Red Wings down Hurricanes, stay alive in playoff chase

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on Apr 4, 2025

Published in Hockey

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

DETROIT — There is a path for the Red Wings to make the playoffs, but it isn't going to be easy.

Basically, it's winning a lot of their seven games left after Friday's 5-3 victory over Carolina — and the teams in front of the Wings losing more than half of their games.

The odds aren't good, but there is a chance. The Wings aren't giving up.

"Stay even keel, we can't get too high or low," said goaltender Cam Talbot earlier this week, of what is most important for the Wings down the stretch. "We have to make sure we're not getting up here or down here and staying even keel and playing within ourselves and play our game. When we play our game, that's when we're successful and when we get away from it, we're not.

"If we continue to play our game, I like our chances down the stretch."

Carolina's Brent Burns cut the Wings' lead to 4-3 at 12 minutes, 44 seconds on a shot from the point.

But Alex DeBrincat sealed it with an empty-net goal, his 34th goal, with a second left.

The Wings (77 points) are four behind Montreal for the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card position. The New York Rangers (79) and Columbus (77, one less game played than the Wings) stand in front of the Wings.

Ben Chiarot (fourth goal) and Marco Kasper (16th) scored 26 seconds apart in the first period, and Patrick Kane (20th) and Michael Rasmussen (11th) scored 21 seconds apart in the second period to pace the Wings.

Talbot stopped 30 shots as Carolina out-shot the Wings 33-22.

Kane's goal gave him his 17th 20-goal season, the most for an American-born skater, passing Mike Modano (16).

The Wings conclude this short, but extremely important, two-game homestand Sunday against Florida (5:30 p.m./TNT/97.1).

"It's huge, you can't give up those points on home ice," DeBrincat said of the homestand. "Our schedule coming up, there are a lot of great teams coming up, so to get the confidence and beat one of those teams right off the bat (would) go a long way. But we got to come ready to play.”

The Wings jumped on Carolina midway in the first period. Chiarot made it 1-0 at 9:03, blasting a rebound past goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov after DeBrincat's shot hit the goalpost. Just 26 seconds later, Kasper tapped in a loose puck in the crease, making it 2-0.

Carolina's Jackson Blake sliced the Wings' lead to 2-1 at 1:57 of the second period after Justin Holl's pass was intercepted by Seth Jarvis near the hashmarks and feeding Blake for a one-timer.

But Kane restored the two-goal lead at 9:05, swiping a puck from defenseman Jaccob Slavin and scoring on a breakaway. Rasmussen made it 4-1 21 seconds later, unattended in front of Kochetkov.

The Wings lost to Carolina earlier in the month. Friday's victory was the first in three games between the teams this season.

"We've played them enough recently to use our own information, use our own video and clips about structure things or tendencies they might have, especially if it matches up to the rcent play," McLellan said. "That makes the pre-scout easier, but it doesn't make the task of playing them easier. They are collectively a tough team to play against."

“We’ve played them enough recently to use our own information, video and clips about any structure things or tendencies they may have,” McLellan said about the Hurricanes. “Especially if it matches up to their recent play. That makes the pre-scout easy, but not the task of playing against them easier. They are collectively a tough team to play against, the way they attack.”