Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes dropped a 4-1 decision Saturday night in Washington D.C. against Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.

The Hurricanes (1-4) entered the game after defeating the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 Friday night in Michigan, but failed to produce the same outcome two nights in a row. The Caps (3-1) came in off a 4-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night with fresh legs and more energy.

The first goal of the game was scored by the Capitals T.J. Oshie towards the end of the first period. The second period was scoreless, leaving the Hurricanes to score only once in the third period, not enough to outscore the Capitals’ three goals.

The Capitals struck first just 15 minutes into the first period when Oshie, a U.S Olympian and right winger, fired a slap-shot past Cam Ward. The goal remained unanswered by the Canes until the third period.

Carolina and Washington recorded seven and 10 shots, respectively, in the second period, but neither team could produce a result.

The third period took an unusual turn for Cam Ward, the Hurricanes goalie who played a spectacular first 40 minutes of hockey. Ward let in three goals in the third period, one of which was an own goal deflected off of defenseman John-Michael Liles but was credited to Nicklas Backstrom.

Jeff Skinner provided a ray of hope for the struggling Hurricanes with 12 minutes left in the game, putting an unassisted goal past the Capitals’ Braden Holtby, the eighth goal he’s let in so far this season.

Things never got brighter for Carolina, with the next goal coming almost halfway through the third period. Washington capitalized on a power-play when Oshie received the puck at the blue line, passed it up the middle to Backstrom who then fed it to John Carlson, who scored his second goal of the season.

The fourth and final goal of the night came with four minutes left in the game when Ovechkin forced a turnover by Kris Versteeg in front of Ward and fired a wrist-shot past the Canes goalie.

After missing training camp and the first three games of the season, Backstrom made sure to make a statement on the ice. The center racked up three points in his first game back, recording one goal and two assists.

Special teams proved to be an area of difficulty for the Hurricanes, going 0-4 on the power play despite their efforts. The Capitals, ranked second in the NHL for the power-play, went 2-2 on the power-play for the night, giving them the edge they needed to defeat the Canes.

The Hurricanes will return to raleigh for two days before hitting the road for five straight games. They will travel to Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Detroit and Brooklyn before returning home to take on the Avalanche Oct. 30.