The Detroit Red Wings played a close game against one of the top opponents in their division.
Jakub Vrana scored in Thursday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena, tallying his sixth goal in seven games since general manager Steve Yzerman acquired him at the April 12th trade deadline. Teivo Taravainen scored midway through the third period to lift the Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory.
The Wings (17-26-9) next play Saturday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Veleno stays in lineup
Joe Veleno, a first-round pick from 2018, played in his second NHL game, centering veterans Sam Gagner and Ricard Panik. This is a good chance for the Wings to get a look at Veleno, and they’re able to put him at center because they’ve already been eliminated from the playoffs. Veleno had two shots on goal and three hits in nearly 14 minutes of ice time.
Hurricanes score
The Hurricanes got on the scoreboard at 4:40 of the second period when Brady Skjei bested Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier. Skjei faked out Bernier and ripped a wrist shot for his third goal of the season.
Vrana scores
Warren Foegle scored at 13:29 of the second period, but Vrana made it 2-1 a little over four minutes later. Vrana picked the puck off Sebastian Aho and danced into Carolina’s zone to score on James Reimer on a backhand. Vrana had three shots on goal and two penalty minutes in more than 21 minutes of ice time in his seventh game with the Wings.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.