2024-25 Regular Season, Game 62 Preview: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings

The Carolina Hurricanes made the most of a tough weekend back-to-back, beating the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime on Sunday. Pyotr Kochetkov and Dustin Wolf refused to budge until the final minute of the second period when the Canes struck first. Taylor Hall started the play with a big hit on Nazem Kadri before Jackson Blake found Jaccob Slavin streaking toward the far post for the tap-in as he crashed into the net. Kadri got it back on the power play in the third, squeaking a one-timer under Kochetkov's arm to tie it early in the period. With nothing settled after 60 minutes, the teams secured a point and played overtime. The Canes controlled the puck for the entire extra session before Sebastian Aho wired a one-timer past Wolf's blocker to take the second point. It was Aho's fifth overtime winner of the season, tying him for the NHL single-season record. Slavin and Blake recorded multi-point games and Kochetkov made 15 stops in the victory.

The Opponent: Detroit Red Wings (30-24-6, 66 Points- 4th in the Atlantic Division)
After barely missing the playoffs last season, the Detroit Red Wings are in the thick of a wild battle for the Wild Card in the Eastern Conference. Occupying the final spot, for now, Detroit has relied heavily on their three-headed monster up front. Lucas Raymond is having another phenomenal campaign after breaking out last season. He paces the team with 41 assists and 63 points. Both Alex DeBrincat (29) and Dylan Larkin (24) have cracked 20 goals this season and are tied with 53 points. Add Moritz Seider on the backend and a game Patrick Kane and the Red Wings have a good group of top-end stars. Their depth leaves a little to be desired, as does their goaltending. Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon are winning games, but their overall numbers aren't great. Detroit is 23rd in goals allowed per game with the only penalty kill in the league operating under 70 percent. Their offense has been carrying the load. They're 10th in goals per game with the second-best power play and the most power-play goals in the league. The Red Wings are a good team, but they have a lot of work to do before I'm confident they'll be a playoff team. Detroit enters play tonight losers in four of their last six, including Saturday's Stadium Series game against Columbus.

Last Season's Meetings: The Canes swept the season series with the Red Wings, winning all three games in regulation. The Canes made their lone trip to the Motor City in mid-December to conclude a six-game road trip. Jack Drury scored early in the contest before Michael Rasmussen tied it early in the second. Jordan Staal took advantage of a bad misplay by Ville Husso as he came out to play the puck. Husso fumbled it, allowing Staal to swoop in and restore the Canes' lead. The defense held steady from there, taking the 2-1 victory. When Detroit came to Raleigh for the first time a month later, it was another tight battle. Klim Kostin and Jordan Martinook traded early goals, and Martin Necas and JT Compher traded goals late in the second. Andrei Svechnikov provided the difference-maker on the power play in the third period, scoring midway through the period to give the lead. Sebastian Aho scored into the empty net to ice a 4-2 win. During the final meeting in Raleigh in late March, the Canes did all of their scoring in the second period. Aho, Seth Jarvis, Necas, and Brady Skjei each scored during the middle frame to take a 4-0 lead. Aho and Jarvis finished with three points each to lead Frederik Andersen's 24-save shutout.

Stories of the Night
1. The Canes HAVE to Play from Ahead
Call me crazy, but the Canes haven't been playing well on the road recently. They're 1-4-1 in their last six with four straight losses in regulation. They are 4-10-2 this season when conceding the first goal in away games. When trailing after 40 minutes, they're 2-14-0. When leading or tied, they're 10-1-3. I think you see my point. Play from in front and things will be much easier. They've been chasing the game way too much recently, hence why they haven't been stringing wins together.

2. Shut Down the Top Line
Detroit's trio of stars can turn a game on its head, especially on the power play. Larkin and DeBrincat each have more than ten goals with the man advantage, helping Detroit to one of the most lethal power plays in the NHL. The Canes have one of the league's best penalty kills, so it'll be a chance to see best-on-best. I'd prefer if the Canes don't get themselves into too much penalty trouble in Detroit because it could be a long night if they do. 

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