Getting contributions up and down the lineup, the Carolina Hurricanes put forth a formidable team effort Monday, when they skated to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Second Round series.
The Hurricanes hold a commanding 3-1 series lead after winning two straight on home ice at Lenovo Center. Carolina is 8-0 all-time when it has a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Twelve skaters had at least one point for the Hurricanes, including five different goal scorers. Goalie Frederik Andersen , who backstopped a 4-0 shutout victory in Game 3 on Saturday, made 19 saves Monday.
Andersen helped blunt a strong start in the opening minutes by the Capitals, his biggest save coming less than a minute in when he got his right pad on Connor McMichael 's shot against the grain. Carolina began to turn the momentum in its favor with several strong shifts at the other end of the ice roughly halfway through the first period.
The Hurricanes scored the important first goal at 10:24 of the opening period. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere walked the blue line, patiently moved to the top of the left circle and then wired a shot through Jersperi Kotkaniemi 's screen that beat Logan Thompson glove side for his first goal of the series and third of the postseason.
Carolina forward Jordan Martinook was assessed a double minor for high-sticking Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun at 16:24 of the first period but the Capitals failed to get anything going, struggling to even enter the Hurricanes zone, much less set up any scoring chances.
In fact, the best scoring opportunity was a 2-on-1 short-handed rush by Carolina at 18:58, though Eric Robinson 's shot was denied by Thompson.
Shortly after the Hurricanes killed off the four-minute penalty, they added to their lead. Seth Jarvis banged home a rebound after Sebastien Aho 's shot hit Thompson and deflected off the goal post 1:05 into the second period.
Washington stabilized their game after that goal but their deficit remained 2-0 after two periods of play.
Chychrun finally got the Capitals on the board 5:18 into the third period, burying a pass into the slot by a patient Matt Roy . It was Washington's first goal in 105:18 worth of hockey this series in Raleigh.
With the Capitals pressing a few minutes later in the offensive zone, Carolina's Jack Roslovic collected the puck and sent a long pass out of the zone to a breaking Taylor Hall . Ahead of the field, Hall drove to the net and beat Thompson blocker side to make it 3-1 at 8:24.
Washington wasn't done just yet, though. Handed 1:18 worth of a two-man advantage at 11:57, the Capitals needed just 17 seconds before Alex Ovechkin hammered his trademark one-timer from left-wing past Andersen to make it 3-2 at 12:14.
But the Capitals couldn't pull even on the rest of the power play and Sean Walker scored off a 3-on-2 rush at 16:45 for the Hurricanes. Andrei Svechnikov scored his seventh goal of the playoffs, into an empty-net, with 2:21 to play to ice the victory for the Hurricanes, who can advance to the Eastern Conference Final with a win Thursday in D.C.
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Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Capitals pulled away from the pack to win the Metropolitan Division by 12 points over the second-place Hurricanes this season. They also beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
That's not to imply that the Capitals didn't overcome adversity nor win tough games during the regular season. But they didn't face this kind of must-win pressure that's ahead of them Thursday night back at home at Capital One Arena, when a loss equals playoff elimination.
It's a massive test for this group, which far exceeded expectations in 2024-25, and for second-year coach Spencer Carbery, who's never been in this spot in two years behind an NHL bench. Washington displayed plenty of resolve in Game 4 on Monday, but they need to test Andersen more often, generate more sustained pressure and it would be a big help to get their power play going. Sounds simple, but scoring first wouldn't hurt either. The Hurricanes are such a solid playoff-hardened team, it's extremely difficult to come back against them once they take the lead.
Oh, and if the Capitals find a way to win Game 5, they still have to find a way to defeat the Hurricanes twice more after that to save their season.
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Ovechkin was visibly frustrated in Game 3. Not only were the Capitals shut out by Andersen and Co., Ovechkin didn't have a point and had yet to make a difference in this series. That changed Monday.
Yes, The Great 8 still looked frustrated at times, more than once screaming in anger on the bench. But he looked more like himself out on the ice. Not only did he score a big goal, but Ovechkin was a presence with nine shot attempts and a team-high six hits.
Ovechkin is not only the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, he's Washington's emotional leader. More of each is needed Thursday.
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Andersen is healthy and arguably the best goalie remaining in these playoffs. At least that's what Henrik Lundqvist thinks — the Hall of Famer said so on the TNT broadcast. And who are we to argue with The King?
That's especially so after looking at the numbers and watching Andersen pass the eye test game after game. The 35-year-old has outplayed Thompson in this series, and is 6-2 in eight starts — missing one start in each of the first two rounds. He's allowed two goals or fewer in seven of eight starts, and just three in the other. His 1.41 goals-against average and .935 save percentage lead all goalies in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
