Carolina Hurricanes win the battle of the Svechnikov brothers vs. Detroit Red Wings
Two sets of brothers were facing off in the Detroit Red Wings-Carolina Hurricanes game Thursday night.
Red Wings defenseman Marc Staal and Hurricanes center Jordan Staal are used to seeing each other as veterans.
But it was a special night for Evgeny and Andrei Svechnikov, who have been waiting to play one another in the NHL for nearly three years. The Canes drafted Andrei — who, like his brother, wears No. 37 — with the second overall pick in 2018, three years after the Wings drafted Evgeny at No. 19.
Andrei scored 21 seconds after the Red Wings' first goal, ending a six-game drought, and also assisted on the fourth goal.
Evgeny picked up an assist in the second period, his fourth point in four games, in the Hurricanes' 5-2 victory.
"I was a little nervous my first couple shifts, starting thinking, ‘How’s he like?’" Andrei said, adding, "But after a couple shifts, I started thinking about my game and started focusing on that and it was great after that."