RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s going down to the last game of the NHL’s regular season in the Metropolitan Division.
The Carolina Hurricanes, in their final home game, held off the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday for a 4-1 victory at PNC Arena.
In New Jersey, the Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-2.
With one game remaining for both teams, the Hurricanes (111 points) still hold a one-point lead over the Devils (110) in the Metro Division. The division title will be decided in a pair of road games — the Canes at Florida, the Devils at Washington — on Thursday.
The Metro winner will face the first wild-card team in the Eastern Conference in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-place finisher will face the New York Rangers. That much we know for now.
After three consecutive road losses that raised the tension level, the Hurricanes came home and never trailed against the Red Wings. Stefan Noesen scored an early goal, Jordan Martinook made it 2-0 and Brent Burns scored for a 3-1 lead.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had a goal and assist, added an empty-net goal late for the Canes (51-21-9).
Canes goalie Antti Raanta did not face a ton of shots — 21 in all — but many were threatening and led to some tough stops. Alex Nedeljkovic, who beat the Canes on March 30 in Detroit, again was in net for the Red Wings against his former team, stopping 24 of 27 shots he saw.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated before the game that the schedule might have caught up to his team, creating both mental and physical fatigue in the final two weeks.
“Totally,” Brind’Amour said. “You could see it last night (against Ottawa). There was no jump. It wasn’t a lack of effort. We just didn’t have the pop. I think a lot of teams are dealing with that but maybe our group more than others because of how we have to play the game to be successful.”
Brind’Amour said the Canes looked like they were playing in quicksand for much of the 3-2 loss to the Senators. He praised the work of penalty killers, who were sharp, in the postgame but wrote off the rest of the Canes’ game, using the word “trash.”
That was pretty harsh criticism from the head coach, but the message was delivered and Brind’Amour more positive Tuesday.
“Our goal is to finish first (in the Metro),” Brind’Amour said. “Today is a new day. What’s past, good or bad, is 100 percent irrelevant.”
The Canes responded with a strong push to open Tuesday’s game. They were quick to pucks, alert on the ice and established a strong, early forecheck.
Noesen’s goal at 2:46 of the first came after his line, centered by Kotkaniemi, put in a hard-working shift that lasted 90 seconds and nearly all of it in the Detroit zone. Martin Necas fanned on an open shot, but Noesen soon collected the puck behind the net and stuffed it past Nedeljkovic.
The cheers were loud in PNC Arena, and there had to be some relief, as well.
When Martinook scored at 7:50 of the first, it was 2-0. Defenseman Brady Skjei surprised nearly everyone in the building but winding up for an apparent shot from the left point, only to slap a pass to Martinook on the backside to Nedeljkovic’s left.
Martinook’s 13th goal of the season was his 100th point with the Hurricanes, and Skjei earned his 200th NHL point.
The Wings, playing without leading scorer Dylan Larkin, made it a 2-1 game in the second. Robert Hagg’s goal caused some uneasiness among Canes fans — the defenseman, unchecked in the left circle, ripped a shot past Raanta for his second goal of the season.
But Burns’ goal, on a deep shot through traffic that got past Nedeljkovic, restored Carolina’s two-goal lead. It was Burns’ 15th and the 56th by the Canes’ D-men, tops in the league.
The Hurricanes killed off a Brady Skjei penalty early in the third, and then it was about protecting the lead and making smart plays..
For the fans, it also meant scoreboard watching as the Devils hosted the Sabres.
There was a similar trend in both games. The Canes took a 2-0 lead, and so did the Devils. Both the Canes and Devils had their two-goal leads cut to 2-1, then both built it to 3-1.
