Capitals Beat Hurricanes 3-1 To Even Up Season Series – Hockey Writers – NHL News

The Carolina Hurricanes began their three-game road trip on Friday, December 20, in the nation's capital, when they faced the Washington Capitals, a Metropolitan Division foe. They were looking to extend their streak to three games after shutting out the New York Islanders 4-0 on Tuesday, December 17. However, the Capitals had a different idea as they beat the Hurricanes 3-1 to get back to winning ways. column and capture the guest's winning streak. What happened in the game to get us to where we are now?

Recap of the game

For the most part, it was a goal game between two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. It was a tough battle between Carlie Lindgren of the Capitals and Pyotr Kochetkov of the Hurricanes. The first half saw the goalkeepers ring the bell after making 10 saves as the home team outscored the visitors 10-6 in the first 20 minutes of the game. At first, it looked like the game would go to halftime, but with a minute left, Aliaskei Protas found Kochetkov for his 12th goal of the season. Suddenly, it looked scoreless after one period with a 1-0 win over the Capitals.

Related: Hurricanes' Pyotr Kochetkov Shuts Out Islanders 4-0

It was one of those goals where there was nothing Kochetkov could do when Protas tipped over Andrew Mangiapane's first try. Despite being down 1-0 and coming out on top, the Hurricanes looked like the better team except for that one Capitals chance. They entered the second round, and even looked at the game to reverse. However, Kochetkov's expensive soft goal gave Jakub Vrana his fifth goal of the season to make it 2-0 late in the middle frame. Once again, the second half ignited Carolina with less than a minute left in the middle frame, Connor McMichael scored his 16th of the season to make it 3-0.

It was another costly late goal that gave the Hurricanes a mountain to come back from instead of scoring a goal or two. Now they had a Herculean effort to get back into the game.

The Hurricanes were able to pull back to within two goals as Seth Jarvis was able to finally find Lindgren and beat him with a smart snipe to make it a 3-1 game and shut the door. It was his ninth goal of the season and Carolina's only of the contest. The Capitals almost made it 4-1, but John Carlson made contact with Kochetkov at the top of goal interference to get the goal back.

In the end, a 3-0 lead going into the third period was too much for the Hurricanes as they ended up losing their 11th game of the season and the Capitals got their 22nd win. It's clear why both teams are where they are, especially Washington who is higher than people thought it would be. Despite outshooting the home team 26-22, the Capitals had 27 blocked shots, which is a big indicator of why they were able to limit the Hurricanes to one goal.

Who's Coming Next?

A quick turnaround for the Hurricanes (20-11-1) as they face the New York Rangers in their fourth straight game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 22. The afternoon matchup will be at 12:30 pm Eastern. The Capitals (22-8-2) will host the Los Angeles Kings at 5pm Eastern puck drop. The Hurricanes and Capitals meet two more times this season on April 2nd and April 10th.