The Detroit Red Wings dropped their first game following the Christmas break, a 5-2 final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Detroit Red Wings didn't get the result that they were hoping for in their first game back following the Christmas break, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes, known as one of the most stingy teams in the NHL.
Three goals by Carolina in the second period would turn the game around against Detroit, who took a 1-0 lead into the opening intermission.
Despite cutting the deficit to one goal in the game's final frame, a miscue from Dylan Larkin set up what would be an insurance goal by Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov to salt the night away.
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Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan shared his thoughts and stated he felt Carolina was too strong in the first 40 minutes of play.
“They really overwhelmed us for two periods,” McLellan said. “We found our legs a little bit in the third, but they’re a tough team to come back against. We didn’t do much with the first 40 (minutes) and not enough at the end.”
McLellan had nothing but good things to say about the performance of goaltender John Gibson, who saw his career-high eight-game winning streak come to a close.
"Gibby was excellent," McLellan said. "We did hit a post early and then Ras scored, but other than that we didn’t generate a lot. We couldn’t keep anything alive in their end. When they got to ours, we expended too much energy just chasing them around.”
Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings, who still maintain their lead in the Atlantic Division standings despite the setback.
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