National Hockey League
Detroit 4, Carolina 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 10, 2015
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Referees: Steve Kozari, Rob Martell
Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 18949

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Detroit Red Wings have already revealed a luxury at the goalie position and some good timing from forwards.

The latest was on display with a dazzling performance from goalie Petr Mrazek and clutch third-period offensive contributions in a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at PNC Arena.

"Making big saves at big times," coach Jeff Blashill said of key stops from goaltenders. "That's what you want from your goalie."

Detroit left winger Teemu Pulkkinen scored twice within a two-minute span in the third period as the Red Wings spoiled the home opener for the Hurricanes.

Mrazek made 44 saves for the Red Wings in his first outing of the season. It came a night after goalie Jimmy Howard blanked Toronto.

Blashill said there's no decision on which goalie will start the next game, but he said he expects both Mrazek and Howard to receive considerable playing time during the first month of the season.

"Mrazek played unbelievable the whole game," Red Wings left winger Henrik Zetterberg said. "He basically kept us, by himself, in the game."

Pulkkinen called both of his goals lucky to some degree, referring to "a lucky bounce" on the first goal.

Center Tomas Tatar assisted on the go-ahead goal as the Red Wings, who barely appeared functional for stretches earlier in the game, came away with a victory for the second night in a row. Tatar's shot was redirected by Pulkkinen.

The comeback gave the Red Wings another boost early in the season.

"I thought it was a good step for our team," said Blashill, who through two games has directed the Red Wings to two distinctively different types of winning results.

Red Wings left winger Justin Abdelkader secured the outcome with a goal with 3:35 remaining. It came a night after his hat trick in the opener against Toronto.

"We broke down in the D-zone, obviously," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "We could have been a little firmer around the puck."

Defenseman Justin Faulk's power-play goal with three seconds left for Carolina accounted for the final score.

Centers Victor Rask and Nathan Gerbe scored earlier for the Hurricanes (0-2-0), who led 2-1 after two periods.

Zetterberg opened the scoring for Detroit (2-0-0) and assisted on the team's final goal.

Goalie Cam Ward stopped 15 shots for the Hurricanes.

Abdelkader, who had an assist on the first goal, has posted five points across the first two games.

"We gave them their opportunities and they capitalized," Faulk said. "We were playing a pretty good game, a good game throughout. There are some things that (should) be easy to clear up."

Carolina took its first lead of the season with 57 seconds left in the second period when Gerbe redirected a delivery from defenseman Ryan Murphy to put the Hurricanes up 2-1.

It capped a second period of largely dominating play from the Hurricanes, who entered the third period with a 34-8 edge in shots.

"We're happy with how we played," Faulk said. "Obviously, you'd like to score. ... We had a lot of chances and they scored first. That's going to happen some nights."

The Hurricanes were unable to take advantage of any of their first four power plays, including a five-on-three stretch.

"I thought we had some good looks there," Peters said. "It would have given us some more momentum."

The Red Wings scored first on Zetterberg's goal 11:33 into the second period.

The Hurricanes answered with Rask's goal less than four minutes later. Rookie defenseman Noah Hanifin picked up his first career point with an assist on the goal.

The Hurricanes outshot Detroit 18-2 in a scoreless first period. During that time, Carolina lost center Riley Nash to an unspecified upper-body injury.

NOTES: The Red Wings were coming off a season-opening victory a night earlier against the Maple Leafs and former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. This matchup with the Hurricanes probably was not quite as emotional, but second-year Carolina coach Bill Peters was a Red Wings assistant coach for three seasons before taking his first head coaching position. ... Carolina D James Wisniewski is scheduled for surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained Thursday night in the opener. The injury occurred less than a minute into his debut with the Hurricanes. ... The Hurricanes called up D Danny Biega to fill Wisniewski's roster spot, though he was scratched Saturday night. D Michal Jordan joined the lineup. ... It marked home debuts for Carolina D Noah Hanifin, a rookie, along with RW Kris Versteeg and C Joakim Nordstrom. ... The Red Wings play Tuesday night at home against the Lightning before a rematch with the Hurricanes on Friday. ... Carolina is back in action on Tuesday night at home against the Panthers.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Carolina
Teemu Pulkkinen 2 Points Justin Faulk 1
Teemu Pulkkinen 2 Goals Justin Faulk 1
Justin Abdelkader 1 Assists Noah Hanifin 1
N/A Power Play Goals Justin Faulk 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Petr Mrazek .936 Save Percentage Cam Ward .789
Petr Mrazek 44 Saves Cam Ward 15
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 19 4 0-1 5-6 16 27
Carolina 47 3 1-6 1-1 4 27
Upcoming Games
  • Carolina will play their next game at home against Florida. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Red Wings have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.