January 14, 2021 was the season opener for the Detroit Red Wings as they went up against the North Carolina Hurricanes. The 2 teams faced off in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, but it was not a good day for Detroit fans as they faced a loss in their first match this season.
The Hurricanes came out strong, hungry for a win. In the first 3 minutes, the Hurricanes stole the puck from Detroit’s defensive zone. Nino Niederreiter buried the puck in the back of the net to get the Hurricanes an early lead; Sebastian Aho assisted his goal. They put up 2 more points late in the 3rd; Ryan Dzingel took advantage of a power play, netting 1 with less than 3 minutes to go in regulation time; Martin Necas and Jake Gardiner assisted. Shortly after, Svechnikov scored, Teravainen with the assist wrapping up the 3rd period with a 3-0 win for the Hurricanes.
Although Detroit could not put any points on the board, they held the Hurricanes to a 1 goal lead until the 3rd period. Defensively, both teams were well put together, Detroit’s offense could not keep up with the Hurricanes defense, and ultimately the Hurricanes ended up better on both ends.
The Hurricanes wasted no time getting their numbers up. In shots, they more than tripled Detroit’s, shooting 43 times, while Detroit only picked off 14. The Hurricanes also had 27 hits, won 34 faceoffs (59.6%), and had 3 powerplay opportunities. On the other side, Detroit only had 19 hits, 23 faceoffs won (40.4%), and only 2 powerplay chances.
Detroit’s goalie, Thomas Greiss, was on top of his game Thursday night. Greiss was able to save 40 of 43 shots taken on him, roughly 95.2% of chances taken he stopped.
Detroit is currently missing Left-Wing Darren Helm and Defenseman Christian Djoos, both out due to health protocols. The Hurricanes currently have no injuries or Covid-19 related health conditions reported for any players or coaching staff.
The 2 teams, set to play on January 16th at 7:00 p.m. (ET), at Little Caesars Arena, where Detroit will look to use their home-ice advantage, win, and deliver the Hurricanes their first defeat season. The game will be available on FDT+ and FSCR.
