Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways from Big Win Over Capitals

The Carolina Hurricanes ousted the league-leading Washington Capitals in Raleigh last night by a score of 6-4. How did the Canes stack up to our keys to the game?

Advanced stats and keys be damned, the Carolina Hurricanes managed to defeat the Washington Capitals for the second time this season (back to back, eh, Oshie?) while simultaneously only hitting one of our keys to the game from yesterday.

Last night’s game was a great one; Hurricanes v. Capitals games usually are. Last night’s game, however, seemed to have a different kind of edge to it. An edge that only comes with (dare I say it) a hockey rivalry.

For some unknown reason, Caps fans insist (through tears and clenched teeth) that there is definitely not a rivalry between the two teams, despite the storied history between them. Given the intensity that goes along with these games, especially recently, and the inevitable social media war between Canes and Caps fans before/during/after their matchups, I’m beyond certain that a rivalry is, indeed, afoot.

All of the rivalry talk aside, the Carolina Hurricanes have seemingly stopped their skid, and it couldn’t have come at a better time against a better opponent: the leaders of both the NHL and the Metropolitan Division.

The Carolina Hurricanes played a solid game last night and walked away with a win in regulation, but didn’t manage to ‘check the box’ on 2 of the 3 keys to the game I wrote about yesterday. Let’s take a closer look at those.