"No More Caps": 2025 Postseason, Round 2, Game 5 (CAR leads 3-1): Hurricanes at Washington Capitals

With their season in the balance, the Washington Capitals tried to stave off elimination on Thursday night in the nation's capital. After splitting in D.C. to begin the series, the Hurricanes won both games in Raleigh to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the conference's top team. The Canes sought to end the series in Washington's barn to avoid a return trip for Game 6 in Raleigh. With everything going right in the series for Carolina, they needed a similar performance in Game 5 while keeping Washington's stars in check.

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CAR (9:38)- Jordan Staal (1) (Jordan Martinook (5))
WSH (13:41)- Anthony Beauvillier (2) (unassisted)
2nd Period
None
3rd Period
CAR (18:01)- Andrei Svechnikov (8) (Sean Walker (2) & Seth Jarvis (6))
CAR (19:33)- Seth Jarvis (4) EN (unassisted)

My Thoughts
The Capitals threw everything they could at the Hurricanes. Despite just nine shots through 40 minutes, Washington played like the better team. The Canes had spurts of sustained pressure, but Washington controlled just about everything except the score. It only got worse as the Capitals searched for the go-ahead goal early in the third period. The longer the tie remained, the more it felt the Hurricanes were going to win the series. Like New Jersey in the first round, Washington played its best game in Game 5. Also like the New Jersey series, the Hurricanes survived and advanced. They outplayed the Capitals for five games, earning the chance to play in the Eastern Conference Finals again.

As they have throughout the postseason run, Frederik Andersen and Andrei Svechnikov provided the big moments. Andersen was the best player in the series for either team, and he capped it by allowing just one goal (that counted) on Thursday. He didn't see much rubber during the first two periods, but he was incredible in the third period, stopping all ten shots he faced. His team struggled to solve Logan Thompson once again. That changed when Svechnikov scored from a near-impossible angle with less than two minutes left. Thompson had been susceptible to soft goals over the last three games. It's only fitting that Svechnikov was the player to end the series. 

Outside of the Canes' advancement, the news of the night was Alexander Nikishin suiting up for the first time in a Hurricanes sweater. Jalen Chatfield wasn't able to shake his injury, giving Nikishin a chance to experience playoff hockey. He didn't play much, getting just 10:33 in his first game, but he showed promise. He had two shots and two hits and made a great defensive play against Alex Ovechkin to steal the puck during a 1-on-1. Nikishin also made some mistakes, turning the puck over and allowing a few chances. It wasn't a large enough sample size to determine what the Canes have, but it was icing on the cake on an incredible night. 

Details about the start of the conference finals remain scarce since the Atlantic Division series is yet to finish. The Hurricanes will know their opponent by the end of the weekend. The Panthers will try to close out the Maple Leafs on Friday night in Game 6, though a potential Game 7 in Toronto remains on the table. Regardless, the days off will be good for getting Chatfield healthy and allowing Andersen to rest. Most importantly, it allows the fans a breather before exposing ourselves to unhealthy amounts of prolonged stress for the third time in the last month. Everyone, enjoy your weekend. Go outside. See a movie. Take your mind off the game. There'll be plenty of time to stress about the conference finals once they kick off next week. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Frederik Andersen
Mikko Rantanen might be the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy right now, but Frederik Andersen has an exceptional case. Again, Andersen didn't make any highlight-reel saves in this game. Instead, he made the stops he had to at crucial moments in the game. His work during the third period rivals just about any stretch he had throughout this series. He finished the night with 18 stops, closing the series with just six goals against. 

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