Hurricanes beat Capitals 3-1 in game 5 as Svechnikov sends Carolina to Eastern Conference Final
The Carolina Hurricanes are heading to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three years after defeating the Washington Capitals by a score of 3-1 in Game 5, thanks in part to a late, game-winning goal by Andrei Svechnikov.
The Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Final after a thrilling 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. Forward Andrei Svechnikov broke a 1-1 tie with under two minutes remaining, sending the Hurricanes on to their second conference final in three seasons under head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Captain Jordan Staal opened the scoring with his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Frederik Andersen made 18 saves on the night and shut down the Capitals' attack, including several crucial stops on Alex Ovechkin.
Svechnikov puts home game-winner late
The game-winning goal came after a give-and-go involving as far back as defenseman Sean Walker. With just 1:59 remaining, Svechnikov fired a shot from a tough angle and squeaked it past Capitals goalie Logan Thompson to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead. Prior to the go-ahead goal, the quality determination was a tightly defensive contest - fairly even up until that point.
Seth Jarvis, with 26.1 seconds left, iced the game with an empty net goal and ultimately defeated any concept of a comeback by the Capitals. The Hurricanes improved to 10-5 in Brind'Amour's tenure, and await the winner of the Florida–Toronto series.
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Caps' season ends despite strong start
Following an unassisted goal by Washington's Anthony Beauvillier that tied the game for a brief moment and a performance by Logan Thompson that saw the goalie stop 18 shots to keep the Capitals in the game all night, the Capitals could not take advantage of a decent start and pressure, only to fall victim to a team that plays such a tight-checking game, that it rarely allows for high quality chances.
After an unassisted goal by Svechnikov, Thompson was pulled for an extra attacker and the Capitals could not generate another good chance. While waiting for the opportunity to capitalize on a turned over puck and goaltender pulled, Carolina forced a loose puck that allowed Jarvis to complete the game by reaching the empty net, confirming the Capitals go home looking for their first conference final opportunity since their 2018 run for the Stanley Cup.
