There was a gong show in Washington, D.C. between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals with the Caps coming out on top 7-6 in the sixth round of the shootout. Washington center Dylan Strome collected the two points for the Capitals after center Sebastian Aho failed to score on the other end.
Carolina (44-20-7) had a chance to tie the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan division with a win, but three goals from Capitals (34-26-9) left wing Sonny Milano helped propel them past the Hurricanes. The victory keeps the Caps within a point of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
While the Hurricanes came up short, centers Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel continued to show off their instant chemistry. Guentzel set up Aho for two of his three goals and had three points of his own on the night all coming off assists. The former Pittsburgh Penguin has four multi-point games with the Canes in just seven games.
On the first goal between the new linemates, Guentzel fired a shot on net, collected his rebound then found Aho streaking down the ice who ripped a shot past Washington goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
On the second connection, Guentlzel patiently skated behind the Capitals net and waited for the perfect passing window to find Aho who snuck a shot past an out-of-position Kuemper. It’s amazing how fast Guentzel and Aho have built a connection in such a short period of time.
Aho’s third goal gifted Carolina at least one point to send the game to overtime, and it was his 30th goal of the season. With an extra attacker center Martin Necas rocketed a slap shot and Aho was in front of the net to deflect it past goalie Charlie Lindgren. It marks the third straight 30-goal season for Aho and his fifth overall.
It wasn’t putting the puck in the back of the net that was the problem for the Hurricanes, but it was stopping it from going in its own net. Carolina’s usually impenetrable power kill allowed three goals all coming in different periods.
Goaltender Pyotr Kocketkov also had his worst game between the pipes in a while. Entering the game, Kochetkov had a 15-6-2 record with a .928 save percentage since Dec. 12, but against the Capitals he posted a .760 save percentage while allowing six goals.
The Hurricanes held multiple leads throughout the game, but three goals by the Capitals in the third period nearly cost the Hurricanes a point if not for Aho’s late goal.
Center Seth Jarvis also extended his goal streak to six games when he sounded the horn on the power play in the third period. Guentzel earned his third point of the night when he received a pass from right wing Andrei Svechnikov and quickly fed Jarvis who sniped a shot over the left shoulder of Lindgren.
After no goals in overtime, the game was forced to go to a shootout, and six Carolina skaters failed to score before Strome found the back of the net.
Next, the Hurricanes will return to Raliegh to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, March 24, at 6 p.m.
