Despite only letting in one goal throughout the contest and outshooting Washington 13-5 in the final period, the Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t find a way to get the puck in the net and fell 2-1 to the Capitals at PNC Arena.

“We did everything we wanted to do, just didn’t score,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I thought we stuck to our game plan really well, hit a few goal posts; it could’ve been a much different story.”

Carolina (16-12-3) has lost six of its last eight games but is riding a four-game point streak thanks to two of those losses coming in extra time. With the win, the Capitals (15-9-4) pulled within one point of the Canes, who are sitting at fourth in the Metropolitan division.

Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov looked rock-solid from puck drop to the final horn, stopping 20 of 21 shots and letting in just one goal in his third straight start. The Canes played a solid game but just couldn’t find a way to grab that extra point.

The first five minutes of the game saw both teams trade scoring chances. Kochetkov was forced to make a trio of saves in tight as Washington was getting everything to the net off rebounds. The momentum swung the Canes’ way when defenseman Dmitry Orlov drew a double minor high sticking penalty seven minutes in. 

Halfway through the power play the Hurricanes looked to score first when center Martin Necas threaded the puck across the ice to find defenseman Brady Skjei lurking at the back post an set up a scoring opportunity — however, the goal was called off for goaltender interference as right wing Stefan Noesen found himself making contact with Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper. 

The Canes struggled to put the biscuit in the basket on the power play throughout the game. While going zero-for-five on the man advantage doesn’t look good, Carolina was able to create combination plays but failed to get over the final hurdle. 

“Early was good, and the last one wasn’t great,” Brind’Amour said. “We hit the goalpost on one there too, so again, it’s been tough.”

Although no goals came in the first frame after the Hurricanes spent over half of the period in the offensive zone, the group was due to get on the scoresheet. Just under halfway through the game, center Seth Jarvis corralled the puck along the boards and zipped a pass to center Sebastian Aho, who launched a missile into the back of the net.

In the last 15 games, Jarvis has recorded 12 points with two assists in back-to-back games. He only trails his linemate and the Canes’ only goal scorer of the game, Aho, for points in that span.

After breaking the deadlock, the Capitals found a way to respond right back in part to a defensive breakdown. Washington defenseman Martin Fehervary was able to make his way into the slot unmarked and rip a shot under Kochetkov’s glove.

Kochetkov was forced to come up big for the Canes as he was asked to make save-after-save on chances that were tight around the net. After turning a corner on the road trip, he has looked like the No. 1 goalie the Hurricanes need him to be with goaltender Antti Raanta getting reassigned to the AHL.

“He’s been real solid,” Aho said. “We are obviously going to need him moving forward.”

For the second game in a row, 60 minutes was not enough to separate the Canes and their opponent. With the Capitals getting a two-on-one chance 30 seconds into the overtime session, the deja vu set in for a Carolina squad that lost just as quickly the game before. However, Skjei stepped up and cleared a puck off the goal line that squeaked through Kochetkov. 

That sequence was the most entertaining part of the overtime period as Washington circled back with the puck, reloading an attack but never actually firing and letting go of the puck. 

“That’s part of their strategy; they know the shootout is a big deal for them,” Brind’Amour said. “They’re not too concerned if it goes there.”

The lone shootout goal came from Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who quickly fired a puck through Kochetkov’s five-hole. 

The Canes will be back in action on Tuesday,  Dec. 19 when they take on the defending Stanley Cup champions in the Vegas Golden Knights at 7 p.m.