Kronwall helps Red Wings top Hurricanes, end four-game losing streak

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Niklas Kronwall had a goal and an assist to lift the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday.

Dylan Larkin scored to extend his point streak to nine games, and Jonathan Bernier made 38 saves for the Red Wings (15-16-5), who ended a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).
"We all know we have to step up and so many guys did tonight," Larkin said. "Start with Bernier, who was unbelievable. He's been playing great. I thought our defensive corps moved pucks, and I thought Frans Nielsen was the best player on the ice."
WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Hurricanes highlights\]
Andrei Svechnikov scored for the Hurricanes (14-14-5), who are 2-5-2 in the past nine games. Petr Mrazek made 20 saves.
"We just need to be better," Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk said. "We're not in a position to take shifts off or part of a period off and expect to be in a spot to win. That's just the truth."
The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead at 11:50 of the first period. With Detroit on the power play, Kronwall scored on a slap shot from the top of the left circle.

The Hurricanes outshot the Red Wings 14-7 in the first period and had several scoring chances, but had nothing to show for it.
"We had plenty of opportunities to at least be ahead," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "What happened is we got away from our game. We had a little talk about it afterwards. Guys have to be mentally tough enough to stick with it."
Svechnikov tied the game 1-1 at 1:30 of the second period on a rising wrist shot from the right circle.
Nielsen gave Detroit a 2-1 lead at 12:19 when he tipped Nick Jensen's shot at the top of the crease.
"I had to squeeze between the goalie and their defenseman," Nielsen said. "The shot came quick so I didn't have time to move out of the crease a little bit. You've got to be a little lucky with those tips too."
Jonathan Ericsson pushed the lead to 3-1 at 3:58 of the third period when his shot from inside the blue line hit Trevor van Riemsdyk and changed direction.

Bernier ended a personal four-game losing streak (0-3-1), but he improved to 2-0-0 against Carolina, including a 4-3 shootout win in Raleigh on Nov. 10 when he made 49 saves.
"I thought I was there when they needed me, especially in the first to weather the storm," Bernier said. "I didn't feel I was as sharp tonight, letting a few rebounds. Those nights you just try to stay in front of the puck and hopefully the defense clears the rebound."
Larkin scored into an empty net from Detroit's defensive zone with 19 seconds remaining for the 4-1 final.

They said it

"The start wasn't good enough at all, and you know sometimes when you're in a bit of losing stretch that happens. One of the biggest ways you grind out of it is by your goalie coming up big, and [Bernier] came up huge in the first. I thought we got way better as the game went along." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
"Mentally, we're not tough enough. We dominate stretches of periods and maybe feel we should be leading. Mentally, we need to stick with it. Yeah, we had a good first period and we were down 1-0. So what? We got off of it a little bit in the second just enough and we couldn't crawl back." -- Hurricanes forward Justin Williams

Need to know

Larkin has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his streak. … Kronwall has played 907 games with Detroit, one behind Kirk Maltby and Sergei Fedorov for 10th in Red Wings history. ... Svechnikov has four goals in his past three games. … Williams and Sebastian Aho each had a five-game point streak end. … Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal had two shots in 17:49 after missing five games with a concussion. … Faulk and Calvin de Haan each has a three-game assist streak. The Hurricanes have outshot opponents in 70 of 99 regulation periods this season. … Carolina is 0-10-2 when trailing after two periods.

What's next

Red Wings: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday (2 p.m. ET; FS-D, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)