"The Edge of Glory": 2025 Postseason, Round 2, Game 4 (CAR leads 2-1): Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals

With a chance to put the series in a stranglehold, the Hurricanes hit the ice on Monday night with one goal in mind. Defending home ice would give them a 3-1 series lead, sending the Capitals back to D.C. with their season on the line. After being shut out on Saturday, Washington had to be upset. They dominated the early portion of the game, but Frederik Andersen wouldn't be beaten. Needing a bounce-back effort from Logan Thompson, the Capitals hoped for their offense to come alive in front of an electric Raleigh crowd.

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CAR (10:24)- Shayne Gostisbehere (3) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3) & Eric Robinson (2))
2nd Period
CAR (1:04)- Seth Jarvis (3) (Sebastian Aho (7) & Dmitry Orlov (4))
3rd Period
WSH (5:18)- Jakub Chychrun (3) (Matt Roy (2) & Pierre-Luc Dubois (3))
CAR (8:24)- Taylor Hall (2) (Jack Roslovic (3) & Sean Walker (1))
WSH (12:14)- Alex Ovechkin (5) PP (Dylan Strome (9) & Jakub Chychrun (2))
CAR (16:45)- Sean Walker (1) (Taylor Hall (4))
CAR (17:39)- Andrei Svechnikov (7) (Jordan Staal (1) & Jordan Martinook (4))

My Thoughts
If you take anything away from the Hurricanes' victory tonight, it's that their depth has left its mark on this series, while Washington's still hasn't gotten off the bus. Washington has relied on its top six and a few defensemen. Carolina has gotten contributions from the entire lineup. Tonight, 12 skaters recorded points, led by a goal and an assist each from Taylor Hall and Sean Walker. The Canes' Big 3 (Aho, Svechnikov, and Jarvis) had points, including a pair of goals. Jordan Staal finally found the scoresheet. Shayne Gostisbehere scored his second goal of the series. Jack Roslovic picked up his third point in two games. Eric Robinson has points in back-to-back games. It hasn't been the top line dominating Washington to win games. It has been the Hurricanes' depth that has gotten them out to a 3-1 lead. 

The third period got tight once Washington finally figured out how to score against Frederik Andersen. Instead of collapsing after the first goal, the Canes pushed harder. Svechnikov hit his 100th post of the playoffs on a transition chance before Hall snuck behind the Capitals' defense and scored a goal just over three minutes later. Then, Alex Ovechkin scored during a 5-on-3 to make it a one-goal game again. This time, Walker showcased his patience and snapped home his first-career playoff goal to provide the dagger. Washington had to be feeling good about their spot after each of their goals. Instead, the Canes snatched momentum away to seal the deal. 

For the second straight game, Washington came out firing. Once again, they were met by an impenetrable wall named Frederik Andersen. He got a little luck from the iron on an early Aliaksei Protas chance, but was otherwise clean through the first ten minutes. His team did a great job of getting to their game quickly, unlike Saturday. Andersen continues to be the runaway MVP for the Hurricanes early in the playoffs. He's yet to make a stop on par with some of his best against New Jersey, but he hasn't needed to. Andersen outdueled Thompson twice in Raleigh as the team outscored the Capitals, 9-2. Neither goal tonight was on him and came courtesy of great efforts from Washington's playmakers. Andersen's early work allowed his team to get out to an early lead, softening the blow of Washington's late push for offense.

There are no guarantees in the playoffs. There is no reason to celebrate. The Hurricanes have a 3-1 series lead, but the fourth game is the toughest to win. Against New Jersey, finishing the job took five periods in Game 5. This Washington team has two days to stew and create a game plan to send the series back to Raleigh on Saturday night. The Hurricanes have the same amount of time to put something together to end the series in D.C. Both games in the nation's capital were tight. I expect the same for Game 5. Washington's big guns will be out in full force with their season on the line. There's no room for complacency.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Sean Walker
I can't think of a better time to score your first playoff goal than late in the third period to put the game away. While that was a big moment, Sean Walker's best play in the game might've been his pass to set up Taylor Hall's breakaway. His rim around the boards got the puck to Jack Roslovic, allowing him to stretch it for Hall on the game-winning goal. Walker played the least among the six defensemen, but his impact was, arguably, the greatest.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023-24 Regular Season, Game 29: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

After picking up their first win on the road trip on Tuesday night in Ottawa, the Hurricanes looked to finish the road journey with a win in Detroit to build some momentum before heading home. With the Red Wings dealing with injuries and suspensions, the Canes tried to build on their excellent game against the Senators. Meanwhile, Detroit hoped to stay afloat with key contributors out of the lineup.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:48)- Jack Drury (4) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (9) & Martin Necas (14)) 2nd Period DET (5:20)- Michael Rasmussen (7) (assisted by Andrew Copp (9) & Jonathan Berggren (2)) CAR (11:49)- Jordan Staal (4) (assisted by Jesper Fast (5) & Brett Pesce (3)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts It's almost unfathomable to look at the Canes' 2-4-0 record on this trip and acknowledge that it's the same mark they had on their first long trip of the season after Opening Night. If you'd told me the Canes had identical records on those two trips without...
Read more

"Old Habits Die Hard:" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

For the final time in 2024, the Hurricanes hit the ice. For their New Year's Eve battle, they traveled to Columbus for their third meeting of the campaign against the Blue Jackets. With a split through two meetings, the goal was to keep Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in check to earn two big points before the end of the year. Using Saturday's win over the Devils as a launching point, Sebastian Aho and the top line might have something special in store to ring in the New Year. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (4:48)- Kirill Marchenko (15) (Sean Monahan (21) & Denton Mateychuk (1)) CAR (9:59)- Ty Smith (1) PP (Sebastian Aho (27) & Martin Necas (31)) CBJ (15:43)- Kirill Marchenko (16) (Dmitri Voronkov (11) & Sean Monahan (22)) 2nd Period CAR (5:47)- Jack Roslovic (17) (Seth Jarvis (16) & Sebastian Aho (28)) CAR (8:18)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) (Eric Robinson (11)) 3rd Period CBJ (4:58)- Dmitri Voronkov (13) PP (Sean Monahan (23) & Zach Werenski (29)) Overtime N...
Read more

2024-25 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Hurricanes found their way into the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Devils 4-2 for their first victory of the season. After allowing a goal to Jack Hughes early in the second period, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere put the Canes ahead through 40 minutes before Jackson Blake redirected a shot midway through the third period for his first NHL goal. Nico Hischier scored during a 5-on-3, but Sebastian Aho iced the game late into the empty net to secure the victory. Pyotr Kochetkov earned the win, outdueling Jacob Markstrom by making 24 stops. The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game journey as the State Fair rolls into town. The first stop on the trip will be their lone meeting with a conference opponent. The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-0, 6 Points This Season) Not much about the Pittsburgh Penguins changed during the offseason. Reilly Smith is the most notable addition to the team, but they are largely the same team they have ...
Read more