Red Wings defeat Hurricanes for fifth straight win

DETROIT -- Dylan Larkin scored his first two goals of the season and the Red Wings won their fifth straight game with a 4-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday.
"I've been telling him he's playing great hockey and he just needs to keep it up," Blashill said of Larkin. "You know scorers, though. They don't feel right until something goes in."
Larkin beat Cam Ward on a breakaway at 11:51 of the first period, and scored his second at 14:55 of the first when his centering pass deflected in off Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce.
"There was a sigh of relief when I put it in on the breakaway," Larkin said. "I've been thinking about getting that first one a lot lately. Then I throw the puck at the net and another one goes in."

Andreas Athanasiou had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (5-2-0). Thomas Vanek scored his fourth goal of the season and Petr Mrazek made 29 saves, including 16 in the third period.
"We found ways to put pucks in the net, and Petr was huge in net for us," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said.

The win streak is Detroit's longest since six straight victories from Jan. 13-27, 2015.
"We're playing great hockey, but we can't let up," Larkin said. "We go to St. Louis next, and the Blues are always tough, especially at home."
The Hurricanes (1-3-2), playing their sixth straight road game to start the season, got goals from Jordan Staal and Victor Rask. Cam Ward made 21 saves.
"There were too many easy goals and too many soft plays," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said.
Detroit scored three goals in the first period.
"We didn't get off to the start we needed," Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk said. "You can't put yourself in a 3-0 hole."
The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the first when Vanek took a pass from Athanasiou and beat Ward. Larkin's two goals gave Detroit a 3-0 lead.
The Hurricanes got back into the game at 6:43 of the second period when a mix-up between Ryan Sproul and Frans Nielsen allowed Staal to score on a breakaway. The goal, his third of the season, made it 3-1.
Rask beat Mrazek at 13:12 for his fourth goal of the season to make it 3-2.
Athanasiou took a pass from Luke Glendening and put a shot over Ward's shoulder at 17:04 to give the Red Wings a 4-2 lead.
Teuvo Teravainen got the puck past Mrazek with 3:03 to play but the goal was waved off because of a high stick.

Goal of the game

Athanasiou got his second in as many games with some help from Glendening and Steve Ott. They combined to dig the puck out of a jam behind the Carolina net and Athanasiou had plenty of time to skate to the right hash mark before beating Ward in the top corner.

Save of the game

Ward prevented the Red Wings from taking a 2-0 lead midway through the first period by robbing Jonathan Ericsson. The Detroit defenseman received a pass from Athanasiou and took a high wrist shot from between the faceoff circles, but Ward made the glove save.

Highlight of the game

Vanek's first-period goal came at the end of a passing play by his line. He got the puck to Darren Helm, who went into the corner and slid the puck behind the net to Athanasiou. He quickly moved it to Vanek in the slot for a one-timer that trickled through Ward's legs.

Unsung moment of the game

Ott, Glendening and Drew Miller got an ovation from the Detroit fans at the end of a first-period shift. With Ericsson and Alexey Marchenko, they kept the Hurricanes pinned in their own zone for the entire even-strength shift.

They said it

"We've got to work for 60 minutes. We've got to find our game and play like we should." - Hurricanes forward Victor Rask
"We're going to have to find a lineup that works for us and an identity we can be proud of." - Hurricanes coach Bill Peters
"I saw [Vanek] coming, so I shoveled it to him on the backhand. It wasn't the greatest pass, but he's a great player." - Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou on his assist in the first period

Need to know

Carolina forward Jeff Skinner missed the game with what Peters called a "middle-body injury." He remains day to day. … Blashill said he isn't sure which forward will sit Thursday if forward Justin Abdelkader (lower body) returns to the lineup. "You always want depth in this league because of injuries, but in the short term, we're going to be scratching a good player," he said. … The game was Carolina's final regular-season visit to Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings move to Little Caesars Arena next season.

What's next

Hurricanes: Host the New York Rangers on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, FS-CR, MSG, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: At the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-D, FS-MW, NHL.TV)