RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes traded away Alex Nedeljkovic after last season, saying they wanted to upgrade their goaltending.
Nedeljkovic, back in PNC Arena Thursday, graded out very well.
The guy the Canes once called “Ned” was the best player on the ice for the Red Wings, battling his way to a 3-0 win, making 46 saves in his second victory of the season over his former team.
Defenseman Moritz Seider scored with 12.1 seconds left in the second period and forward Adam Erne early in the third for the Red Wings, who entered the game 8-14-4 since the NHL All-Star break and giving up 4.5 goals a game in that span. Filip Zadina’s score later in the third off the rush made it 3-0.
Nedeljkovic had struggled, allowing 24 goals in his five starts before Thursday and going 1-2-2. But he looked more like the goalie who was a Calder Trophy finalist for NHL rookie of the year last season with the Canes, scrambling around the net and making both tough and routine saves in his third shutout of the season.
In the end, Nedeljkovic was better Thursday than Antti Raanta, who the Canes signed in the offseason along with Frederik Andersen. Both made high-quality saves but Nedeljkovic made more while Raanta lost in his second start since March 29.
It was the type of game the Canes (48-19-8) have played at times times this season. They outshot the other team. They piled up the so-called “high danger” chances. They seemingly had control of the game, the pace of the game, only to lose to a lesser opponent.
The Canes, who lead the Metropolitan Division by two points, are headed to the Stanley Cup playoffs and can’t seem to get there fast enough. The Red Wings (29-35-10) continue to rebuild around players such as Seider, soon to be an NHL star, and forward Lucas Raymond along with such veteran players as Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi.
The power play continues to be a problem for the Canes — a pressing one now.
The Canes had a first-period power play and were completely disjointed, their zone entries mostly adventures and held without a shot. A power play early in the third was better organized and produced a couple of shots but the Canes came away empty again.
The Canes have gone seven straight games without a power-play goal and aren’t getting that many opportunities, either, a bad combination.
Even a successful penalty kill by Carolina did not end well late in the second period. Just as Canes defenseman Brett Pesce was coming out of the penalty box, the Red Wings scored as Larkin set up Seider for an unchecked shot and his sixth of the season.
Erne’s sixth of the season came when he beat defenseman Tony DeAngelo to the front of the net. Zadina got off a shot that glanced off the stick of defenseman Ian Cole and fluttered past Raanta.
