The Carolina Hurricanes won their third consecutive game on Wednesday night with a 4-3 shootout win over Alex Ovechkin and the visiting Washington Capitals.
Scoring Summary
First Period
WSH Goal (0:20): Alex Ovechkin – assisted by Karl Alzner, Braden Holtby
Alex Ovechkin kicked off the scoring for the Capitals just 20 seconds into the game as he walked through the Canes defense and gave Washington a 1-0 lead. The pairing of Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin were on the ice and got dazzled by the Russian forward.
CAR Goal (4:19): Elias Lindholm – assisted by Kris Versteeg, Eric Staal
Young Swede Elias Lindholm slapped a one-timer past Holtby in the slot to tie the game up at a goal a piece. Versteeg centered the puck in the slot to Lindholm, and he was able to roof the puck into the Capitals net.
WSH Goal (4:51): Stanislav Galiev – assisted by Jason Chimera, Ryan Stanton
The Capitals bounced back after the Lindholm goal with a quick goal from Stanislav Galiev. The goal gave the club a 2-1 lead early on in period one.
Second Period
WSH Goal (5:47): Michael Latta – assisted by Sean Collins, Brooks Laich
The Caps came out of the gate flying in period two, and they were rewarded with an early second period tally from Michael Latta. The goal gave the Caps a 3-1 lead under 26 minutes in.
CAR Goal (6:17): Riley Nash – unassisted
Just 30 seconds after the goal from Latta, Riley Nash came back and made it a one-goal game once again off of a lucky bounce out in front which led to a one-timer for him in the slot.
CAR PP Goal (8:36): Nathan Gerbe – assisted by Eric Staal, Justin Faulk
The Canes struck on the powerplay for the first time this preseason, and it was Nathan Gerbe with a wrist shot in the slot off of a nifty pass from Eric Staal along the boards. The goal tied the game up at three nearly half-way through period two.
Third Period
No Goals
Shootout
CAR Goals: Jeff Skinner, Nathan Gerbe
WSH Goal: T.J. Oshie
Recap
The Carolina Hurricanes improved their 2015 preseason record to 3-2-0 with their 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night in Raleigh.
The Canes iced a very young defensive core against the Caps, but they handled the pressure of playing against big name players like Ovechkin and Oshie very well.
More from Cardiac Cane
- 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
- Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
- Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
- The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
- Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes
Noah Hanifin continued this stellar preseason with yet another solid game against the high-flying Capitals. Hanifin skated a game-leading 25:09 of ice time in the club’s preseason home opener. He played a lot of minutes against Ovechkin, and he played incredibly well and made game changing plays in his own end.
A slow start from young blueliner Jaccob Slavin put him behind the eight-ball, but he bounced back well and had a solid preseason outing. He made good breakout plays from his own zone for the Canes when he was on the ice, and besides a few defensive mistakes, he played a well-rounded game, which is what he needs to keep doing.
Brett Pesce quietly had a fantastic game. He is so incredibly solid in his own end, and he actually made some creative and effective plays with the puck on his stick. He has come a very long way over the past year. He led the Hurricanes in blocked shots and had 15:01 of ice time. He also put 2 shots on net.
Eddie Lack had a slow start, allowing 2 goals in the opening 5 minutes, but he bounced back and played grade-A hockey for the remainder of the game. He stopped all 11 3rd period shots and 4 overtime shots from the Capitals. He was the lone reason why the Canes did not lose in the five minute 3-on-3 overtime period.
Another impressive performance from new comer and reigning Stanley Cup champion Kris Versteeg gave the Hurricanes some offensive life every time he hit the ice. He continues to be a difference maker up front, and he keeps proving day in and day out that Ron Francis was right for trading for him. He has been able to move around and gel very well with many forwards, including Jeff Skinner, Riley Nash, Eric Staal, and Nathan Gerbe, among others.
The overtime period was a sloppy one for both sides, but the Capitals came out with a lot of opportunities and scoring chances. Lack came up huge in the extra frame, which led to Skinner and Gerbe finishing off the Caps in shootout.
The Carolina Hurricanes will practice Thursday at the PNC Arena leading up to the club’s final preseason game of 2015 on Friday at the PNC Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins.