The Breakdown: Hurricanes Strangle Red Wings’ Offense in 1-0 Win

DETROIT — Red Wings center Andrew Copp suggested that video of his team’s 1-0 against Carolina Hurricanes could be used as a how-to guide for how to strangle the life out of an opponent’s offense

“When (the Hurricanes) start training camp, that’s the film they’re going to show,” Copp said. “Just being on top of guys. They come down the walls hard, they pinch, they play man-on-man, they’re just over top of it all night.That’s what they’ve been doing for the last five years. Didn’t play bad tonight but it’s a frustrating game to play when you kind of let them play into it.”

This was the first time this season the Red Wings were shut out.

The Red Wings played well defensively, but it is difficult to find solace in that when you fail to earn a point. This was a frustrating loss for a team hoping to stay in the playoff race.

Special Teams Decide Outcome

“They just defended inside, not any different than we did,” Coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’ll come out in the wash, even chances. We might have out-chanced them.”

Special teams decided the outcome. Carolina’s Brady Skjei scored on the power play and that’s the only tally the ‘Canes needed. The Wings were 0-for-3 on the power play.

The Hurricanes boast one of the NHL’s top defensive corps. To beat them, you have to cash in on power play chances.

“It’s a one-goal game,” Lalonde said. “They won the special teams game. It’s disappointing in the first, didn’t really give ourselves much of a chance. Much better second, a little push, it just didn’t go in for us. They scored on the power play, we didn’t. Difference in the game.”

Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov made 27 saves for the shutout. But the Red Wings did’t believe they made his night hard enough. The added frustration is that the Red Wings lost their captain Dylan Larkin to injury. The Red Wings have already said Larkin won’t play Wednesday against Minnesota. 

Facts and Observations

1. The Red Wings are now 1-2-1 in the fourth game of a five-game stretch against teams that made the playoffs last season. The Wild will be the fifth team on Friday. This is a good measuring stick for where the Red Wings are at in terms of competitiveness.
2. Detroit is 0-3 in games against Staal brothers and 1-1 against Svechnikov brothers. Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov play for the Hurricanes.
3. Joe Veleno and Dominik Kubalik led Detroit with four hits each.
4. Detroit is 3-2-6 in one-goal games this season, and 18-3-16 in one-goal games since the start of the 2021-22 season.
5. The Red Wings were better than the Hurricanes in faceoff wins (30-29), hits (16-13) and blocks (15-11).