The Carolina Hurricanes came out on top in their first shootout of the season, beating the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Monday, Oct. 31.
Right wing Andrei Svechnikov redeemed a rocky second period for the Canes (6-2-1) with a game-tying goal to make it 2-2 heading into the second intermission. After a contested but ultimately scoreless third period and overtime, goaltender Freddie Andersen stepped up with two saves to put away the Capitals (5-4-1).
Defenseman Brent Burns and Caps center Evgeny Kuznetzov each converted in the first round of the shootout, but Andersen stuffed left wing Alex Ovechkin and center Dylan Strome while Svechnikov converted against Washington netminder Darcy Kuemper to give Carolina the advantage.
“[Ovechkin is] one of the better goal scorers of all time,” Andersen said. “You just gotta try to play the same way, try to be patient and see what he does.”
Andersen found his rhythm just in time. The Capitals’ chances came sporadically, but some patchy defense and bad puck luck stung Andersen and the Hurricanes when the Caps’ chances did occur.
“We had the puck a lot; I think that made it more tough for me,” Andersen said. “They didn’t really fire a lot of easy ones. They’re battling for their chances… With the rhythm, we struggled more. It’s tougher on the players.”
Carolina looked flat at the start of the second period, allowing Washington to flip a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. When Andersen lost track of the puck after a high deflection, Strome pounced on the opportunity and snuck a shot past Andersen to make it 1-1. Just seven minutes and change later, Ovechkin converted the Caps’ only power play goal out of four opportunities to put Carolina behind 2-1.
The Hurricanes also got plenty of chances on special teams — six power plays, to be exact — but their only power play goal came in the first five minutes of the game on a tip-in by right wing Stefan Noesen. After spending all but two games of the 2021-22 season in the AHL, Noesen’s goal marked his first as a Hurricane and first at the NHL level since March of 2020.
“My whole career, I feel like that’s what it’s been,” Noesen said. “I take pride in that, it’s something I work on all the time. I always want tips… that’s just something that I love doing and I try to make an art out of it.”
Burns and center Martin Nečas both extended their point streaks to four straight games. Nečas’ also assisted Svechnikov’s goal at the end of the second period as the Czech continued his strong start to the season.
“It’s not surprising,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “You’ve seen it in spurts for how many years now? It’s always about the consistency of being a pro and I think he’s definitely figuring that out.”
After playing three games in four days, Nečas and the Hurricanes will get a few days to recuperate before hitting the road to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Nov. 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
