With a spot in the playoffs within their reach, the Carolina Hurricanes welcomed the division-leading Washington Capitals to close their four-game homestand. The team earned an ugly 6-4 victory on Sunday night against the New York Islanders behind big games from Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The group entered the night needing just one point to clinch a playoff spot.
Frederik Andersen was in the net for the Canes, trying to extend his personal winning streak to seven starts after another great effort against the Canadiens on Friday. Jordan Staal missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. Logan Thompson started for the Capitals after Charlie Lindgren beat the Bruins in Boston on Tuesday.
Just about everything went right in the first period for the home team. They were served their first goal on a silver platter after Jakob Chychrun turned the over. It came right to Sean Walker, who waited for the waves of traffic to pass Thompson before snapping it over his blocker to break the ice. The entire fourth line deserves a ton of credit for making the goal possible.
The Canes' power play extended its run of conversions to five games with a pair of goals. First, Jackson Blake put home a rebound. It looked like he fanned on the shot, but Thompson's pad was off the ice in anticipation as the puck slid past him. Seth Jarvis added the third goal with a one-time ripper a few minutes later. Thompson had no chance as Jarvis slapped his 30th goal home.
The penalty kill rounded out a near-perfect period with two excellent chances on a pair of kills. While neither short-handed chance found the back of the net, the Canes also kept the Capitals off the board. The period ended with the Hurricanes up 3-0 in what could only be described as a dominant 20 minutes by the good guys.
The second period has traditionally been good for the Hurricanes, especially as of late. On Wednesday, Washington had the edge of a sloppy middle frame. However, the Canes would extend their lead after Lindgren replaced Thompson. Logan Stankoven reloaded and received a pass from Jack Roslovic. With Alex Ovechkin draped over him, Stankoven picked the corner to make it 4-0.
It took 39 minutes and a pair of penalties, the second of which was laughable, for Washington to get on the board. During the 5-on-3, Ovechkin hammered home a one-timer from his office to score his 39th of the season and the 892nd of his career, moving him two away from tying the all-time record. I'd argue it was a gift, but it helped get Washington into the intermission down by three goals.
Whoever said "too much of a good thing is a bad thing" clearly didn't know how badly the Canes' power play needed a game like this. Seth Jarvis won the draw, allowing Blake to walk down and lift a gorgeous backhand where Mama hides the cookies to secure his first two-goal game in the NHL. Better yet, it would turn into the dagger for the Canes.
The third period devolved into complete chaos, largely thanks to Tom Wilson being an absolute baby. He missed an open-ice hit on Aho, whined about it, then cross-checked Walker to kickstart a brawl with Stankoven, which got them both sent off for the night. Several more players would follow in the final minutes, but the horn would sound in a 5-1 win for the Canes to clinch their spot in the playoffs.
If the Canes were going to clinch a playoff spot, I'm much happier they did it this way instead of after Sunday's win or while they were off on Tuesday. This was a far superior feeling. Seven years in a row is nothing to turn your nose up at. It'll tie them for the longest postseason streak in franchise history with the Whalers, who made it from 1986 to 1992, albeit with far less success.
The power play was the biggest star of the night for the Hurricanes. Striking three times in one of the biggest games of the season, the Canes' top unit did all of the right things. They pretty much put the game away with their two goals in the first period before Jackson Blake added the nail in the third period. They've now connected in five straight to get going at the right time of the year.
Speaking of Blake, the rookie continued his hot run, notching the first two-goal game of his career against the Capitals. Seth Jarvis added a two-point night, scoring his 30th goal and 60th point of the campaign and extending his point streak to five games. Taylor Hall also extended his streak to five games with an assist. Sebastian Aho hit 70 points with an assist as well.
Lost in the madness of the night, Frederik Andersen was incredible. He didn't face much early in the game but was sharp when pressed. The only shot that beat him was a 5-on-3 from one of the most gifted scorers in history. Otherwise, Andersen stood tall on breakaway chances to keep the Capitals from building momentum. It was another textbook night in Andersen's seventh straight win.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes begin a four-game road trip with a back-to-back this weekend. The trip starts in Detroit on Friday night before moving to Boston on Saturday. The Canes will make a quick stop in Buffalo next Tuesday before facing these Capitals again next Thursday. From there, they'll only have a pair of back-to-backs remaining in the regular season.