The Carolina Hurricanes ventured to the nation's capital for the first time since knocking the Capitals out of the playoffs in May. The Canes closed their seven-game homestand on Tuesday night, scoring three times in the third period to knock off the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team hit the road for the first time in almost three weeks, aiming to pass Washington for the division lead.
Brandon Bussi took the net to try to earn his tenth win of the season after stopping 23 shots on Tuesday. The rest of the lineup remained the same around him, meaning Jaccob Slavin wasn't quite ready to return. Logan Thompson took the crease for Washington. He was fantastic when the Capitals visited Raleigh a month ago.
Nothing found the back of the net during the opening period. The Canes owned the offensive zone for most of the frame, while Washington's chances felt more dangerous. Both Bussi and Thompson made some tough stops. Bussi got a little help from the iron and a fanned chance with an open net. The action was fast-paced, with players flying up and down the ice for the entire 20 minutes.
The second period was almost all Carolina, yet the Capitals broke the ice early. Alex Ovechkin sprung Connor McMichael for a breakaway, and he slid it five-hole on Bussi to get Washington on the board. The Canes hit three posts in the period before they were finally rewarded. Nikolaj Ehlers was on the spot to pot a loose puck past Thompson, drawing things even after 40 minutes.
It took one mistake for the Caps to get back on top. Bussi's clearing attempt hit K'Andre Miller, and the puck eventually went in off Nic Dowd's stick. With time winding down, the second line did it again. Jalen Chatfield made a play in the defensive zone, allowing the Canes to turn it the other way. Logan Stankoven snapped one home, evoking shades of Game 1 of the playoffs, earning the Canes a point.
Overtime was uncharacteristically sloppy from the Hurricanes. A collision between Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere forced Bussi to deny Dylan Strome's breakaway. He also made another massive stop on Alex Ovechkin, keeping it tied after 65 minutes. In the shootout, Seth Jarvis made Thompson look silly, and Bussi stopped all three Capitals to earn a 3-2 shootout win.
Bussi is now in a league of his own
Brandon Bussi seemed determined to make sure he wasn't the 187th goalie to be beaten by Alex Ovechkin because he made some of his biggest saves of the night on the all-time leading goal scorer. All three stops came during the final 25 minutes on The Great 8. Add a big overtime breakaway stop and three in the shootout, and it was another great night for the rookie netminder.
With his win tonight, Bussi made NHL history. He is now the first goalie to ever win 10 games in his first 11 starts. If you suggested that this would be the case at the beginning of the season, I would've laughed in your face. In team history, Bussi is now tied with Frederik Andersen for the second-longest win streak, earning his eighth straight.
The Stankoven line earned the team this win
Not every line was rolling tonight, which wasn't an issue because the Stankoven line had enough jump for all four of them. It felt like the Canes weren't ever going to beat Logan Thompson. They hit iron three times, with this line hitting two of them. Fortunately, they kept going. Nikolaj Ehlers, the only one of the trio who didn't hit the post, got the goal to tie it in the second.
Late in regulation, it was those three again. Ehlers' pass hit a skate, but Logan Stankoven was right there to wire it over Thompson's glove. An underrated part of the goal was the net front by Jackson Blake. Stankoven got his shot off so quickly that Blake's moving screen never allowed the Caps' netminder to pick it up.
Additional Thoughts
The third period began with a fight between Jordan Martinook and Nic Dowd. While it's unclear what led to the two dropping gloves, other than Dowd being a pest in general, it wasn't the most exciting bout. However, after the Canes dominated the second period, it felt like Washington gained some momentum from it. It was only fitting that Dowd scored the go-ahead goal in the third.
While it doesn't count as a goal in his season total, Seth Jarvis pulled out a familiar move in the shootout, and it was beautiful. Thompson had no chance. It's the second time we've seen it this season. Jarvis pulled this same move against Trent Miner in Denver in October, making this his second shootout-deciding goal of the campaign.
With tonight's victory, the Hurricanes and the Capitals are tied atop the division and the conference with 40 points. By virtue of playing fewer games, the Canes hold the edge by points percentage. It's still December, so leading the division right now means very little. However, with the temperature of this one feeling similar to a playoff game, it's a big moment for the Canes early in the season.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will try to keep the momentum going this weekend with a home-and-home against the Philadelphia Flyers. It'll begin on Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love before the teams fly back to Raleigh to conclude the weekend on Sunday at the Lenovo Center. From there, the Canes have four more games before Christmas, including a pair against the Florida Panthers.