RALEIGH, N.C. -- — Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast scored a pair of goals early in the third period to help the Carolina Hurricanes take over and beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Thursday night.
Staal's goal 45 seconds into the period broke a 2-all tie, while Fast — who assisted on Staal's goal when a shot attempt bounced off him to set up that rebound putaway — followed by finishing at the crease off a perfect pass from Andrei Svechnikov at 2:50.
Svechnikov, Martin Necas and Nino Niederreiter also scored for the Hurricanes, who came in tied for the second most points in the league. But they got off to a slow start against a team sitting near the bottom of the NHL standings despite playing their first home game in front of limited fans.
Evgenvy Svechnikov finally faces his brother Andrei on the ice tonight, when the Red Wings and Hurricanes meet.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 4, 2021
"I told my dad, 'Can you imagine?' It's been 20 years we've coming to this day," he said. pic.twitter.com/1ULacGqy1w
Necas buried a shot from between the circles late in the second to tie it, then the Hurricanes controlled the final 20 minutes to claim their fourth straight win and give coach Rod Brind'Amour his 100th NHL victory.
Filip Zadina scored twice for the Red Wings, first for a 1-0 lead in the first period and then a 2-1 lead midway through the second. Jonathan Bernier finished with 27 saves in the Red Wings’ third straight loss.
Staal also had two assists, while Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 33 saves. Niederreiter's score was an empty-netter at 14:55.
FANS RETURN
Carolina announced attendance of 2,924, which came after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper last week eased statewide restrictions on public gatherings because of COVID-19.
The change allowed indoor sports venues seating more than 5,000 people to host up to 15% of capacity. Fans scattered throughout the arena Thursday were required to wear masks and practice social distancing among the safety guidelines.
FAMILY REUNION
The game marked the first on-ice meeting between the Svechnikov brothers, Andrei from Carolina and Evgeny from Detroit.
Andrei, who turns 21 later this month, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft and has been a rising star for the Hurricanes ever since.
Evgeny, 24, was the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2015 draft. He missed the 2018-19 season due to a knee injury and had posted two goals with an assist in three games this year, then assisted on Zadina's second goal Thursday.
UP NEXT
Detroit: The Red Wings return home Tuesday to start a two-game set with reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay.
Carolina: The Hurricanes host Florida on Sunday in the second of four straight home games.
