Recap: Turnovers Cost Canes In Loss To Caps

RALEIGH, N.C. - Nikolaj Ehlers scored to push his point streak to five games, but the Carolina Hurricanes couldn't find another goal as they fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals at Lenovo Center.

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An unsteady start for the Canes cost them early on Tuesday, with Brandon Duhaime putting the Caps up by one through 20 minutes. A second strike from Dylan Strome early in the middle frame doubled Washington's lead, despite Carolina finding its stride in the early going of the period.

Persistence eventually paid off for the Hurricanes, though, with Jackson Blake's net drive producing a rebound that Ehlers potted to cut the Caps' lead to one at 13:56 of the second.

Unfortunately, Carolina was unable to repeat the magic of Sunday's multi-goal comeback in Toronto. An early power-play marker in the third restored Washington's two-goal lead, and a late empty-netter sent the visitors home with two points.

Frederik Andersen turned aside 24 of 27 shots before a late injury forced him out of the contest. In stepped Pyotr Kochetkov, who did not face a shot in 3:36.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers tallied Carolina's first goal to extend his point streak to five games (3G, 3A). Ehlers leads all Hurricanes with 10 points in 11 games since recording his first point with the team on Oct. 20.
• Forward Logan Stankoven earned the first fighting major of his career, tussling with Washington's Martin Fehervary in the first period. Stankoven's only other game with at least 5 PIMs also came against Washington, when he received a minor and a 10-minute misconduct on Apr. 2 of this year.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere returned from a six-game absence to skate in his 100th game for the Canes, marking the occasion with an assist.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour giving his assessment of the loss...

"A lot of mistakes, for sure. You have to understand, coming in, we knew what kind of game it was going to be, and we didn't play like that. We talked about it, but it was like, 'Yeah, okay.' You can't beat yourself, especially against a good team. Give them credit, their game was on. They did what they had to do, especially at the start of the game. You could tell what their mindset was, and we were not sharp."

Logan Stankoven after the effort...

"Just too many turnovers, and we kind of let them dictate the play. It didn't work out well on our end, and it showed in the end."

Sebastian Aho echoing a similar tune...

"Tough turnovers all over the ice. Obviously, their second goal, I've got to put that puck in [the zone]. That, and they did the small things and the little details better than us tonight. We've just got to be better... They played a good game. They made it hard on us. (We're) two teams that play a pretty similar game, and obviously, we know how it feels when we're executing it. It feels like you have no room. I think they played a good game and we obviously were nowhere near where we need to be."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to be off on Wednesday. They'll return to practice on Thursday and then game action on Friday against Vancouver, starting a back-to-back set against clubs from Western Canada.
• Next Game: Friday, Nov. 14 vs. Vancouver | Hockey Fights Cancer | 7:00 p.m. ET | Tickets | Parking