A two-game skid against a divisional opponent has shrunk the Carolina Hurricanes’ lead on a playoff spot to one point. Despite a much better effort than Tuesday’s loss in Washington and a 2-1 lead going into the third period, the Canes fell 3-2 to the Capitals at PNC Arena Thursday.
Forwards Nino Niederreiter and Warren Foegele scored for the Canes (42-28-1), and Curtis McElhinney stopped 17 of 20 Capitals (46-24-8) shots in net. The Canes put up 26 shots and had a few good chances, but Caps goalie Braden Holtby came up with several big stops.
“It hurts tons,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I mean obviously, those are real tough losses: played well, didn’t get the outcome. It’s hockey; it happens. You don’t always get the bounces that’s for sure and it’s just this time of year and everything that’s going on it makes it that much tougher. We just got to pick the pieces up and come back tomorrow.”
The loss, coupled with a win by the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Montreal Canadiens, leaves the Canes a point up on Columbus for the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and a point up on the Canadiens, the top team outside the playoff picture, with a game in hand.
Carolina took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but the Capitals scored twice in the final frame.
Washington tied the game just over a minute into the third period as Jakub Vrana was in all alone after racing pas Canes forward Micheal Ferland and backhanding the puck over McElhinney’s outstretched pad.
Washington took its first lead of the game with 4:56 left in the third period. A failed clearing attempt for the Canes was picked off by Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen, who fired the puck back towards the net where Caps Nic Dowd tipped it past McElhinney to give the Capitals a 3-2 advantage.
“The chances were there,” Brind’Amour said. “I liked our third period. We blew one coverage on a set breakout that’s pretty standard and we just kind of took a breath on it. They’ve got good players and that’s what happens, it ends up in your net.”
The Canes got a chance to even the score with their first power play of the game with 4:15 to play, but could not find the equalizer.
“It’s tough,” Brind’Amour said. “Guys are devastated in there. They know what’s at stake. I thought they gave it everything they had. We’ll regroup tomorrow and come back at it and I think if we play like that with the remaining games, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Niederreiter opened the scoring early with a wrap-around, second-chance effort after forward Justin Williams found him alone in front of the Capitals’ net. After deking past Braden Holtby, Niederreiter managed to pull the puck past the overextended goaltender and tap in the first goal of the game.
“We were definitely hungry enough to win that hockey game and it could have gone either way,” Niederreiter said. “They had a couple of great chances and we had a couple of great chances especially myself. Grade A’s and didn’t put them in unfortunately.”
The Capitals tied it right back up shortly after on a 2 on 1, when Brett Connolly toe dragged around a sprawling Canes defensemanTrevor van Riemsdyk and sniped the puck glove-high past McElhinney. The Hurricanes turned up the heat on the Capitals with a multitude of high-danger chances in the latter end of the period, led by their top two lines, but Holtby and a few wide shots kept the game tied at one after one.
Carolina came out flying in the second with a few-odd man rushes in the first half of the period, and took the lead later on a beautiful goal. Foegele stickhandled through Jensen and around a Holtby pokecheck to put Carolina up 2-1. The Canes held the lead through the period thanks to a great penalty kill and a little help from the iron after Caps defenseman Dmitry Orlov rang a shot off the crossbar.
Despite consecutive losses, the Canes still control their own destiny to snap a nine-year playoff drought with five games left. Carolina will host the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday at PNC Arena.
“It definitely stings and doesn’t feel good but there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves,” forward Jordan Martinook said. “We’ve just got to pick our heads up. Short turnaround and an afternoon game. Just got to come back with a positive mindset. We’re in a good spot and we’ve just got to remember that.”
