2023-24 Regular Season, Game 71: Hurricanes at Washington Capitals (Postgame)

The Hurricanes completed a back-to-back in Washington D.C., looking to extend its win streak to a season-high six games. After beating the Flyers 3-2 in overtime last night, they were looking for a much stronger and more consistent game after not looking as cohesive on Thursday. The Capitals remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, needing to make use of the two games they have in hand over the Flyers and Red Wings. With their season coming down to the wire, they needed to give it their all to ensure their efforts weren't in vain.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (6:53)- Sebastian Aho (28) (assisted by Jake Guentzel (37) & Jaccob Slavin (25))

WSH (12:45)- Sonny Milano (11) PP (assisted by Connor McMichael (14))

CAR (19:12)- Jaccob Slavin (5) (assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi (14) & Stefan Noesen (20))

2nd Period

WSH (13:59)- Alex Ovechkin (24) PP (assisted by Dylan Strome (32) & Ivan Miroshnichenko (3))

WSH (14:40)- Sonny Milano (12) (assisted by Dylan Storme (33))

CAR (15:23)- Sebastian Aho (29) (assisted by Jake Guentzel (38)) 

CAR (19:54)- Brady Skjei (11) (assisted by Martin Necas (28))

3rd Period

WSH (3:45)- John Carlson (6) PP (assisted by Hendrix Lapierre (8) & Alex Ovechkin (32))

WSH (8:19)- Sonny Milano (13) (assisted by Rasmus Sandin (20) & Dylan Strome (34))

CAR (9:35)- Seth Jarvis (27) PP (assisted by Jake Guentzel (39) & Andrei Svechnikov (29))

WSH (13:53)- Connor McMichael (16) (assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk (11) & Ivan Miroshnichenko (4))

CAR (17:39)- Sebastian Aho (30) (assisted by Martin Necas (29) & Brent Burns (28))

Overtime

None

Shootout

WSH- Dylan Strome (WSH 1-0)

My Thoughts

A football game broke out at my hockey game tonight. Fitting for this to be on a Friday night. They just chose the wrong time of year for it. Still, it might've been more offense than the D.C. area is used to with the Commanders in town. Now that I'm done throwing strays at the Washington Football Team, this was an ugly game that should never be watched ever again. The tape doesn't need to be studied. Future generations don't need to remember this night for what happened during the 65+ minutes of hockey. The only things they need to know is that the top line combined for seven points, with Sebastian Aho's hat trick taking him to 30 goals for the season, Jake Guentzel added three apples, and Seth Jarvis scoring in his sixth straight game. Other than that, nothing else happened as far as anyone else is concerned. 

While not quite on the level of the 8-2 loss to the Lightning early in the season, this easily ranks as one of the team's worst defensive performances of the season. The penalty kill cost them this game. Allowing three goals to any team, no matter how hot their power play is, is unacceptable. Pyotr Kochetkov didn't help much, either. He did make a timely save or two, but this was his worst start in a long while. There were some truly weird goals from the Capitals tonight, but only one or two that I felt he didn't stand a chance on. I'm not sure the Canes really deserved a point for their defensive effort. Fortunately, their offense went above and beyond to ensure tonight wasn't a complete loss. 

I'm sick and tired of having to guess what goalie interference is. If Brent Burns' goal had counted, I'm convinced this is a different game. It's not a guarantee, but a 3-1 lead is different from a 2-1 lead, no matter the sport. To me, regardless of Evgeny Kuznetsov's positioning, Darcy Kuemper initiates contact, and the fact that John Carlson is hooking Kuznetsov as his stick contacts his goalie's glove needs to account for something. In my mind, there was no doubt this wasn't going to count, but we won't get a satisfying explanation from the league because I'm not sure they know what it is, either. I'm so convinced that they don't know that I'm willing to provide a solution to their problem. The league should create an invisible barrier around goalies that shocks skaters once they enter the paint. Treat them like dogs when they get too close to an electric fence. I'm not just talking a little shock. I mean full-body contractions on the ice. If players are too scared to be shocked, they'll learn not to go near the goalie, thus eliminating the need for the grey area surrounding goalie interference challenges. That's what we're heading toward in this league if we don't get it figured out. 

Honestly, I'll take the point with only a mild amount of complaining. The Canes absolutely didn't deserve to win this game, but they didn't deserve it last night, too. There's no use in making a big fuss about it. They're a playoff team that is going to finish either first or second in the Metropolitan Division. They have a 30-goal scorer and could be a few games away from having another. They have a top line that is ready for the playoffs. The rest of the group needs to get there. I have no doubt that this team will be competitive once the 82 games have concluded and the new season begins.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jaccob Slavin- 1 goal, 1 assist

In the first period, Slavin was the Canes' best player by a country mile. He picked up an assist on the opening goal and scored late in the period. However, his play of the night came in overtime. In typical Slavin fashion, he laid out to prevent Ovechkin from winning the game from his stomach, giving the Canes a chance to win in the shootout. He quietly hit 30 points for the sixth time with his two points tonight.

2nd Star- Jake Guentzel- 3 assists

Guentzel has been so good since becoming a Hurricane. He has four multi-point games in his last five, picking up three primary assists tonight. They weren't just average passes, either. He was passing the puck with precision to set up his linemates for goals. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the one to Aho in the second period was probably the smoothest. He's up to 11 points in seven games, proving that he's more than just Crosby's winger.

1st Star- Sebastian Aho- 3 goals (8th Career Hat Trick)

Before talking about the three goals he did score, Aho hit a post while short-handed and had two chances in overtime to pick up his fourth goal. While that didn't work out, he still scored three times, which is pretty cool. He's just five points away from a new career high in points, and I'm not closing the door on his chances to hit 40 goals. Scoring ten goals in 11 games will be tough, but it's far from impossible with how he's scoring lately.

Postseason Watch- The Hurricanes failed to pull even with the Rangers tonight, though it wouldn't have mattered with the Rangers now holding a game in hand. Still, the Canes remain just one point behind New York for the division lead. They also put a stranglehold on home ice for the first round as their magic number to clinch a playoff spot continues to shrink.

Up Next- After completing the back-to-back, the Hurricanes will be back in action on Sunday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs in town for their only meeting of the season in Raleigh. Their last meeting in Toronto was a wild one, featuring a late comeback and a shootout win for the good guys. The Canes will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday as the regular season starts to draw to an end.