2025 Postseason: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals 2nd Round Preview

Washington's 1st Round vs. Montreal

Like the Hurricanes, the Washington Capitals made quick work of their first-round opponent, knocking out the Montreal Canadiens in five games. Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the series opener, including the game-winner in overtime to win Game 1, 3-2. The Capitals held serve in Game 2, sweeping both games in D.C. with a 3-1 win. Montreal's offense came to life in Game 3, scoring three times in the third period to pull away and cut Washington's series lead in half with a 6-3 victory. Washington rebounded in Game 4, getting a late go-ahead goal from Andrew Mangiapane as part of a four-goal third period to push Montreal to the brink of elimination. The finished the job in the nation's capital, getting two goals in the first period to pace a 3-1 series-clinching victory. Dylan Strome led the way with nine points (2-7-9), while Ovechkin scored four times (4-1-5).

Season Series

November 3 (in Raleigh): Former Capital Dmitry Orlov scored twice, including the go-ahead goal early in the second period, to help the Canes win, 4-2. Martin Necas added a goal and two assists, while Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play for Washington late in the first period. 

December 20 (in D.C.): Charlie Lindgren stole the show in the nation's capital, holding the Canes scoreless through two periods. Aliaksei Protas scored in the final minute of the first, but Pyotr Kochetkov was holding his own before Jakub Vrana scored a bad goal in the second. Seth Jarvis scored to break the shutout in the third, but Washington cruised to a 3-1 win behind Lindgren's 24 saves.

April 2 (in Raleigh): The Hurricanes use a three-goal first period to run past the Washington Capitals, 5-1. Jackson Blake scored two goals on the power play, and Seth Jarvis scored his 30th goal for the Canes. Alex Ovechkin scored another goal on the power play before things get out of hand and chippy in the third period.

April 10 (in D.C.): Eight days later, the Hurricanes got off to another quick start, with goals from Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. The Capitals responded with four unanswered goals across the first and second periods to take a 4-2 lead. Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis scored in the third to tie it, but Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the only goal in the shootout to help the Capitals get some sweet revenge.

Postseason History

2019 1st Round: Hurricanes won 4-3: The script for this series was immaculate. The Capitals were the defending Stanley Cup champions after finally making it over the mountain in 2018. The Hurricanes were playing their first postseason series in a decade as the underdog Wild Card team. Washington asserted their dominance in Games 1 and 2, defending home ice with a pair of victories. Carolina returned serve by winning its first two home games in Games 4 and 5. They traded home victories in Games 5 and 6, leading to Game 7 in Washington, D.C. The Capitals took a 3-1 lead, but two unanswered goals allowed the Canes to force overtime. At 11:05 in the second overtime, Brock McGinn redirected Justin Williams' pass past Braden Holtby to shock the crowd, sending the Canes to the second round. The Hurricanes swept the Islanders in the next round before being swept by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

5 Things to Watch

1. Is there still bad blood?

With the Metropolitan Division's spot in the Eastern Conference Finals up for grabs, this is going to be a tense series. The last two meetings during the regular season were electric, but the early fight seemed to settle things down. There has been considerable roster turnover for both sides since they met six years ago, so I don't expect any bad blood from that series to carry over. Having about a week off between games might've made these teams restless. The first period of Game 1 is going to be high octane.

2. Andersen's Status/Availability

Frederik Andersen's injury during the second period of Game 4 had everyone holding their breaths. The Hurricanes advancing after a victory in Game 5 gave Andersen plenty of time to heal, and the extensions of both Central Division series pushed the start of the series even further. He's back at practice, so all signs point to him being ready for Game 1. The real test will be whether he can stick around for the entire series and help the Canes pick up another series victory.

3. Power Play Sustainability

The Hurricanes' power play did a 180 from the end of the season and was incredible (6-for-19) against the New Jersey Devils. It's not as if the Devils' penalty kill during the regular season was bad, finishing second to the Hurricanes. The Capitals' kill is also very good, but they struggled in the first round, allowing five goals to Montreal's power play in 15 tries. As always, special teams will be important, so if the Canes can win that battle, they stand a great chance of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

4. Alex Ovechkin 

Whenever you're playing the Washington Capitals, Alexander Ovechkin is going to be the player to watch. The all-time goal scoring leader is approaching the Top 10 in postseason goal scoring, needing four goals to hit 80. Ovechkin was very good when the two sides met in 2019, tying for a series-high nine points with Jaccob Slavin and scoring four goals. Ovechkin's history against the Hurricanes during the regular season is well-documented. Even if the Canes know where he is at all times, it's hard to prevent him from striking.

5. Which Andrei Svechnikov will we get?

Andrei Svechnikov might be the Canes' most important player during this series because the Capitals will be all over him after his hot start. The test will be whether Svechnikov gives into his animalistic side and take unnecessary penalties. He avoided that against the Devils, taking zero penalties. His incident with Ovechkin in 2019 is likely to get some airtime early in the series. He's not a rookie anymore, so he won't be pushed around that easily. Whether Washington can get inside his head is another story.

Prediction: Hurricanes in 7