RECAP: Red Wings come up short in 2-1 loss to Hurricanes 

DETROIT -- Taking on the club that spends the most offensive zone time and least defensive zone time in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings showed late life but ultimately fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1, at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

Netminder Alex Lyon made 28 saves in his first start since Feb. 23 for the Red Wings (30-25-6; 66 points), who lost their third straight game. Stopping 24 shots for the Hurricanes (36-22-4; 76 points), who have won three of their last four contests, was goalie Frederik Andersen.

“I thought we had a tough time skating tonight,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “It was really hard for us to make plays. It looked like we were in mud. We couldn’t separate well, then we got hemmed in our zone. A lot of our time and energy was spent defending. Then when we finally got the puck, we had no legs to go the other way… The opponent does have a say in the game. They do that to a lot of teams. That’s how they’re wired. They play a real good game that way. We could learn from that as well.”

Both Eastern Conference clubs came up empty on their lone power-play opportunity in the first period, which saw Jordan Martinook’s backhand goal give Carolina a 1-0 lead at 18:59.

“I thought we generated a lot of chances in the first [period],” Moritz Seider said. “We came out really good and with a mentality to win that game. We had three 2-on-1s and they were scrambling. Started off by a great first shift overall…I think during the game, we kind of lost track of our D-zone. They had extended times there, and we just spent a little too much energy obviously defending.”

The Hurricanes went ahead by a pair 89 seconds into the second period with a wrap-around goal from Jordan Staal and carried that 2-0 lead with them into the second intermission.

“It’s unfortunate the winning goal was a bad bounce behind the net,” McLellan pointed out. “I thought Alex made some real good saves after that when we needed him to.”

Getting the home crowd back into the game, Elmer Soderblom got Detroit on the board with his third goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 10:04 of the third period. Prior to scoring, Soderblom had been moved up to a line with captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

In his last 12 games, Soderblom has recorded seven points on three goals and four assists.

“Of course, two really great players to play with,” Soderblom said about Larkin and Raymond. “I think every player wants to play with those kinds of guys. They create space for you and make more time, so it’s super fun to get that chance.”

With 4:38 left in the third period, Lyon turned aside Taylor Hall’s penalty shot to keep the Red Wings within striking distance. Detroit pulled Lyon for the extra skater just under two minutes later, but couldn’t force an extra frame.

“Obviously, it’s very unfortunate because I thought the will was there,” Seider said. “The compete was there too and that’s very frustrating. But that’s probably how it goes if you lose a couple games then stuff isn’t going your way. Now, we just got to find a way to get ourselves out of that hole.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will host the Utah Hockey Club for the first time in franchise history when they face off at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on Raymond, who was helped off the ice following a scrum at the end of Tuesday's game

“He took a forearm, I think, up to the jaw area, but I think he’s fine.”

Seider on if the club feels any pressure with the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline coming up on Friday afternoon

“Yes and no. I don’t really no. I wouldn’t say there’s really any kind of pressure. There aren’t any kind of talks. There’s so much belief in this locker room. I think our fans believe in us. We believe in ourselves. I think the organization does too. Now it’s up to us, if anything, to kind of send the message that we’re the right team even though the Trade Deadline is ahead. Other than that, I don’t pay any attention to what’s going on around the League.”

Seider on what Detroit needs to improve on for when it next faces Carolina

“They’re a really good face-off team. Obviously, we knew that and if you don’t start with the puck, then you play in the D-zone right away. They created shots, and second and third opportunities around the net. Got a whistle, and a fresh line from us came out and had to start defending again because we lost the face-off. I think that’s kind of the key for the next matchup against them. We got to start winning the first battle, and that’s the face-off.”

Soderblom on what the Red Wings can learn from a contest like Tuesday’s

“It’s important to have a good defense the whole game. It’s tough to win games when you let in too many goals, so I think we did a lot of defending today. Still good to be in the game in the third period, so I think that’s what we can take with us to never give up any games and always try to fight back.”