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.

© James Guillory, USA TODAY Sports March 4: Brothers Andrei (back) and Evgeny Svechnikov faced each other for the first time in an NHL game Thursday. Detroit's Evgeny had an assist and Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist in the Hurricanes' 5-2 win.⁠

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Andrei scored 21 seconds after the Red Wings' first goal, ending a six-game drought, and also assisted on the fourth goal.

Andrei Svechnikov's release is just lethal. All Vincent Trocheck had to do was admire that laser shot. That's Svechnikov's first non-empty-net goal in a month. pic.twitter.com/5STQAPdvLB

— Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) March 5, 2021

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."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Carolina Hurricanes win the battle of the Svechnikov brothers vs. Detroit Red Wings