An overtime loss to one of the two teams they’re chasing in the East has left the Hurricanes with little margin for error in their remaining three games, a stretch that begins with Wednesday night’s visit from the Red Wings.
Despite dealing with a slew of injuries, Detroit winning its ninth Central crown in 10 seasons has been a mere formality for weeks. After a rare second-place finish last season, the Red Wings officially reclaimed the title with Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Minnesota.
“We’re in a tough division with Nashville and Chicago, so it always matters to finish first,” defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.
Facing the Red Wings might not be the best way to bounce back. The teams haven’t played in 2010-11, but Carolina is 2-9-1 with a tie against them in the regular season dating to Jan. 21, 1999.
Plus, Detroit is 12-3-2 against the East, the NHL’s best interconference record.
Additionally, the Red Wings are getting healthy even though defensemanNiklas Kronwall (shoulder) will miss a third straight game Wednesday. GoaltenderJimmy Howard has been solid in consecutive wins after missing two games with a shoulder injury, and center Pavel Datsyuk - who has 58 points in 53 games - returned Sunday after sitting out seven games with a lower-body injury.
It’s Lidstrom, though, who’s been the offensive spark the last few times Detroit has faced Carolina. He has two goals - both on the power play - and two assists in leading the Red Wings to three consecutive victories. Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom have each scored twice.
The Hurricanes’ captain, meanwhile, hasn’t had much luck offensively versus Detroit. Eric Staal, who has four goals in his last six games overall, has been limited to two assists in six meetings with the Red Wings. Watch Live Online Give it a try >>>
