Recap: Canes Snap Skid With Win Over Wings

RALEIGH, N.C. - Andrei Svechnikov and Shayne Gostisbehere starred with three points apiece as the Carolina Hurricanes knocked off the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

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After giving up the game-opening goal for the first time in six games during the opening frame, Carolina was rewarded for its early territorial dominance soon after the puck dropped for the second period.

Jackson Blake's 11th of the year, a deflection of Shayne Gostisbehere's wrister from the blue line, evened the score at 3:22. Just over a minute later, the Canes took the lead as Eric Robinson hammered home an Andrei Svechnikov cross-crease setup.

Later in the period, Gostisbehere switched from playmaker to sniper, letting loose a laser from the left circle after a set faceoff play, sending the Hurricanes into the second intermission ahead by a pair.

Just 3:11 into the third period, though, Detroit found life with a power-play marker to halve the Canes' lead, and threatened to once again knot things up with a handful of scoring chances in the ensuing action. But after weathering the storm, Carolina pushed the gap back to two at 13:09 when Svechnikov forced a turnover in the Red Wings' zone and made no mistake with a quick shot past the blocker of John Gibson.

Now nursing a more comfortable advantage, the Hurricanes held off the Red Wings the rest of the way, including killing off another penalty. With Gibson at the bench for an extra attacker, Gostisbehere and Svechnikov combined to set up Jordan Martinook for an empty-net goal to seal the win.

Returning to the crease for the first time since having his nine-game winning streak curtailed in Florida on Dec. 19, Brandon Bussi turned aside 18 of 20 shots to move to 12-1-1 on the year.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Eric Robinson scored for the third straight game and stretched his point streak to four games (3G, 1A), his longest of the season.
• Forward Andrei Svechnikov's second three-point performance of the season extended his own season-best point streak to five games (3G, 6A).
• Svechnikov's performance marked the 99th of his career with two or more points, tying Blaine Stoughton for the seventh-most in franchise history.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere logged a goal and two assists against his former club for his seventh multi-point outing this season, which ranks third among Hurricanes, trailing only Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov (8 each).
• Forward Jordan Martinook returned from a three-game absence to score his 100th career goal, 74 of which have come in a Hurricanes sweater.
• Goaltender Brandon Bussi may have had his winning streak ended in his last outing, but his run of starts in which the Canes have picked up at least a point lives on. Now without a regulation loss in 11 straight games (10-0-1), Bussi's streak is the second longest in a season by a Hurricanes/Whalers goaltender behind only Antti Raanta (13 GP in 2022-23).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour giving his assessment of the win...

"That was a great game. We deserved to probably have way more. That was the frustrating part after the first period - to be down when I thought we played great. But I loved the way we played. Yeah, they had their little push there with the power play goal that got them going a little bit, and Bus made one nice save there just to kind of settle it down. The third period, we knew they were going to come a little bit, but I liked the way we kept playing."

Jalen Chatfield on returning to the win column after how the previous three games had gone...

"We wanted to get back at it. We were eager after a couple of days off and how the other games finished, so we were happy that we were able to close this one out."

Shayne Gostisbehere discussing the same topic...

"We had some emotional games before the break, obviously, that didn't go our way either. So for us to respond against a really good team who's playing well right now, it's big for our group. Especially, we had a little bit of a lead, and we managed their push. Bus came up big for us."

Andrei Svechnikov on Shayne Gostisbehere's three-point night...

"He makes it easy. He's always making those plays, skating with the puck and creating for the forwards. It's huge. You want to play with him."

Rod Brind'Amour continuing on Gostisbehere...

"He was lights out. He should've had another (goal). He was all over it, and he played really well defensively. He was holding down the fort. Again, with what we're missing, we're looking at the guys that have to do a little more and play in situations they don't normally play. He's stepped up."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will practice on Sunday as they ramp back up following three days off the ice. They'll then start a home/road back-to-back set, hosting the Rangers at Lenovo Center on Monday ahead of another divisional matchup in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
• Next Game: Monday, Dec. 29 vs. NY Rangers | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking