RALEIGH, N.C. — The Washington Capitals fell 5-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their playoff series on Monday at Lenovo Center, leaving them trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven set. After failing to score in more than five periods in Raleigh, the Capitals now face elimination as they return home for Game 5 on Thursday.
The Capitals started strong, generating early scoring chances. Connor McMichael tested Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen with a backhand, and Aliaksei Protas hit the post on the same shift. Dylan Strome’s tip-in attempt was also denied. However, Carolina struck first at 10:24 of the first period when Shayne Gostisbehere’s wrist shot from the left point beat Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.
“We’re giving ourselves some opportunities,” said Capitals coach Spencer Carbery. “We’re just not executing, making the play, whatever you want to call it. And we’re making some mistakes and they’re capitalizing on them.”
Washington’s power play struggles hindered their momentum. A four-minute power play late in the first, following a double-minor penalty to Carolina’s Jordan Martinook, produced only one shot on net. “The way they kill, it’s tough for us to create anything right now,” said Capitals center Dylan Strome. Carbery noted the power play’s poor performance, stating, “It was not good, so we made some adjustments and made some changes to personnel on it.”
Carolina extended their lead early in the second period. Sebastian Aho’s shot slipped through Thompson’s glove, and Seth Jarvis capitalized on the rebound to make it 2-0 at 1:05. The Capitals struggled to sustain offensive pressure, going over 11 minutes without a shot on Andersen in the second and early third periods.
The Capitals finally broke through at 5:18 of the third when Jakub Chychrun scored off a Matt Roy pass, ending Andersen’s shutout streak of 123 minutes and 24 seconds and cutting the lead to 2-1. “We know they’re going to have times where they’re going to have momentum,” said Capitals right wing Tom Wilson. “I think it’s our job to minimize that as much as possible, get down to the other end and just realize those moments.”
Carolina responded quickly. At 8:24, Taylor Hall scored on a breakaway after a stretch pass from Jack Roslovic, making it 3-1. “Both of our [defensemen] lost basically track, that there was a guy in behind [them],” Carbery explained.
Washington pulled within one when Alex Ovechkin scored on a 5-on-3 power play, but they failed to capitalize further. A penalty to P-L Dubois led to a successful penalty kill, but Carolina sealed the game when Sean Walker scored at 16:45, followed by Andrei Svechnikov’s empty-net goal.
“I thought our first two games [in Washington] might have been better than these games,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “But obviously at this time of year, it’s about results. I like where we’re at, that’s for sure.”
The Hurricanes outscored the Capitals 9-2 over Games 3 and 4 in Raleigh, showcasing their home dominance with five straight playoff wins at Lenovo Center. The Capitals, who split the first two games in Washington, now face a must-win situation.
Carbery remains confident in his team’s resilience. “Our guys will fight, just like they did tonight,” he said. “We fought all year and our guys, I know the character of our group.”
The series shifts back to Washington for Game 5, where the Capitals aim to extend their season and force a Game 6 in Raleigh.
