Detroit Red Wings wind-whipped by Hurricanes, 2-1, at home
Michael Rasmussen earned the 100th point of his career with a memorable goal.
The Detroit Red Wings squeezed in a game at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, getting a brief respite from road games on either side. They succeeded in keeping the goals-against down — a rare occurrence this month — but their offense came up short against the Carolina Hurricanes, leading to a 2-1 loss.
"As of late, we've been giving up four and five every night, so to give up two, and one kind of being a bad break, we were better defensively," Ben Chiarot said. "Better for sure."
Goalie Ville Husso had a strong performance, holding his own as the 'Canes surged. When Andrew Copp was sent off for tripping with 2:53 to play, shots favored Carolina, 37-23. The Wings picked up three more shots to the 'Canes' two for a 39-26 final deficit.
"I liked our compete," coach Derek Lalonde said. "Obviously we're undermanned. We had some tired legs. Saw it a little bit throughout the second, but end of the second on, we had a great push and we certainly gave ourselves a chance."
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It was the third straight game the Wings were without Dylan Larkin (upper body), David Perron (suspension), J.T. Compher (lower body) and Klim Kostin (undisclosed). The Hurricanes were without one of their top players, Andrei Svechnikov, and, like the Wings, used an 11-forward, seven-defenseman formation.
Stormy start
The Wings allowed the first goal for a second straight game. Jack Drury was in position by the paint to take Stefan Noesen's pass and redirect it past Husso 4:48 into the first period, shortly after the Wings had killed off a penalty to Alex DeBrincat. The goal gave the Hurricanes the momentum, and they were able to generate multiple good chances against Husso. Late in the period, he stopped Jesperi Kotkaniemi, on a point-blank chance from the slot. The Wings went on a power play with 1:18 to play, but lost the first faceoff and were unable to create much of anything during that man-advantage stretch.
What a goal
Rasmussen scored a beauty of a goal at 5:20 of the second period. Taking a pass from Copp, Rasmussen took a step and angled the puck high and short-side, beating Pyotr Kochetkov with a well-timed snap. It was Rasmussen's second goal in two games, and third point. He didn't get an assist, but he was also key in setting up Jonatan Berggren's goal in St. Louis on Tuesday night. Berggren assisted on Rasmussen's goal Thursday, giving the second-year forward points in the three games he has played since being called up last weekend.
"It was cool," Rasmussen said of his goal. "I actually didn't know, wasn't fully aware that it was my 100th point, but it was cool."
Weathering the 'Canes
Jordan Staal put Carolina ahead, 2-1, near the midpoint of the second game, banking a goal off a misplayed puck by Husso. The Hurricanes peppered Husso, outshooting the Wings, 15-7, during a stretch in the second period. The Wings went on a second power play, with 1:21 to play in the second period; they maintained possession of the first draw this time, but Joe Veleno's attempt to pass to Patrick Kane misfired as Kane couldn't catch the puck in time. Shayne Gostisbehere was able to get the puck through from the blue line, but there was no one at the net to battle for the rebound.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings' offense short in 2-1 loss to Carolina Hurricanes
