3 takeaways from Carolina Hurricanes dominant 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Jan 20, 2024 19:24 GMT

The Carolina Hurricanes have been a top team in the Metropolitan Division for ages but have seen other teams leapfrog them. Despite a recent 8-1-1 stretch, they desperately needed the two points that came with a dominating 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

Here are our observations from the matchup played at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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3 talking points from Carolina Hurricanes' 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings

#1 Hurricanes and Red Wings score critical powerplay goals

Detroit opened the scoring just 2:27 into the game, and both teams went into intermission tied at one apiece. Once Carolina went ahead, the Red Wings knotted the game at 2-2 with a power play goal from J.T. Compher. Then, halfway through the third period, Andrei Svenchnikov scored the eventual game-winner on their only-man advantage.

Overall, the game had only two penalties, and each team made the other pay for their infractions. Although powerplays are harder to come by in the playoffs, they are critical to every team's success in the regular season and significantly factored into the outcome of this game.

#2 Hurricanes shut down the Red Wings attack

The scoreboard read 42 shots at the final buzzer, favoring the home team 30-12. Despite being tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, the Red Wings scored a goal on only three shots and evened the contest 2-2 in the second on just eight shots.

Although those statistics don't favor Carolina netminder Antti Raanta, who finished the night with a .880 save percentage, the Red Wings had single-digit shots every period, reaching a game-high of five in the middle period. By the end of the matchup, Carolina held Detroit to a season-low 12 shots on goal.

#3 Carolina gets points from eight different players

The Hurricanes got goals from four different skaters and points from eight players, with Sebastian Aho, Michael Bunting, Martin Nacos and Svenchnikov all collecting two points a piece. Although most of the offense came from the forwards, Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns chipped in assists from the back end.

Carolina has nine players with more than 20 points at the halfway point, so its offensive attack is not centered around one or two players. The Canes remain a top team in the league because the scoring is spread out throughout the lineup, making them a difficult challenge every night.