Red Wings Fall to Hurricanes Amid Struggles and Power Play Failures

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena on March 4, 2025, only to suffer a hard-fought 2-1 defeat. This marked the Red Wings’ third consecutive loss, leaving them with a record of 30-25-6 and 66 points in the NHL standings.

In his first start since February 23, Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon made 28 saves, while Carolina’s Frederik Andersen stopped 24 shots, helping the Hurricanes improve to 36-22-4 with this victory. Head coach Todd McLellan commented on the team’s struggles, saying, “I thought we had a tough time skating tonight. It was really hard for us to make plays. It looked like we were in mud.”

The first period saw both teams struggling on power plays, and it was the Hurricanes who struck first with a backhand goal from Jordan Martinook just before the first intermission at 18:59. Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider reflected on the team’s opportunities, noting, “I thought we generated a lot of chances in the first [period]. We had three 2-on-1s and they were scrambling.”

The Hurricanes extended their lead early in the second period, scoring less than two minutes in with a wrap-around goal by Jordan Staal. “It’s unfortunate the winning goal was a bad bounce behind the net,” McLellan remarked, expressing frustration at the circumstances leading to the second goal.

A silver lining for the Red Wings came in the form of Elmer Soderblom, who scored his third goal of the season early in the third period, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Soderblom credited his linemates, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, saying, “I think every player wants to play with those kinds of guys. They create space for you and make more time.”

Despite Lyon’s impressive save on a penalty shot from Taylor Hall with less than five minutes remaining, the Red Wings could not find an equalizer, pulling Lyon for an extra skater but failing to force overtime.

Seider reflected on the team’s performance, asserting, “Obviously, it’s very unfortunate because I thought the will was there… now we just got to find a way to get ourselves out of that hole.”

Looking ahead, the Red Wings are prepared to host the Utah Hockey Club next Tuesday, marking a historic matchup as it will be the first time the franchise faces this team. The squad remains hopeful for improvement as they work through their current difficulties.