DETROIT – After barely averting a winless four-game road trip through Canada and stopping a four-game slide, the Detroit Red Wings return home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night in the third matchup between the teams this season.
Although the teams have split the previous two meetings, the Hurricanes have outplayed Detroit by a wide margin.
The Red Wings scored three third-period goals to post a 4-3 win at Carolina on Oct. 10 despite getting outshot 47-19 but the Hurricanes avenged that defeat in Detroit six days later, jumping to a 3-0 lead en route to a 5-3 victory. Carolina enjoyed a 36-20 edge in shots in the opening of a seven-game road trip that will conclude at the New York Islanders on Thursday. "We got out-competed for two games against Carolina, so we better come out and be ready to compete," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. The Hurricanes are coming off back-to-back losses at Los Angeles and San Jose to fall to 2-3-0 on their lengthy trek.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Carolina, FSN-Plus Detroit
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (2-6-0):
Since the five-goal eruption in Detroit, Carolina has produced only four goals during a 1-3-0 stretch, with its only victory coming via a 1-0 shutout at Colorado. "We need to get some confidence going and start scoring some goals," Hurricanes forward Kris Versteeg said. "I think we're getting shots on net but we need a little more traffic." Contributing to the offensive malaise is a struggle power play that ranking 27th in the league, converting on only 3-of-32 chances with the extra skater.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (4-3-1):
Detroit will be short-handed with Mike Green expected to miss two to three weeks with an upper-body injury and fellow blue-liner Kyle Quincey sidelined at least through the weekend due to a concussion. Two-way standout Pavel Datsyuk, rehabbing from surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right ankle, was at practice Monday and remains on course to return in mid-November. "Feels better than when I started skating, but it's hard to keep good pace," Datsyuk said. "I feel more confident, but it's not close yet."
Notes:
1. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has 11 goals and 20 points in 15 games versus Carolina.
2. Hurricanes G Cam Ward is 3-7-1 lifetime versus the Red Wings and has surrendered seven goals on 39 shots to them this month.
3. Red Wings F Teemu Pulkkinen has three goals in the two games versus the Hurricanes this season.