RALEIGH, N.C. — In a decisive encounter, the Carolina Hurricanes secured a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, taking a commanding 3-1 advantage in their second-round playoff series. This critical win came after Sean Walker skillfully maneuvered through the ice to score a vital late goal against Logan Thompson. Adding to Carolina’s triumph, Andrei Svechnikov netted an empty goal to cement the outcome.
The Hurricanes have maintained a flawless 5-0 record at home during the playoffs and have the chance to advance to their second Eastern Conference final appearance in three years by claiming victory in Game 5, scheduled to take place in Washington on Thursday.
Reflecting on the match, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour commented, “If I’m just honest with how I feel about it, I thought our first two games (on the road) might’ve been better than some of these games — just the chances we’ve given up, a little too much here for me. But obviously at this time of year, it’s about results. I like where we’re at, that’s for sure.”
In a dramatic turn of events, Walker’s goal came after the Capitals bridged the gap to 3-2 with Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer shot during a 5-on-3 power play. This effort came with around eight minutes remaining on the clock. The sequence began with a puck battle and saw Washington’s Rasmus Sandin encountering the misfortune of having his stick’s blade caught along the boards. Taylor Hall capitalized on the moment by collecting the puck and sending a pass to a fast-moving Walker up the left side.
Walker, seizing the opportunity, navigated past Jack Roslovic and scored at the 16:45 mark, securing his first-ever postseason goal, and extending Carolina’s lead to 4-2. Following this, Svechnikov achieved his seventh postseason goal shortly after the Capitals opted to pull Thompson from the defense, solidifying the game after the Hurricanes had briefly faced pressure with just a slender lead in the last 10 minutes.
“I think as a whole, we kind of kept our composure,” Walker remarked. “Didn’t really panic, just stuck to our systems.”
Carolina also saw contributions from Hall, Seth Jarvis, and Shayne Gostisbehere on the scoreboard. Frederik Andersen did an admirable job in goal, maintaining a shutout up to the third period and ultimately recording 19 saves.
Importantly, the Hurricanes demonstrated resilience by repeatedly responding to the Capitals’ attempts to narrow the lead in the third period. Hall’s goal was crucial, capitalizing on a 1-on-1 opportunity following Jakob Chychrun’s effort that brought the Capitals closer at 2-1. This occurred after Roslovic delivered a long pass, catching the Washington defense off guard.
Walker’s critical score took place about 4 1/2 minutes after Ovechkin’s goal and marked the first time this series that Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, made a mark on the scoresheet.
Washington coach Spencer Carbery noted, “We’re giving ourselves some opportunities, we’re just not executing, making the play, whatever you want to call it. And making some mistakes — and they’re capitalizing.”
The top-seeded Eastern Conference Hurricanes initiated the game with momentum, rebounding from a Game 3 shutout. Early chances were noted with efforts from Connor McMichael, who managed a 1-on-1 against Andersen, and Aliaksei Protas, who struck the post shortly afterward.
However, Washington failed to capitalize fully on power-play opportunities, managing only a single shot on goal during a 4-minute power play that spanned the closing phases of the first period. Carbery expressed his thoughts on this, saying, “Their penalty kill is excellent, best in the league, has been for the last, whatever, five years call it. But it can’t look like that. It cannot look like that.”