2023-24 Regular Season, Game 77: Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals (Postgame)

The final back-to-back of the regular season came to a close on Friday night in Raleighwood as the Hurricanes welcomed the Washington Capitals to town for the final time. With both teams falling 4-1 last night to their respective opponents, each was eager to get back on the ice to try and reverse their fortunes. While Carolina is firmly entrenched in the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals continued to be in desperation mode, trying to find points to sneak back into a playoff spot with the season winding down.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

WSH (3:31)- Alex Ovechkin (28) (assisted by Dylan Strome (37) & Trevor van Riemsdyk (12))

WSH (19:15)- Alex Ovechkin (29) (assisted by John Carlson (40) & Dylan Strome (38))

2nd Period

CAR (14:30)- Jake Guentzel (26) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (26) & Jesper Fast (13))

3rd Period

CAR (11:40)- Martin Necas (24) PP (assisted by Brady Skjei (31) & Evgeny Kuznetsov (16))

CAR (18:09)- Sebastian Aho (34) PP (assisted by Brent Burns (30) & Jake Guentzel (45))

CAR (19:55)- Jake Guentzel (27) EN (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (27))

My Thoughts

I was absolutely prepared to lecture everyone about how the Hurricanes' season was destroyed by a four-day break between games to start April. I had the entire thing mapped out in my head to scream from the top of a mountain. Fortunately, the Canes found a way to win this game, sparing me from needing to do so. I will talk about how bad they've been in the first periods during this back-to-back because this start didn't make it seem like good things were going to happen again tonight. The script for the first 40 minutes of this game was almost too similar to last night's. It started with the opponents' star taking over in the first period. Last night, it was David Pastrnak's two points. Tonight, it was Alex Ovechkin's two goals. Then, the Canes magically turn it around to play much better, but they can't find a way to beat the goalie before Jake Guentzel breaks the tie late in the period. The only difference was that Boston scored three times while the Capitals were stuck at two.

The difference in the two games was the third period. Last night, Boston made life miserable in the third period for Carolina. Needing two goals, the Bruins prevented the Canes from doing anything. Tonight, the Canes refused to let it happen. They allowed their special teams to take over the game. The penalty kill completed its third kill of the night midway through the period before the power play scored 26 seconds later on a bomb from Martin Necas. It was the power play that would win it, too. Sebastian Aho drew the late penalty and scored the game-winner shortly after to help complete the comeback. The Canes' special teams continue to drive the bus. The penalty kill went 3-for-3, and the power play scored twice on four attempts. The numbers have been off the charts for months, coming through when the team needs them the most.

The moment of the night was Pyotr Kochetkov's consecutive saves on Tom Wilson's breakaway and Connor McMichael's chance right after it. With the Canes still down 2-0 at the time, a goal there would've been disastrous. Guentzel scores his first of the night shortly after to help kick the comeback into overdrive. He finished the night with a pair of goals and an assist on the game-winner, giving him 20 points as a Hurricane. For context, he has more points in 13 games than Brett Pesce and Jesper Fast have in over 65 games. Guentzel and Aho combined for three of the four goals, keeping their lines' chemistry intact. I felt Kuznetsov's line and Drury's line also had great nights. The second line was effective early, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi especially stood out after being scratched against the Bruins. It was a big two points for the team, who really needed a win after a subpar effort against Boston.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Martin Necas- 1 goal

While this wasn't the type of game I was hoping from a productive standpoint for the other three lines, Necas' goal on the power play was a big one for the second unit. It was a brilliant move to start them with Noesen coming out of the box, and they responded quickly. Necas hadn't scored in a few games, plus it was nice to see him score from Ovechkin's spot on the ice. 

2nd Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 14 saves

Though his numbers won't stand out on paper, 14 saves don't tell the entire story of Kochetkov's night because he was phenomenal when pressured. His saves on Wilson and McMichael were huge, but he had an equally important stop on Ovechkin after the Canes had tied the game on the power play. He bailed out Burns by sticking out his pad to keep it tied.

1st Star- Jake Guentzel- 2 goals, 1 assist

I don't think a trade deadline addition has melded with a team as quickly and seamlessly as Guentzel has. We all knew he was a phenomenal player, but you never appreciate it until he's on your team doing it. It's like he can do no wrong. It felt like he was going to have the only goal for the Canes, just like last night, but the rest of the team decided to join in on the fun in the third period. 

Postseason Watch- If you needed something to be upset about despite tonight's win, the Rangers also won, beating the Red Wings 4-3 thanks to a late power-play goal by Chris Kreider. This means the Rangers maintain their five-point lead over the Canes with five games to go. It's worth noting that the Rangers own a slight 41-40 lead in regulation wins, the first tiebreaker, and a 49-46 edge in regulation and overtime wins, the second tiebreaker. 

As for the third spot in the division, the New York Islanders jumped into the spot after the Flyers and Capitals lost tonight. The Islanders are tied with the Flyers with 83 points, holding a game in hand. Washington is just one point back, while the Penguins are two back. New York doesn't hold the tiebreaker against the other three teams, so who knows what is going to happen down the stretch?

Up Next- The Hurricanes will play their final home game of the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night. They'll then embark on a four-game road trip to finish the season, making stops in Boston, St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus to conclude the season. Once the trip is over, the Canes will be back in Raleigh, hosting Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against an opponent that is to be determined.