The Detroit Red Wings responded after a rough night on defense with a much better performance as they took on the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie Lucas Raymond capped Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena with an overtime goal to settle the score at 4-3.
The Wings (24-24-6) were coming off a 10-7 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that was marked by lackadaisical play the first two periods. This night they were better from start to finish, backed by 27 saves from Alex Nedeljkovic.
Carter Rowney tied the game midway through the second period. Michael Rasmussen followed up with his second goal in two games, but Jesper Fast made it 2-2 at 7:06. Jordan Staal delivered a stinger with 3:48 to play when he got to a loose puck in the slot, but Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored drove to the net and scored his 27th goal 38 seconds later.
The Wings got a power play with 1:47 to play in overtime. Raymond knocked the puck in from the left side with eight seconds left. Moritz Seider earned his 35th assist on the play.
There were a few changes from the lineup that was part of Saturday’s farce, with defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Troy Stecher replacing Danny DeKeyser and Gustav Lindstrom. Up front, Vladislav Namestnikov was promoted to the first line and Filip Zadina dropped to the third.
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Carter Rowney nets another
Rowney scored for the second time in two games and third since returning from a lower-body injury on Feb. 23. His fourth of the season came because he was battling in front of the net when Sam Gagner took a pass from Adam Erne and fired a shot on net and Rowney got a piece of the puck.
Rowney, 32, was signed to be the fourth-line center, and help kill penalties. He had an assist Jan. 4 at San Jose when he got hurt, giving him three points in his last four games.
Power play difference
Rasmussen got the Wings a man advantage 2:46 into the game when he drew an interference penalty on Brett Pesce. The Wings moved the puck well, and Zadina missed the net by a fraction on a breakaway, one of four shots directed at Antti Raanta. At the very least, the Wings built some momentum. Their second power play, at 6:19, wasn’t anything to build on, though. And then the Canes got a power play and showed how it’s done: It took 13 seconds to convert, with Sebastian Aho scoring from down low.
Improved defense
It was indefensible how the Wings played in their own zone against the Leafs, giving up 10 goals. After a day to think about it and a day of practice, they came out with a much better defensive effort. The Hurricanes had a couple chances early on, but the Wings were solid in their coverage in their own zone.
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.