The Carolina Hurricanes went into Washington looking for two points and an opportunity to move up into the standings on the national stage. They left empty handed with their playoff aspirations in jeopardy.
The Carolina Hurricanes have just come off a back to back weekend sealing wins against both the Minnesota Wild and the Montreal Canadiens. It is the last week of March, and for the first time in a very long time, they were relevant. This was a team that had proved to the league that they are more than just the “Storm Surge”.
For the first time this season the Carolina Hurricanes were getting a nationally broadcasted game on NBC sports network. (They have had games featured on NHL Network only.) This was their chance to usurp a win from the reigning Stanley Cup champions in front of the Hockey World and set a tone for the rest of the season.
For the most part they they showed that the Carolina Hurricanes are contenders. It was a solid game with plenty of ups and downs for both teams. Anyone who stopped watching after two periods would be hard pressed to tell you which team was more likely to come out on top. Unfortunately for the Carolina Hurricanes, it takes three periods to end a Hockey game.
Even though both teams went into the third tied at one goal apiece, Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals came out on top in the final frame to cement their place as the Division leaders. It was the second time in four games that the Carolina Hurricanes lost control of the game in the third period.
Did the Carolina Hurricanes have a good chance to win this game and move closer to a top three spot in the Metro? The first two periods of play strongly suggested that they did. But what happened in that game that allowed the Capitals to win the game in the third period ? What positives can the Hurricanes take? Here are the three top Takeaways from last night’s game.