"7th Heaven": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 74: Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals

The Canes conclude a four-game homestand with their toughest opponent and the only team ahead of them in the division race. Welcoming Alex Ovechkin as he aims for the goal-scoring record, the home team hoped to keep him quiet in his pursuit while trying to earn two points and clinch a playoff spot after their help fell through on Tuesday. Ovechkin is just four goals away from breaking the record, going into the building where he was drafted and has had an excellent career. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (6:14)- Sean Walker (5) (unassisted)

CAR (10:13)- Jackson Blake (13) PP (Taylor Hall (22) & Shayne Gostisbehere (35))

CAR (13:21)- Seth Jarvis (30) PP (Shayne Gostbsiehere (36) & Sebastian Aho (42))

2nd Period

CAR (9:27)- Logan Stankoven (12) (Jack Roslovic (15))

WSH (19:25)- Alex Ovechkin (39) PP (Jakob Chychrun (27) & Dylan Strome (49))

3rd Period

CAR (6:55)- Jackson Blake (14) PP (Seth Jarvis (30))

My Thoughts

Even with as hot as the power play has been recently, never in a million years would I bet that they would be the leading charge in the Canes clinching their playoff spot. They struck three times tonight, tying their season-high from their Halloween win over the Bruins. Jackson Blake had two of them, recording his first multi-goal game, with Seth Jarvis adding the other to hit 30 goals for the second straight season. It's not like they did it against a bad penalty kill either. Washington's PK was seventh in the NHL heading into tonight, compared to the Canes' 25th-ranked power play. Instead, Carolina jumped on them early with two power-play goals in the first period and never looked back. 

The gap between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov grows with each start. While the young Russian has faltered, the grizzled vet has taken complete control during his seven-game winning streak. Andersen wasn't tested much in the first period, but his stop on Aliaksei Protas immediately turned into Sean Walker's opening goal. He made a stop on Alex Ovechkin early in the second period and came up with a few big stops down the stretch to keep Washington from capitalizing on their late goal in the middle frame. Andersen did just about everything right tonight, weathering the storm in the second to do most of the work during his 20-save performance. 

Andersen's final line shows one blemish after Ovechkin scored his 892nd goal during a 5-on-3 in the final minute of the second period. The one-timer came from his office in the dot, beating Andersen between the blocker and the pad. While I'm not oblivious to the chase and know that the record falling is inevitable, he shouldn't have gotten closer tonight. The 5-on-3 predicament was a gift. Brent Burns was called for "holding" Tom Wilson on a chance, though Burns was actively avoiding an infraction when it happened. It allowed much more space for the Capitals to operate before Ovechkin did what he's done against the Hurricanes his entire career.

Once Blake scored his second goal to make it 5-1 early in the third period, the game was over. However, there were still 13 minutes left to play, which invited anarchy to reign in Raleigh. I blame Wilson for starting everything. Clearly upset about not laying out Sebastian Aho, Wilson ran his mouth on the bench before cross-checking Walker. This led to a melee behind the net, complete with Logan Stankoven, who also scored tonight, stepping up to the much-bigger Capital. This would see both escorted off the ice for the night. Soon after, Mark Jankowski, Tyson Jost, Nic Dowd, and Brandon Duhaime got together and had their nights ended before Jalen Chatfield went full MMA and threw Connor McMichael to the ice during a fight. The game ended with 144 penalty minutes, the majority of which came with just about seven minutes left. This sets the stage for a very interesting meeting next week in D.C. 

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes will travel to Washington, D.C., to conclude a four-game road trip and the season series on April 10th. By then, Washington will have likely clinched the division, and the Canes will probably have clinched second.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Jackson Blake

After months of hard work not paying off, Jackson Blake is reaping the benefits of continued brilliance. Tonight, it earned him his first two-goal game in the NHL, both of which came on the power play. He's re-entered the Top 10 in rookie scoring by hitting the 30-point mark. Effort and perfect placement helped him score the first goal before pure skill earned him his second. Blake now has eight points in his last eight games, and two multi-point efforts in his last three.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

New Jersey (9 Points Behind for 2nd)- The Devils completed their home-and-home sweep of the Minnesota Wild on Monday with a 3-2 shootout victory. They're off for most of the week, returning to action on Saturday against the New York Rangers.

New York (R) (8 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- It took overtime, but the Rangers earned two big points in a 5-4 triumph over the Minnesota Wild tonight. Artemi Panarin had three points, including the primary assist on Vincent Trocheck's winner, moving New York right below the line for the second Wild Card.

Columbus (10 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- The Blue Jackets' offense put up eight goals on Tuesday night against Nashville, led by Kirill Marchenko's third career hat trick. Columbus is two points out of a Wild Card spot right now with a tough back half of the week ahead, beginning with Colorado on Thursday.

New York (I) (13 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- The Islanders are spiraling after their losing streak hit six games following their loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Their last four losses have been in regulation as the distance between them and the second Wild Card spot continues to grow.

The Road Ahead- The Hurricanes begin a four-game road trip on Friday, their final long trip of the season. They'll start in Detroit on Friday night before completing a back-to-back on Saturday in Boston. The trip will also take them to Buffalo and D.C. before coming home for their final two home games of the regular season.