The Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings combined for 10 goals in the Canes 7-3 rout that saw six different Canes score.
The Hurricanes scored the most goals they have in a single game this season in a much different kind of shootout win. There were six different goal scorers who found their way onto the stat sheet and the Hurricanes scored a goal in nearly every situation: 5v5, 4v4, 5v6, power play and shorthanded.
“It was an entertaining game for fans, which is great,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “But not so much for coaching aspect. It was pretty loosely played, but it was also good that we can win games like that. It goes up and down, kind of like a track meet, but we were able to put enough in fortunately.”
None other than Andrei Svechnikov scored the first goal for the Canes, extending his goal-scoring streak to three games, a career best. Svechnikov had scored the team’s last four goals dating all the way back to his final minute goal against Chicago on Saturday, October 26.
Earlier in the play, Jaccob Slavin had pinched down the wall, intercepting an attempted breakout pass, took a shot and kicked the puck twice to keep possession of it behind the net. The puck then worked its way back to Slavin in close and the puck went off his stick to Svechnikov who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
In the final minutes of the first, Detroit managed to put one on the board off of a broken play stemming from a steal in the Hurricanes’ zone.
Carolina came out fast to start the second and scored just as quickly with Sebastian Aho cleaning up a rebound in the crease. The Red Wings challenged the play for goaltender interference as Warren Foegele moved Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard as he was falling in front of the net, but the referees ruled it was inconsequential to the play.
“We’ve been winning, so it helps to not put that much pressure on yourself,” Aho said. “But I’m not going to lie, it’s nice to score and get some points for myself.”
Detroit was assessed a minor penalty for delay of game due to the new rules introduced this year, and the Canes grabbed another on this very same power play. Nino Niederreiter picked up a pass next to the net, spun around and put it on net and got his own rebound forcing it in.
The play was reviewed as well because the referee had blown the whistle to kill play, but it was ruled a good goal as it was determined the puck crossed the line as part of a continuous play that was not affected by the whistle.
The Canes thought they had another goal only moments later as Petr Mrazek made a huge pad save, Aho and Foegele were sprung on a two-on-one rush which Foegele finished off with a great shot. However, it was determined upon a third consecutive review that Foegele was just offsides so the goal was waved off.
“He’s so fast, I can’t catch him,” Aho said on Foegele. “He was in front of me, it was a great shot too, and a good pass. It was just unfortunate that it was offsides.”
Detroit took advantage of the call and after drawing a penalty on Aho, they wasted no time, scoring just seconds into the power play as Anthony Mantha picked up his second one-timer goal of the night.
The Canes were storming though, and Ryan Dzingel was a man on a mission skating the puck through three Detroit players before feeding Martin Necas who managed to snipe the puck top corner despite the pass being slightly behind him.
It wasn’t over there though, as Aho picked up his second of the night a bit later. On a poor decision-making play, a Detroit player fled the zone anticipating a breakaway opportunity, but the next player closest to the puck, Valtteri Filppula, was without a stick and so the puck just hung there. Dougie Hamilton shot it, it went high hitting the boards, and Aho collected the rebound behind the net and bounced it in off of Howard.
That finished off the night for Howard who exited the game with a 0.75 save percentage for the night having stopped only 15 out of the 20 shots he faced. Jonathan Bernier came in to replace him and managed to get the Wings out of the second.
The Red Wings got one back before the period ended, as Tyler Bertuzzi managed to somehow skate in past the Hurricanes defenders and set up shop alone in front of Mrazek where he redirected a shot on goal into the back of the net.
The wild second period saw a combined six goals, two challenges and one that was simply reviewed.
McGinn joined in on the festivities for his first of the season. While killing off a high-sticking penalty, McGinn found himself on a two-on-one breakaway rush with Teuvo Teravainen. Instead of passing, McGinn pulled off a beautiful toe-drag around the sprawling Detroit defenseman and sniped it past Bernier.
“I had an odd-man rush there and the D slid so I just kind of outwaited him and put it to the net and fortunately I beat the goalie,” McGinn said.
Carolina coasted the rest of the way to victory, killing off a few more penalties for good measure as they extended their winning streak to three.
The Hurricanes will play the fourth and final game of their homestand in the second half of the back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
“You hope we don’t have a lull,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s what you guard against for sure. Especially because we had an emotional game the game before and played really well and tonight it was a tough game, the score I don’t think indicates the closeness of the game, and obviously we’ve won a couple. So we got to guard against letting up because I know the other team won’t.
