After a Game 1 victory that was both lopsided and a nail-biter, the visiting Carolina Hurricanes look to take further command of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Washington Capitals in Thursday’s Game 2.
Carolina never led in Game 1 until Jaccob Slavin scored 3:06 into the first overtime period. However, only an outstanding 31-save performance from Capitals goalie Logan Thompson kept the game from becoming a rout, given how thoroughly the Hurricanes controlled the action.
The Hurricanes outshot Washington by a 33-14 margin in shots on target, and a whopping 94-34 edge in shot attempts. Aliaksei Protas’ second-period goal gave the Capitals a lead, but all of Carolina’s pressure finally broke through with Logan Stankoven’s equalizer 9:42 into the third period.
“It’s just trusting the game plan. That’s what our game is all about, getting in (the goalie’s) eyes and lots of shot volume,” Stankoven said. “That’s what (head coach Rod Brind’Amour) preaches. So sometimes not everything’s going to go in, so you’ve got to be patient, and it worked out well for us tonight.”
Game 1 was in many ways an extension of Carolina’s all-around play during the regular season. The Hurricanes allowed the fewest shots per game (24.9) of any team in the NHL, while their average shot total (31.7) was the second highest in the league.
The Hurricanes also led the NHL in penalty-kill percentage during the regular season (83.6 percent) and have become even stingier during the playoffs. Carolina is a perfect 17-for-17 on kills this postseason, including a 2-for-2 showing against the Capitals in Game 1.
Washington was one of the league’s highest-scoring teams despite a lack of pucks on net, as the Capitals ranked only 22nd in the NHL with an average of 27.6 shots per game. The Capitals did a bit better by averaging 29.6 shots per game in their first-round playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens, but Game 1’s 14 shots tied the second-lowest shot total Washington has ever posted in a playoff game.
“They were pressuring us all over the ice,” Capitals forward Dylan Strome said. “We’ve got to find a way to break it. I feel like we didn’t play our style of hockey tonight. We kind of let them dictate the game, and they’re a good team when you let them do that.”
The silver-lining view of Game 1 for Washington is that the Capitals still almost stole a win due to Thompson’s continued impressive play. Thompson has a .926 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average in winning four of six games this postseason.
Frederik Andersen (4-1) also has been excellent in Carolina’s net, with a .935 save percentage and 1.45 GAA in five playoff games.
An undisclosed injury kept Andersen out of the final game of the Hurricanes’ first-round series with the New Jersey Devils. The goalie looked sharp and healthy enough against Washington that he should continue to be Carolina’s regular starter in this series.
Carolina was hit with another injury in Game 1, as forward Mark Jankowski left during the second period with an undisclosed injury. Tyson Jost or Jack Roslovic would likely join the lineup if Jankowski misses Game 2.
Strome leads Washington with nine playoff points (two goals, seven assists). Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in playoff scoring with eight points (three goals, five assists).
–Field Level Media
