Christmas may be over, but the Detroit Red Wings will likely be left muttering, “Bah, Humbug” at the result of their first game following the break.
They were badly outshot by the host Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center, who scored three goals in the second period after having initially trailed 1-0 early on en route to a 5-2 victory.
With the setback, the Red Wings fell to 22-14-3, but they still maintain their lead by two points in the Atlantic Division standings.
It was Michael Rasmussen who broke the ice in the opening 20 minutes of play, whistling a shot through the pads of goaltender Brandon Bussi for his fifth tally of the season.
However, the Hurricanes turned the tables on the Red Wings in the game’s middle frame, scoring twice in just over 60 seconds courtesy of Jackson Blake and Eric Robinson. Former Detroit defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere added another goal later in the period, which would ultimately stand up as the game-winner.
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While the Red Wings managed to draw back to within a goal thanks to a power-play tally from Andrew Copp at the 3:11 mark of the third period, a stroke of bad luck befell Detroit to put the game out of reach.
Dylan Larkin, who had just missed a breakaway opportunity minutes earlier that would have knotted the score, blew a tire while attempting to turn in the defensive zone. Andrei Svechnikov collected the puck and promptly beat John Gibson with a wrist shot to restore the two-goal lead.
Jordan Martinook added an empty-net tally late in regulation, capping the scoring.
Detroit finished 1/2 on their power-play opportunities while killing off the only chance Carolina had.
Gibson did all he could for the Red Wings, making 33 saves while seeing his career-high eight-game winning streak finally come to a close. Meanwhile, Bussi continued his impressive story by making 18 saves for his 10th victory.
The Red Wings won’t have much time to dwell on the setback, as they’re back at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday evening against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
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