Having already discussed the middle part of the journey and the very end of it, let's talk about how the Carolina Hurricanes started their return trip to the postseason. The 2018-19 season wasn't without its bumps in the road, but the Canes were playing meaningful hockey in April for the first time since 2009, and Raleigh was ready.
Unfortunately, they'd have to wait a few days as the team visited the nation's capital for the first two games. The Washington Capitals were on top of the world the previous June, winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history against the Vegas Golden Knights. Alex Ovechkin finally had his crowning moment after many years of frustration.
The Capitals emerged as the top team in the Metropolitan Division once again, winning a tight race to claim their fourth straight division title. Ovechkin won his eighth Rocket Richard Trophy during the regular season, pacing the league with 51 goals. The Capitals had to be feeling pretty good heading into this series against their long-time division foes.
#6: The Canes carried their "Bunch of Jerks" mentality into the 1st Round
The Hurricanes received a rude re-introduction to postseason life from the Capitals in Game 1, particularly from Nicklas Backstrom. Midway through the opening period, Backstrom sniped a shot from well above the dots past Petr Mrazek. Then, less than four minutes later, he scored on the power play. Add an Ovechkin power-play goal, and the Capitals were off to a pretty hot start.
The score held at 3-0 through two periods before the Canes finally beat Braden Holtby. Rookie Andrei Svechnikov shielded the puck and snapped a shot home as he turned a corner, giving the Canes their first playoff goal in a decade. He added another 2:19 later to cut the Canes' deficit to one, but Lars Eller's empty-net goal provided the Capitals a little insurance in a 4-2 win to start the series.
Game 2 didn't start any better for Carolina. Backstrom scored another early goal, and TJ Oshie doubled down before the ten-minute mark. However, the Canes fought back a little earlier this time. Lucas Wallmark, who assisted on both goals in Game 1, redirected Jaccob Slavin's shot late in the first, and Sebastian Aho tied it late in the second, knotting the game at two heading into the third.
Tom Wilson restored Washington's lead in the third until Jordan Staal scored on the power play with 5:00 left in regulation, sending Game 2 to overtime. A resolution came quickly in overtime, and it was off the stick of the Caniacs' least favorite person. Brooks Orpik hammered a one-timer from the far dot over Mrazek's shoulder, giving Washington a 2-0 lead as the series shifted to North Carolina.
No matter what happened in D.C., the fans in Raleigh were ready. The barn was packed, and the team responded accordingly. Everything from the first two games was thrown out the window. Game 3 was all Carolina. Warren Foegele started the party by having the puck hit him in front of the net and beat Holtby. He added another early in the second, finishing a 2-on-1 to double the lead.
Next, it was Dougie Hamilton's turn. He scored on the power play in the second and third periods to blow the game wide open for Carolina. Brock McGinn piled on with a breakaway goal late to complete a one-sided 5-0 rout of the Capitals. The Canes outshot the Capitals 45-18 in the game, and Mrazek stopped all 18 to earn the shutout win.
Of course, the game wasn't without its controversy. In the first period, shortly after Foegele's opening goal, Svechnikov and Ovechkin dropped the gloves. The Capitals' captain earned a decisive victory during the encounter, which ended with Svechnikov falling backwards and hitting his head on the ice. It proved to be a massive loss for the Canes, who played the rest of the series without their rookie.
Game 4 opened with an immediate goal. Slavin fed Foegele for a tap-in 17 seconds in, scoring the fastest goal to open a playoff game in franchise history. Ovechkin tied the contest on the power play in the second, but Teuvo Teravainen got behind the defense in the final minute to regain the lead. Mrazek shut the door from there, stopping 30 shots to preserve the lead and even the series.
After trading one-sided wins, the series came down to 2OT in Game 7
Game 5 at Capital One Arena was, in a word, ugly. The Capitals dominated from start to finish. Backstrom scored twice and added two assists. Ovechkin scored another goal on the power play and had two helpers. Nic Dowd buried a penalty shot goal. Wilson scored on the power play. Holtby stopped 30 shots. Everything went Washington's way, giving them a 6-0 win on home ice.
With a chance to finish the job in front of the Caniacs in Game 6, the Capitals got off to another quick start. Brett Connolly scored just over five minutes in to stifle the home crowd. Foegele responded with a spinning shot between the dots to surprise Holtby, but Ovechkin's fourth of the series late in the first period ruined the mood again, giving Washington a 2-1 lead after 20.
That's all of the scoring they'd do. It was all Carolina the rest of the way. Teravainen tied it again after Aho forced a turnover behind the net. Early in the third, Staal fought for a rebound in front of the net, giving the Canes a 3-2 lead. Justin Williams extended the lead with an insane tip, and Hamilton found the empty net, sending the teams back to D.C. for Game 7.
As they had in the previous three road games, the Canes were behind early. Andre Burakovsky and Wilson scored in the opening 6:23. Even when Aho scored a short-handed goal to cut into Washington's lead, Evgeny Kuznetsov finally broke through to restore the Capitals' two-goal lead. Carolina was fighting for its life.
Teravainen got one late in the second period to set the Canes up nicely in the third period, needing just one goal to tie it. That goal came early in the third. 2:56 into the final frame, Staal received a pass and snapped it past Holtby from the near dot, stunning the crowd and tying the game at three. With their furious comeback, the Canes forced overtime in Game 7.
Neither team ended the series in the fourth period, sending us into double overtime. After 91 hard-fought minutes, the Canes got their moment. Slavin kept an attempted clearance in the zone and threw the puck into a vacant corner. Williams got to it first and sent it to the front of the net. McGinn's stick was there to bat it home. The crowd went silent as the Canes poured off the bench.
Many experts and pundits didn't give the Hurricanes much of a shot, and I don't really blame them. The Canes had lost all four meetings during the season, and the Capitals were the defending champs. Thinking that Washington could make quick work of a Carolina team that hadn't been to the dance since 2009 wasn't that hot of a take. Then again, it's why we play the game on the ice, not on paper.
The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson trio gave the Canes fits (12 goals, 22 points), but this was another instance of the Canes relying on their depth, which some felt was inferior to Washington's. Warren Foegele had a coming-out party, leading the team with four goals. Four players had at least three goals, and Jaccob Slavin led the team with nine points, all assists, tying Backstrom for the series lead.
There is a case for this series to be ranked higher. The nostalgia of having playoff hockey back in the Triangle and the way the series ended are two important factors to take into account. However, I still think there are five series that were a little closer all the way around, and some with slightly higher stakes. Still, it was the beginning of an era for the Canes, and we're still riding that wave.
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