sick_slick_bastard

Detroit 4 Carolina 1


Sports Network




1/2/2004




Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Kris Draper scored two goals to lift the Detroit Red Wings over the Carolina Panthers, 4-1, at RBC Center.






Curtis Joseph stopped 29 shots in the win for the Red Wings, who have now won two in a row to leap over Toronto to take the league lead with 53 points. Pavel Datsyuk and Steve Yzerman also tallied for Detroit, which is 9-2-1-1 in its last 13 games.






Kevyn Adams scored the lone goal for the Hurricanes, who have lost two in a row. Jamie Storr made 13 saves in relief of Kevin Weekes, who allowed two goals on just seven shots in the first period.






Carolina had several opportunities to get on the board in the final period, including four power plays in the last 10 minutes, but Joseph kept the puck out of the net. With just under four minutes left, Rod Brind'Amour was stoned on a partial breakaway as Joseph snared the puck with his glove.






The Hurricanes also should have been awarded a penalty shot late in the third when Brendan Shanahan gloved the puck in Joseph's crease, but it went undetected.






Datsyuk opened up the scoring nine minutes into the contest with his 21st goal of the year. He beat Weekes five-hole with a wrist shot at a sharp angle from the bottom of the right circle.






Yzerman scored on the power play 1:06 later to make it 2-0. Standing in front, he re-directed a point shot by Nicklas Lidstrom for his 12th tally this season.






Draper's 15th of the year increased the lead to 3-0 on a shorthanded breakaway with 11:52 to go in the second. He stole a cross-ice pass at his own blue line and skated in free to beat Storr for his third shorthanded marker on the season.






Adams got Carolina on the board shorthanded when he knocked a bouncing puck away from Mathieu Schneider at the point. He took off and beat Joseph with a wrister high to the stick side.






Draper added one for good measure late in the final period to make it 4-1 with his second of the game. With heavy traffic in front, Draper ended up on top of Storr, but was still able to slide the puck in with one hand on his stick.







GAME NOTES:
Detroit captain Steve Yzerman surpassed Harry Howell for 17th all-time on the NHL's games played list (1,412)...The shorthanded goal by Draper was his third of the season...The Wings evened the season series after losing 5-4 on November 29...Detroit has won seven of the last eight meetings against the Hurricanes...Carolina is now 2-2 on its current seven-game homestand.