The second round began on Tuesday night as the Carolina Hurricanes continued their quest for the Stanley Cup. The next team in their way is the division-champion Washington Capitals, who won the division with a comfortable 12-point cushion. Neither team had played in about a week, so there were sure to be antsy players ready for war.
Frederik Andersen was back between the pipes after missing the final game and a half in the first round. Andersen was spectacular in the New Jersey series, backstopping the team to three of its four victories. He'd square off with Washington's Logan Thompson. In his first playoff series as a starter, Thompson helped guide the Capitals to a five-game victory over the Canadiens.
There was a lot to love about the Hurricanes' start. They spent most of the first period in Washington's end, making life tough for Thompson and the defense. The problem was that the Capitals had no problem putting their bodies on the line to block shots. After 20 minutes, Washington blocked 15 Carolina shots, though plenty of shots still made it on goal.
There was concern that the Canes' early edge would disappear when Washington drew the first power play of the series. Instead, the kill kept on killing, keeping the Capitals at bay. The Canes' power play got a chance to go, too, but they didn't generate much. The iron wasn't on the Canes' side either. Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov had shots that beat Thompson before finding metal.
The Capitals had more jump to start the second period. They immediately matched their 5-on-5 shot total in the opening minutes before finding the opening goal soon after. Aliaksei Protas popped a puck loose and carried it up the ice on a 2-on-1. He placed his shot perfectly over Andersen's pad and below his blocker to break the deadlock early in the middle frame.
After the goal, the Hurricanes continued their push. Unfortunately, they failed to beat Thompson for the second straight period. Everything the netminder saw was caught, and most of what he couldn't see was blocked. Svechnikov hit the crossbar for the second time late in the period as the Capitals escaped with their one-goal lead intact.
With as strongly as the Hurricanes were playing, it was only a matter of time before they found the tying goal. Halfway through the third period, they finally created some magic. A turnover by the Capitals allowed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to find Logan Stankoven in the slot. Thompson didn't have much time to react as Stankoven's shot beat him past his glove.
Neither side was able to score the go-ahead goal with the remaining ten minutes of regulation, sending Game 1 to overtime despite the Canes maintaining their dominance in shots. Thompson continued to be a brick wall, while Andersen stood on the other side without much action. Anytime the Capitals got close to him, the defense was there to prevent them from getting a shot off.
We didn't wait long for a resolution to the series opener. As they did all night, the Canes scored the game-winner by throwing shots at the net. Jaccob Slavin played the hero on Tuesday. His shot from the point flew through layers of traffic to beat Thompson under his right pad. The reaction was delayed, but Jordan Staal was the first to recognize that his team had taken a 1-0 series lead.
The Hurricanes could've easily thrown their hands in the air after the lack of luck they'd endured in the game. The Canes beat Thompson five times, hitting the iron before finally scoring midway through the third. They waited for their moment to pounce, capitalizing on a Washington turnover to finally reap the rewards of their excellent road game.
The scoreboard reads 2-1 at the end of the night, but this game was dominated from start to finish by the Carolina Hurricanes. Logan Thompson was the only thing keeping the Canes from running away with this game. The Washington netminder stood on his head for over 60 minutes. The difference on the game-winner was that Thompson couldn't fight through the traffic.
The box score doesn't show much scoring, but it does show 18 skaters all pulling their weight to get the job done. The top line was held off the scoresheet, though they played with a ton of grit. Andrei Svechnikov had three shots, two crossbars, and six hits. Sebastian Aho had four shots and five hits. Jackson Blake was targeted often by the Capitals, though he withstood everything thrown at him.
Game 2: The talk before Thursday's Game 2 will focus on Washington's response after being outclassed on home ice. They won't be happy with Game 1's performance and outcome. I expect to see an angry and motivated Capitals team. We'll also await word on Mark Jankowski's status after he exited Game 1 late in the second period, though early speculation appears positive.