The Washington Capitals suffered a resounding 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, marking their fifth consecutive loss. Sean Walker opened the scoring for the Hurricanes, converting on a turnover by Jakob Chychrun to give them an early lead.
Carolina’s Seth Jarvis and Jackson Blake doubled up on power-play goals, increasing the lead to three goals after 20 minutes. Logan Stankoven added to the tally in the second period before Alex Ovechkin scored his 892nd career goal to get the Capitals on the board.
Ovechkin’s goal came on a five-on-three man advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second period, and he now sits two goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time lead. However, the Capitals struggled to recover from their slow start, and Carolina continued to dominate throughout the game.
The Capitals’ goaltender, Logan Thompson, was replaced after allowing three goals on 12 shots, and Charlie Lindgren took over in relief. The team’s frustration boiled over in the third period, with several players receiving penalties for roughing it up with the Hurricanes.
Despite a promising start from rookie Ryan Leonard, who played effectively despite limited ice time, the Capitals’ offense struggled to overcome their defensive woes. With the loss, they fell back into fifth place in the division standings.
The Capitals will now face another tough matchup when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4, and fans are eagerly watching Ovechkin’s progress towards the all-time lead.
Source: https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2025/04/02/a-mess-a-melee-and-a-bit-of-a-mauling-hurricanes-beat-capitals-5-1