32 teams. 16 games. Frozen Frenzy is back. However, for the Carolina Hurricanes, their focus was on revenge. The Washington Capitals came to town almost two weeks ago and handed them a 5-2 beating. The Hurricanes haven't lost since, and they didn't want that to change tonight. While there are plenty of big matchups around the league tonight, many eyes were on Raleigh, North Carolina.
With the team announcing that Jordan Staal would miss time with a torn calf, the lineup for tonight's contest remained the same as it did on Sunday. This extended to the crease, with Pyotr Kochetkov earning his second straight start after playing well in Philadelphia. The Capitals played without Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matt Roy, as Logan Thompson was in the net once again.
The Canes start was sluggish, allowing Washington to hold the puck in their offensive zone for long stretches. Carolina found its footing during a 4-on-4, but it wasn't enough to beat Thompson. Instead, a miscue in the defensive end allowed Booner Jenner to go unmarked at the side of the net. The puck squirted to him, and he beat an outstretched Kochetkov to get the Capitals on the board first.
Things got chippy at the end of the period, forcing the Canes into a tough spot. Nicolas Deslauriers took a very soft roughing penalty, which was compounded by an equally laughable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Andrei Svechnikov from the bench. Thanks to a gorgeous toe save by Kochetkov, the Canes iced away a short 5-on-3 and went into the intermission down by just one.
The equalizer came early in the second, courtesy of the top line. Svechnikov pushed a loose puck under Thompson's pad to get it knotted at one. Justin Holl quickly got it back with a shot through a screen, but the Canes stayed hungry. Late in the frame, Eric Robinson's pass for Jackson Blake deflected off Martin Fehervary and past Thompson, sending them into the break tied at two.
The fifth time was the charm for the power play tonight. Svechnikov was left unmarked in front, allowing him to lift his backhand past Thompson with just over six minutes remaining. The defense was smothering from there. Svechnikov won a race to negate icing and set up Mark Jankowski for the empty-netter, extending his streak and the team's streak with a massive 4-2 win over the Capitals.
Svechnikov gets his signature game to keep his hot start going
From start to finish, this game had a big fight feel to it, and the Hurricanes nearly didn't answer the bell to start the contest. Their start was lackluster, allowing Washington to generate a few early chances. However, as they've done throughout their winning streak, the top line put their stamp on it, led by Andrei Svechnikov's big night.
I was about 50/50 on whether Svechnikov's first goal was going to count because of how tough goalie interference is to judge. I didn't think he did anything inherently illegal to get the goal, so I'm glad they let the call on the ice stand. The biggest moment of the night was his go-ahead goal on the power play late in the third. It was a gorgeous move, tying him with Sebastian Aho for the team lead.
Svechnikov finished his night with a play that I'm choosing to believe was him being unselfish to get Mark Jankowski his fifth goal in as many games. I'm not sure he had the angle to get the empty-net goal, but it's the thought that counts. Behind Svechnikov's three points, the top line combined for six. Aho had two more assists to extend his point streak to seven games, and Carrier had an assist, too.
The defense put on a masterclass to help extend the win streak
When the Capitals beat the Hurricanes earlier in the month, the Canes' defense had a very rough game. Tonight, whatever they did to correct their mistakes worked like a charm. Sure, the opening goal was a slight breakdown, and they were outworked on the second goal, but they gave the Capitals next to nothing for the rest of the contest.
One of the biggest sequences of the night saw Jaccob Slavin block Dylan Strome's 2-on-1 chance as he went down to defend the pass. Then, he went to the front of the net to deny a chance. Slavin finished the night with four blocks. Sean Walker, who added his sixth assist of the season on Eric Robinson's goal, had five blocks. There were great sticks all night, keeping the Capitals quiet.
Of course, stout defense is a goalie's best friend. Even when he was under fire, Pyotr Kochetkov showed excellent poise. He keeps pumping out good performances, denying 20 shots to maintain his perfect start. He tried to follow in fellow Russian Igor Shesterkin's footsteps by going for an empty net. It didn't work. Regardless, Kochetkov looked outstanding as the team's last line of defense.
Unfortunately, the Canes were down a man for most of the night
It has not been a good day on the injury front for the Hurricanes. Along with Jordan Staal's long-term prognosis, Taylor Hall exited the game in the second period with an upper-body injury. Rod Brind'Amour didn't have very encouraging words regarding the injury, and it's being speculated that a hit late in the first period might've been the culprit.
Rod Brind'Amour didn't have an official update on Taylor Hall (upper-body injury) post-game, but said, "That doesn't look good either."
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 14, 2026
We don't know if he was banged up here specifically, but the broadcast did highlight this first-period hit later in the evening. pic.twitter.com/AfdWGxuWli
Being down a forward for most of the night makes the win by the Hurricanes that much more impressive. The tying goal late in the second period was scored by Robinson, who was playing in Hall's spot next to Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven. Brind'Amour's history of being cryptic about injuries makes it tough to gauge how long he could be out, but we should know more soon.
To provide a little support, the Hurricanes have recalled Bradly Nadeau, confirming the boss's stance that a call-up was coming and it didn't have to be a center. It seems likely that he'll start on the fourth line with Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but we'll know more whenever the Hurricanes practice next. Obviously, the hope is that Hall's injury won't be anything too detrimental.
The Hurricanes have three full days before they take the ice next. They're heading west to begin their five-game State Fair trip, beginning on Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg. They'll play their third back-to-back of the season when they visit Calgary on Sunday. The trip also includes stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, and St. Louis before finally taking the ice in Raleigh again in two weeks against Boston.
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