The blazing-hot Carolina Hurricanes will look to secure their fifth consecutive victory when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Sebastian Aho scored the game-winning goal on the power play at 7:17 of the third period to help the Hurricanes overcome a blown three-goal advantage against the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
The victory extended the Hurricanes’ point streak to 11 games (9-0-2), while Brandon Bussi earned his eighth consecutive win with a 24-save performance.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall each scored early as Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.
“I was hungry to get back out there and contribute,” Stankoven, who turned 23 on Thursday, said to the media following their first game back after the lengthy Olympic break. “It was nice to see the puck go in and our line to have some success. Sometimes you can’t control where the puck goes, but if you work as hard as you can and keep building on the little things, that’s all you can ask of yourself.”
The Lightning battled back with three consecutive goals to knot up the contest before Seth Jarvis scored to make it 4-3 for the Hurricanes. Aho then finished off the game with his power-play dagger in the third to record his fourth goal over the past five games.
Saturday’s contest will be the last of the Hurricanes’ brief two-game home stand before they head out west for four straight.
The Red Wings enter the contest following a big win of their own as they took down the surging Ottawa Senators 2-1 in overtime Thursday.
Captain Dylan Larkin came up clutch with a pair of goals, including the game winner in the extra frame to help earn the two points for the visiting squad.
“It felt good tonight,” Larkin, who is fresh off winning the gold medal with team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. “You know it’s a lot different than an Olympic gold-medal game against Canada, but you know that goal is huge for our team, and it’s been so great being back with the guys, and they’ve been so great to me since I’ve been back. And to score that one tonight, it’s up there. It feels pretty special.”
John Gibson made 26 saves to help the Red Wings get back on track as they had lost four of five (1-3-1) prior to Thursday’s win.
“I think, after the first period, we found our game,” Gibson said of his team’s play. “I think it was evident there in the last 40 minutes that we just kept getting stronger as the game went on.”
Saturday’s clash will mark the fourth contest of a five-game road trip for the Red Wings.
Andrew Copp scored the overtime winner in the most recent meetings between these two teams as Detroit took down the Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime back on Jan. 12. The Hurricanes have typically gotten the better of the Red Wings in recent history, coming out victorious in seven of the past nine meetings (7-1-1).
–Field Level Media
