2024-25 Regular Season, Game 66 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings

The Carolina Hurricanes extended their win streak to five games on Tuesday night by shutting down the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Lenovo Center. Seth Jarvis got the crowd roaring early by burying a beautiful short-handed shot over Andrei Vasilevskiy's glove from a tough angle. The Canes' 1-0 lead withstood tremendous pressure from the Bolts and only remained in place after some incredible stops by Vasilevskiy. However, one soft goal changed the trajectory of the game. Seconds after robbing Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook threw a backhand from near the goal line that rode up Vasilevskiy's stick and into the net to make it 2-0. In the final minute of the second period, Jack Roslovic hit a milestone by burying a 2-on-1 pass from Taylor Hall to record his 100th career goal. Gage Goncalves broke the shutout early in the third, but Sean Walker responded immediately to restore the three-goal lead and snap a 42-game goalless drought. Pyotr Kochetkov was spectacular, making 23 stops to lead the Canes to victory, earning his 24th of the season.

The Opponent: Detroit Red Wings (31-28-6, 68 Points- 6th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Hurricanes bested the Red Wings in Detroit ten days ago in a low-scoring goalie battle between Frederik Andersen and Alex Lyon. The Staal line did all of the scoring. Jordan Martinook broke the ice with 1:01 left in the first and Jordan Staal added another early in the second, proving to be enough for the team's victory. Elmer Soderblom broke the shutout midway through the third period, leading to a tense final half of the frame, but the team's defense shut the Wings down, holding on for a 2-1 victory. Lyon made 28 stops, including a penalty shot by Taylor Hall. Andersen stopped 24 shots to earn the victory. 
 
Since We Last Met: While the win was a big part of the Canes' current win streak, it was the third of six straight losses for Detroit at the worst possible time. The Wings were outscored 23-11 during the streak, which ended with an emphatic 7-3 victory on Wednesday night against the Sabres. Patrick Kane had two goals and three helpers, while Alex DeBrincat finished with four points and both Marco Kasper and Dylan Larkin had three. It was also a solid showing for former Hurricane Petr Mrazek, who Detroit acquired at the deadline from Chicago. The Mrazek deal was the only move they made, outside of helping Tampa facilitate the Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand deal. It was a bit surprising for a team in the thick of the Wild Card hunt. 

Stories of the Night
1. Seeking Perfection
The Carolina Hurricanes are playing some of their best hockey of the season, riding a five-game win streak into the final game of their homestand, of which they've been perfect. The homestand has featured a little over everything. The Boston game was rough, but they managed to steal one. They were the better team against the Jets, earning two valuable points. Then, they withstood pressure from the Bolts for 33 minutes before breaking the game open during the latter half of the second period. With a perfect 4-0-0 homestand on the line before flying to Philly and getting a few extra days off, the team should use it as motivation to finish with eight points.

2. Detroit is Desperate
On the other side, the Detroit Red Wings are fighting for their playoff lives right now. They snapped their losing streak on Wednesday but sit two points out of the second Wild Card amidst a grueling fight. Right now, six teams are vying for two spots, and Detroit is one of them. They can't afford to keep losing games. I'm expecting a rejuvenated group after a big effort at home. Detroit also has a big road trip looming next week, so they need to bank as many points as they can. The Canes should be prepared for a dogfight.

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