WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a game where they both led and trailed by two goals before fighting back to force overtime, the Carolina Hurricanes pocketed a well-earned point despite a 5-4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
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Perhaps catching the Caps a bit flat-footed following an extended pregame ceremony for Alexander Ovechkin, the Hurricanes raced out to a 2-0 lead during a dominant opening stretch.
The first goal came conventionally, with Logan Stankoven's spinning shot from the left circle sneaking through Charlie Lindgren at 5:42. The second, though, arrived in strange fashion just 1:32 later - as Jackson Blake drove the puck toward the crease, he was clattered into by Tom Wilson, who sent Blake and the puck careening into a helpless Lindgren. The puck completely crossed the line amidst the chaos in the crease, and since Wilson was the one who caused the collision, the goal stood and Carolina doubled its lead.
From there, though, Washington went to work and potted four consecutive goals to erase Carolina's lead and take one of their own. A late PPG gave the Caps life with 1:54 to go in the opening frame, and another on the man advantage midway through the second period knotted the game at two. With momentum on their side, the Capitals tacked on another pair of goals - separated by just 38 seconds late in the middle frame - and went into the second intermission with a two-tally lead.
Needing a big push in the final frame, the visitors got a jolt from Jordan Martinook at 4:42 of the third as his seeing-eye shot found twine from distance. Carolina continued to claw back and completed the comeback with 1:45 remaining, with Sebastian Aho finding a streaking Seth Jarvis for a netfront tap-in to tie the game at four. Following a scoreless overtime - one in which the Canes spent two of the five minutes shorthanded - Washington prevailed in the breakaway contest as Pierre-Luc Dubois netted the lone goal.
Frederik Andersen stopped 24 of 28 shots to backstop his club to its first standings point since its last meeting with the Caps on April 2.