#CapsCanes Postgame Notebook: Streak Stoppers

Twice this season the Caps have had five-game winning streaks, and twice the Carolina Hurricanes and goaltender Scot Darling have come into the District and halted those streaks. The Canes downed the Caps 4-1 at Capital One Arena on Friday night, cooling off a Caps team that had won five straight, seven straight on home ice, and nine of its last 10 games overall.

Friday's game was the first the Caps played since clinching a playoff berth on Thursday, which was an off day for Washington. The Capitals didn't play a smart game against the Hurricanes; Washington repeatedly made unforced errors and turned the puck over to Carolina, thereby shortening the ice for the Canes and fueling their transition game.

On many occasions when Washington did get into Carolina ice, the Caps' shot selection and decision-making was lacking. Too many times, Washington shots missed the net and the puck rolled harmlessly out of the zone.

Washington had one power play when Friday's game was still in doubt (they had another one late when it didn't matter), but the Canes had more shots (two) and strong scoring chances while shorthanded than the Caps did with the extra man. The Caps scored the game's first goal, but that lead lasted all of 40 seconds.

Not all games are going to be masterpieces, but this one was tough to watch no matter which team one was pulling for. Pucks bounced everywhere and looked and acted more like tennis balls with nail holes punched in them, and the general tenor of the contest resembled that of a preseason game for much of the night.

On the plus side, it was over quickly. The Canes pocketed the two points before 9:30 p.m.

Caps center Jay Beagle said, "We just didn't play the right way."

"Turnovers," elaborated Beagle. "That game that is presented to us, it's going to be different every game. We've just got to make sure that we recognize that, and we play the game that is presented to us.

"[The Hurricanes] feed off turnovers, and if you try to go east-west they usually break it up and slam it back down your throat, and they're good. They play hard, they really do. They played hard tonight, and we didn't deserve it."

First Strike - Washington defenseman Michal Kempny notched his first point and his first goal as a member of the Capitals on Friday, staking his team to a 1-0 lead with a shot from the left point at 2:35 of the second. The goal came against Darling, Kempny's former teammate with the Chicago Blackhawks.

It was Kempny's second goal of the season and the third of his NHL career. As Caps captain Alex Ovechkin prepares to play in the 1,000thgame of his NHL career on Sunday in Pittsburgh, Kempny is slated to skate in his 100thcontest in the league the same night.

Helping Hands -Caps defenseman John Carlson notched his 50thassist of the season on Kempny's goal, supplying the primary helper on Washington's lone goal of the game. Carlson's 50-assist season is the eighth by a Caps defenseman in franchise history, and the first since Mike Green had 57 assists in 2009-10.

Carlson becomes the fifth different defenseman to record as many as 50 assists in a season as a member of the Capitals. Scott Stevens leads with three, Larry Murphy had two, and Kevin Hatcher, Green and Carlson account for the others.

The 600 Club - Caps center Lars Eller skated in the 600thgame of his NHL career on Friday night against the Canes. Eller made his NHL debut as a 20-year-old with the St. Louis Blues against Calgary on Nov. 5, 2009. He scored his first NHL goal in that game as well, victimizing Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff for the Blues' lone goal of the game in a 2-1 overtime loss.

Down On The Farm - The AHL Hershey Bears dropped a 3-1 road decision to the Comets in Utica on Friday night.

Hershey's lone goal of the game was an unassisted Chris Bourque marker - his 14thof the season - at 1:12 of the second period. That goal tied the score at 1-1, but that turned out to be the high water mark for the Bears on the evening.

Adam Carlson went the distance for Hershey in goal, stopping 20 of 22 shots he faced, but falling to 2-3-0 on the season.

Hershey is back in action on Saturday night at Giant Center, hosting the Laval Rocket.

Down a level, the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays earned a 3-1 win over the Icemen in Jacksonville on Friday night. Jonathan Charbonneau, Kelly Zajac and Mason Mitchell scored for the Stingrays, supporting the 21-save efforts of Jeff Jakaitis in the South Carolina nets. Jakaitis is now 17-7-2 on the season.

The 45-15-6-1 Stingrays will take on the Icemen in Jacksonville once again on Saturday night. South Carolina has already secured a berth in the Kelly Cup playoffs, and it trails front running Florida in the South Division by five points with five games remaining in the regular season.

By The Numbers -Dmitry Orlov led the Caps with 25:27 in ice time … Jakub Vrana and Nicklas Backstrom each had three shots on net to lead the Capitals … Ovechkin led the Caps with nine shot attempts; he accounted for five of the Caps' total of 16 missed shots on Friday … Devante Smith-Pelly led the Caps with five hits … Matt Niskanen led the Caps with four blocked shots … Beagle won five of eight face-offs (63%) ... T.J. Oshie extended his scoring streak to four straight games (one goal, three assists) with an assist on Kempny's goal.