Red Wings at Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have won three straight games to move into a virtual tie for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and hope to keep climbing when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. The Hurricanes have allowed a total of one goal in their last two wins, including Thursday's 2-0 triumph over Montreal in the second contest of their eight-game homestand.
Brock McGinn and defenseman Brett Pesce scored in the latest victory for the Hurricanes, who have not reached the playoffs since losing to Pittsburgh in the 2009 conference finals. The Red Wings are trying to stay afloat in the playoff race, earning points in three of their last four games (2-1-1) after losing four of the previous five. Detroit, which starts a stretch during which it plays six of eight on the road, received another strong performance from Petr Mrazek on Wednesday and registered a season-high 44 shots in a 2-1 shootout victory over visiting San Jose. “I told the team that was a glaring area that had to get better,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill told reporters. “I think (we were) ranked 30th or something in shots per game. You don’t need to be first or second in that stat, but you can’t be 30th.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Carolinas
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (20-21-8): Mrazek, who has sat behind Jimmy Howard most of the season, has allowed a total of five goals in his last five games (3-1-1) and is expected to get another start on Friday. “I just think (Mrazek) feels confident right now,” Blashill told reporters. “When he is at his best, when he’s confident like that, he is a really, really good goalie.” Defenseman Trevor Daley scored the only goal in Wednesday’s victory, his second in three games, while leading scorer Dylan Larkin (38 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in three straight contests and Gustav Nyquist (23) is pointless in his last six.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (24-19-8): Veteran Justin Williams notched an assist Thursday, giving him six points in his last six games as he ranks third on the team with 33. Teuvo Teravainen (40 points) and fellow Finn Sebastian Aho (38), who has scored four of his team-leading 17 goals in the last six contests, also have been major contributors for Carolina - which is 11-for-35 on the power play over its last 11 games. Cam Ward (15-6-2) has played each of the last two contests for the Hurricanes, who could give Scott Darling (9-13-6, .892 save percentage) his first start since he allowed three goals on eight shots against Vegas on Jan. 21.
OVERTIME
1. The Hurricanes posted a 3-1 victory on Jan. 20 in Detroit as Elias Lindholm recorded a pair of goals.
2. Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg, who has notched one point in his last six games, is one power-play goal shy of 100 for his career.
3. Carolina C Victor Rask has registered a goal and three assists - including one on Thursday - while posting a plus-4 rating over his last three games.