Mon Oct 13 21:48:31 2008

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Holmstrom helps Red Wings power past Hurricanes

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Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Tomas Holmstrom's power-play goal gave Detroit the lead in the second period and Ty Conklin made 27 saves as the Red Wings beat Carolina, 3-1, dealing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season.

Nicklas Lidstrom lit the lamp with the man-advantage and Henrik Zetterberg added an empty-net tally for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who moved to 9-2 with a tie in their last 12 meetings with the Hurricanes.

Joseph Corvo scored for the Hurricanes, who wore their new black jerseys for the first time. Cam Ward stopped 33 shots in defeat, as Carolina had won its first two games of the season

Holmstrom gave Detroit a 2-1 lead 5:04 into the middle period. The Red Wings were given the man-advantage thanks to a slashing penalty on Sergei Samsonov, and Detroit used precision passing to go in front. Marian Hossa fed the puck from the left circle to Holmstrom in front for the score.

Detroit had a few chances to extend the margin throughout the third, but Ward made some thrilling stops. Johan Franzen and Brad Stuart clanked shots off the post in the latter half of the period for Detroit.

Conklin stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third, and the Red Wings killed off a Franzen tripping penalty in the middle of the period.

Zetterberg scored into an empty net with 15.5 seconds remaining.

Lidstrom scored nearly seven minutes into the opening period on the power play. With Ray Whitney in the penalty box for hooking, Lidstrom's shot from the high slot elevated past Ward, who was screened in front by Holmstrom.

Ward made a spectacular save on Zetterberg, and the Hurricanes broke out 3-on-1 the other way, leading to Corvo's goal just 57 seconds into the second.

Conklin made a sprawling pad stop on a shot by rookie Brandon Sutter two minutes into the second. The save even shocked the official scorer, as the horn initially sounded, signaling a goal.

Game Notes

The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game road swing, beginning Friday at Los Angeles...Detroit hosts Vancouver on Thursday...The Hurricanes went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Detroit was 2-for-6.