May 10, 2025, 09:52 PM ET
RAILY, N.C. — Andrei Svechnikov hit a gentle face-off pack with his sixth postseason goal, but Frederick Andersen made 21 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night to lead the second round playoff series 2-1.
Svechnikov jumped into the circle and beat John Carlson to the puck, defeating Logan Thompson at 12:34, the second of the first goal of the game, which turned out to be the beginning of a surge seeking a Carolina game.
Jack Roslovic added a power play target late in the second half of the Hurricanes’ second season, with Eric Robinson charging down the left side to make Thompson 3-0 for the third time.
Jackson Blake added a clinch power play finish near the post late as the Hurricane improved to 4-0 at home in the playoffs. Many of them had to do with their goaltenders.
“[Tonight] It could have been one of the better games he played for us,” Carolina manager Rod Brinder Amore said of Andersen.
The Hurricane dominated play in the series opener, but Jaccob Slavin’s overtime target had to push the road. The Capitals did a better job dealing with the counter in Game 2, tying the series behind Tom Wilson’s strong two-way effort.
The Capitals appeared to have reversed the Carolina script with a strong start for Andersen, who had to stand up against an immediate skate-in opportunity by Wilson and an early shot from Taylor Radish while the Hurricane struggled to play in an offensive game.
“I loved the start,” Washington coach Spencer Carberry said. “But when we get off, it’s a tough place for us as a team. It’s off track for us. And then our pack play wasn’t great.”
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Andersen was much stronger – Svechnikov broke the scoreless tie, carrying the load until the hurricane finally insisted on control. In fact, Washington managed one shot in 14 minutes of two seconds, spanning Svechnikov’s score, leading up to Roslovic’s Man-Advantage finish.
“Even if it was 2-0 or collapsed 1-0, I was still fine with the game,” Carbery said. “But our pack really slipped in after that and we really struggled with it.”
Thompson finished with 24 saves for Washington, with the Capitals managing just 10 shots in the final 39 or more minutes.
“Our first period was a bit sloppy,” Svechnikov said. “But we came out vigorously in the second season and continued.”
In the victory, Carolina’s Jordan Martinok left the game, but Brindamour had no updates on his status in post-match media availability. “Hopefully he’ll be fine,” the coach said.
Game 4 of the Top 7 Series is Monday Night in Raleigh.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
