The Carolina Hurricanes began a three-game, week-long homestand on Tuesday night, welcoming the Washington Capitals for a postseason rematch. They entered the night as winners of four straight, climbing out of a two-goal hole on Sunday night in Toronto. It capped a perfect weekend that included a victory at home against Buffalo.
Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup after missing the last six games, suffering his second injury of the young season at home against Vegas in late October. Frederik Andersen, who was excellent when the sides met in the 2nd round, squared off in the net against Logan Thompson, the league's top goalie to begin the year.
A battle won along the boards by Washington led to them breaking the ice early. Ethan Frank fed Brandon Duhaime at the side of the net as he beat a sprawling Andersen. A collision between Andersen and Nic Dowd led to some fireworks, including Logan Stankoven dropping the gloves with Martin Fehervary. Despite two chances on the power play, the Canes trailed 1-0 after 20.
The Canes had a better start in the second period until a bad neutral zone turnover by Sebastian Aho allowed Washington to counter. Dylan Strome converted on a breakaway to double the lead. Late in the frame, the home team finally broke through. Jackson Blake and Nikolaj Ehlers conquered the zone with speed, ending with the latter popping it home to cut the deficit in half heading into the third.
An early power-play strike by the Capitals put this one to bed. Jakob Chychrun was in front of the net to deposit a rebound, restoring Washington's two-goal lead. The Canes failed to make anything of the little cohesion they mustered. Alex Ovechkin put one into the empty net with 30 seconds left, scoring his 901st goal as the Caps won, 4-1, behind a brilliant performance from Thompson.
The power play struggles to gain traction
Honestly, the power play hasn't looked half bad over the last handful of games. All of that went out the window tonight after a 0-for-5 showing. There were chances to be had, especially at big points in the contest. Unfortunately, the group laid a massive egg. Part of that is Logan Thompson playing out of his mind to start the season. Another part is general disarray on the Canes' part.
I don't know if there's a concrete answer to their problem. One would've argued that getting Shayne Gostisbehere back would be great for them, but he had just one point on the power play when he was healthy. There is clearly no appetite to put Alexander Nikishin out there for meaningful time. Maybe we need to see a big forward shake-up to wake the group up.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Jackson Blake are feeling it right now
If we can take any solace in tonight's defeat, Jackson Blake and Nikolaj Ehlers are operating on another plane of existence right now. Blake has been running through brick walls all season after his massive extension. He made two Capitals collide with his speed in setting up the goal, not to mention his ability to draw calls against flat-footed defenders.
Ehlers now has points in five straight games, scoring his third goal during that stretch. After nothing to show for his efforts to begin the season, Ehlers has hit double digits in points, bringing him to 4th on the team behind Aho, Jarvis, and Blake. It's hard to not appreciate what he's been able to do, bringing his game to life over the last few weeks.
Additional Thoughts
Frederik Andersen did everything he could to keep his group in the game. He just wasn't given much to work with from the rest of his team. He had his fiery moments, especially during the scrum that ended with Logan Stankoven dropping the gloves. Andersen was run into by Jordan Staal late in the game, and, as confirmed after the game by the head coach, was pulled by the concussion spotter.
You have to give credit where credit is due tonight. The Washington Capitals were the better team, and it wasn't remotely close. Logan Thompson was a big reason for that. Every good look the Hurricanes had was thrown aside. The Canes had plenty of self-inflicted mistakes, leading to goals by the Capitals. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but one they must.
Up Next: Having completed four games in six nights, the Carolina Hurricanes will get a small break before hosting a back-to-back at the Lenovo Center this weekend. Friday night is Hockey Fights Cancer night in Raleigh as the Canes face the Vancouver Canucks. They'll turn around on Saturday to welcome Connor McDavid and the Oilers to town to complete the set.