RECAP: Red Wings show fight on the road, but lose to Hurricanes, 4-2

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Detroit Red Wings refused to go down without a fight against one of the Eastern Conference’s top clubs on Friday night, but saw a third-period comeback bid fall short in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.

“We knew they were going to start well in this building,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “They always do, and they fired a lot of shots, but after the first ten minutes of the first period I thought our game improved. It was a little too much of a roller coaster tonight. A lot of what they got in the second was kind of gave them. In the third, we were rolling them and the better team.”

In what was also a clash of experienced goaltenders, Petr Mrazek made 28 saves for Detroit (31-29-6; 68 points) while Frederik Andersen turned aside 24 shots for Carolina (40-22-4; 84 points).

“We had a little chat between the second and third period, and found a way to push a little more,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “But obviously, not enough. If you don’t play your full 60 against these top teams, you’re likely going to come out on the losing end. That's exactly what happened."

The Hurricanes showcased their aggressive forecheck right from puck drop, but Mrazek stood tall and denied all 10 shots he faced in the first period, during which the Red Wings also struck first.

With 1:53 left in the opening frame, Alex DeBrincat, who’s been on a tear as of late, scored his eighth game-opening and 31st overall goal of the season. Ben Chiarot forced a turnover just below Carolina’s blue line by winning a puck battle against Jordan Martinook, then the puck kicked right to DeBrincat and he rifled in a shot from above the right face-off circle

“He seems to be a guy that we can count on every night,” McLellan said about DeBrincat, who has collected 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in his last 15 games. “He’s usually not at the scene of the crime defensively and offensively he’s got some pop. He battles well, loosens up pucks for his teammates and makes plays when he’s there. Obviously, his shot is very dynamic.”

Taylor Hall was quick to get the Hurricanes on the board following the first intermission, deflecting home Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s shot from the left face-off circle to make it a 1-1 game just 22 seconds into the second period.

It looked like DeBrincat found twine again at 4:09 of the second period, but video review showed his shot from above the left face-off circle hit the post and stayed out of the net. Then only 1:34 later, Jack Roslovic snuck to the backdoor and tapped in Kotkaniemi’s feed to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.

The hosts went ahead 3-1 at 12:18 of the second period, as Jaken Chatfield took Sean Walker’s pass and sent a shot from the top of the right face-off circle that beat Mrazek under the blocker.

With time dwindling in the second period, Mrazek stared down and denied a 2-on-0 breakaway between Roslovic and Robinson to keep Detroit’s deficit at a pair.

“I thought the second was the period that really hurt us,” McLellan said. “The first, you have to weather the storm here. They come out real hard. We got some good saves. I thought we settled in as the period went on. Scoring certainly helped us, but the second period was unacceptable. It wasn’t just Carolina-inflicted, it was self-inflicted.”

Making it a one-goal game for the Red Wings, Michael Rasmussen was stopped twice by Andersen up close before he finished his own rebound to make it 3-2 at 2:53 of the third period. Tyler Motte earned the lone assist.

“It was a huge goal,” Lucas Raymond said about Rasmussen’s 10th tally of the season. “Obviously, getting us within one and giving us a chance.”

After failing to nab the equalizer on a late-game power play opportunity, the Red Wings conceded an empty-net goal to Eric Robinson at 18:49 of the third period for the 4-2 final.

Despite Friday's result, like his captain and head coach expressed postgame, Raymond was also encouraged by the Red Wings' play and effort throughout the third period.

“I think we probably played our best period in the third,” Raymond said. “We were on our toes and getting pucks to their net, so something to build off coming into Sunday.”

NEXT UP: Detroit will host the Vegas Golden Knights for a St. Patrick’s Day matchup at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday afternoon.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Raymond on what makes Carolina a difficult club to play

“They play a tight, very high shot-volume game. They get pucks in net and try to retrieve them, and kind of rinse and repeat.”

Larkin on the difficulty of mostly defending through the first 40 minutes and trying to get some offense late

“It’s something that you talk about before the game, and we talked about staying patient and not getting frustrated. You know you’re going to get your chances. Not a lot of them, but when they come you got to be ready. Our line in particular, Raymond and I, we got a lot of chances. We just didn’t bear down.”

Larkin on Mrazek’s second start in a row on Friday

“He was really good again. Gave us a chance to win this hockey game, and that’s all you can ask for. For a team that shoots as much as they do, you get a lot of volume. He looked sharp through it all. We gave up a backdoor goal and a couple goals that, like I said earlier, we just ignited the transition and had tired bodies on the ice. We got to do much better in front of him, and I think he has an even better night.”