The Hurricanes returned to the win column in style Friday night with a rousing 4-2 win over Detroit in PNC Arena.
Carolina (25-14-5) went toe-to-toe with the red-hot Red Wings (23-17-5) all night, eventually pulling away with two goals in the final 10 minutes. Andrei Svechnikov netted the go-ahead goal on the power play before Sebastian Aho put the victory on ice with an empty-netter.
That pivotal power play goal couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. A previously scorching Canes power play had cooled off to the tune of one goal in its last 13 opportunities, but a patient play by Aho put Svechnikov and Michael Bunting in prime position to pound the puck between the pipes.
Martin Necas also provided a little extra pep to the Canes performance with his return from injury. The speedy forward immediately reminded fans of his ability to make impact plays by notching two points on the night. He scored his 10th goal of the season to put Carolina up 2-1 in the second period and doubled his point total by assisting Aho’s empty-net goal.
As far as other differences in the game, Jordan Martinook also extended his recent run of form to find twine in his fourth consecutive contest. On the defensive end, Carolina clamped down well on the admittedly Patrick Kane-less Red Wings, allowing just 11 shots all night. After failing to do so in Monday’s loss to the Kings, the Hurricanes defense did a great job taking pressure off Antti Raanta, who never faced more than five shots on goal in a given period.
Carolina will hope to keep up the good work when it rounds out its six-game homestand by hosting Minnesota on Sunday. Puck drops in PNC Arena at 5 p.m.