andersen and an all-around typical Hurricanes-styled game to a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings.
Game Recap
The opening 20 minutes of play was a goaltending battle between Frederik Andersen (Carolina) and Alex Lyon (Detroit). Both netminders made several big-time saves to keep it at all zeroes through the first almost 19 minutes of the game. The Hurricanes cracked through on Lyon with just over a minute left after Jalen Chatfield caused a turnover in the Red Wings zone and a defensive breakdown by Detroit helped spring Jordan Martinook into the slot for a quick backhand shot off a pass from Chatfield to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead after the first period.
The Hurricanes quickly extended their lead to two in the second period, with Jordan Staal taking advantage of a bad bounce for Lyon, who came out behind his net to play the puck and had it bounce over his stick. Staal beat Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson to the loose puck and buried an empty-net wrap-around goal to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead less than two minutes in. The Hurricanes controlled most of the play throughout the middle frame, outshooting the Red Wings 13-8 and held a two-period shot lead of 23-18.
The Hurricanes continued their strong play in the third period, taking time and space away from the Red Wings, further eliminating the number of high-danger chances allowed. The Red Wings finally broke through on Andersen with just under ten minutes left in the game, with Elmer Soderblom making a strong play through the neutral zone and beating Andersen with a strong shot over his blocker to bring the Red Wings within one. That was the only time that Detroit would get one past the Hurricanes’ netminder, with Carolina holding on for a 2-1 victory.
In the win, Andersen continued his dominance against the Red Wings, moving to 12-1-1 in his career against Detroit while making 23 saves. His counterpart Lyon made 28 saves in the loss. Both teams return to the ice on Thursday (March 6), with the Hurricanes welcoming the Boston Bruins in, while the Red Wings look to bounce back against the Utah Hockey Club.
