Capitals Stunned by Hurricanes in Thrilling Overtime Clash

The Carolina Hurricanes controlled large parts of the match and ultimately emerged victorious when they beat the Washington Capitals with a score of 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday evening in Washington.

How badly did they dominate the Caps? The following graphic tells much of the story.

But even though they controlled the game, they still could have easily lost. While they took shot after shot after shot, they had a lot of trouble generating quality scoring chances.

The local squad managed to penetrate the Carolina defense several times, yet Fred Andersen thwarted them every time except for one instance, particularly during a 2-on-1 break in the second period.

The Canes went into the third period in a vulnerable spot, trailing 1-0 despite dominating most of the match.

Enter, Logan Stankoven.

The newcomer received a fine pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was engaged in a struggle for the puck, and he managed to score without failing against goaltender Logan Thompson.

The Canes had a golden opportunity during the final moments of the game with an advantage on the power play, yet they couldn’t generate anything substantial.

Next came overtime. Jaccob Slavin sent a puck toward the net and it found a way to get past Thompson for the game-winner, just three minutes into the extra period.

Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis were both screening the goalie to help out on the play.

The Carolina players struck the posts or crossbars multiple occasions, indicating that the situation could have been far more detrimental for the Capitals.

Here is another graphic.

The Hurricanes not only dominated possession but also brought a more physically assertive game, outscoring the Capitals 44 to 31.

Carrier led the way with seven while Svechnikov and Aho had six and five, respectively.

The Hurricanes have the option to take Wednesday off and aim to be prepared for game two on Thursday evening.

Mark Jankowski exited the game prematurely. While there wasn’t an official update on his condition, Brind'Amour stated after the match that he didn’t believe it to be serious.

Game Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/GS030221.HTM

Event Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/ES030221.HTM

Team’s Recap - https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-slavins-ot-strike-pushes-canes-past-caps