Hurricanes at Capitals, Eastern Conference 2nd Round Game 1 preview

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes each had nearly a week to prepare for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS). That was more than enough time for two teams that already knew each other very well.

The Metropolitan Division rivals met four times during regular season, with each winning twice, including two games in a nine-day span in April. Carolina won 5-1 in a heated game at Lenovo Center on April 2 in which the teams totaled 142 penalty minutes, and Washington won 5-4 in a shootout at Capital One Arena on April 10.

“When you prepare to play against good teams, it’s actually easy to prepare because they do it over and over and they do it right and you’ve to try to stop it,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday. “That’s what these guys have done all year, so I don’t think they’re inventing the wheel here at this time of the year. They’ve had success all year, and rightfully so.”.

The two teams' familiarity with each other goes beyond the games they played this season, though. They also play similarly with their forechecks and neutral-zone and defensive-zone coverages.

“We just know the ins and outs of a lot of their systems because we play the same thing,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “So what does that mean? What is the impact on the series? I don't think there's anything really significant. You know strengths of the certain systems and you know some of the areas where you've been weak or where you've been exposed through the year.

“So there's that part and then it just becomes two teams that who can do it better, and who can do it more consistently for a long period of time?”

The Hurricanes, who finished second in the Metropolitan Division (47-30-5), have been off since closing out the New Jersey Devils in their first-round series with a 5-4 double overtime victory in Game 5 on April 29. The Capitals, who finished first in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference (51-22-9), have been off since their 4-1 series-clinching win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday.

This will be the second Stanley Cup Playoff series between Washington and Carolina. The first came in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round when the Hurricanes, who were in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, overcame 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to upset the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals with a 4-3 double overtime win in Game 7.

A lot has changed since then, though, with each team having only five players remaining from that series. Carolina has forwards Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jaccob Slavin. Washington has forwards Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd, and defenseman John Carlson.

“Obviously, grinding against this team for a lot of years,” Staal said. “It doesn't feel like that long ago. We've had a lot of great games in the regular season. We've haven't hit each other in the playoffs since then, but that was obviously a great series that kind of kicked off what the 'Canes are all about and we're hoping to have the same result this time around.”

Carolina will try to reach the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in the past seven seasons (also 2019, 2023). Washington is in the second round for the first time since winning the Cup in 2018.

“I think we know their team and they know us,” Ovechkin said, “It’s going to be a tight series. It’s going to be interesting series.”

Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-7 series own an all-time series record of 531-249 (.681), including 6-2 during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here is a breakdown of Game 1:

Hurricanes: Frederik Andersen will start after missing Carolina’s series-clinching Game 5 win against New Jersey with an unspecified injury he sustained in a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier in the second period of Game 4 on April 27. The 35-year-old is 3-1 and leads the playoffs in goals-against average (1.59) and save percentage (.936) among goalies to start at least one game. The Hurricanes were first in the first round with 45.1 percent of offensive-zone time, according to NHL EDGE Advanced Stats, and fourth with a plus-69 shot attempts differential 5-on-5 after leading the NHL at plus-1,341 during the regular season, well ahead of the Florida Panthers in second (plus-785). Aho tied for the first-round lead with three power-play goals.

Capitals: Ovechkin, who led Washington with four goals in the first round, has 52 goals in 93 regular-season games and four goals in seven playoff games against Carolina. Center Dylan Strome was the only player in the NHL to get at least one point in each of his team’s games in the first round, totaling nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the five games. Goalie Logan Thompson will start his sixth straight in the playoffs after going 4-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .923 save percentage in the first round. Aliaksei Protas, who was third on the Capitals with 30 goals during the regular season, is expected to begin the series on the fourth line with Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd after returning from a skate cut on his left foot for Game 5 of the first round, but could move up to one of the top two lines after he gets back into a playing rhythm.

Number to know: 0. The number of power-play goals the Hurricanes allowed in the first round (15-for-15 with a short-handed goal) against a Devils power play that was third in the NHL (28.2 percent) during the regular season. The Capitals were 3-for-13 (23.1 percent) on the power play and 10-for-15 (66.7 percent) on the penalty kill in the first round. Carolina’s power play was 6-for-19 (31.6 percent).

What to look for: Will the Capitals be able to counter the Hurricanes' incessant forecheck by moving the puck efficiently out of the defensive zone? Can Carolina continue its first-round dominance on special teams?

What they are saying

“We’re definitely ready. We’re definitely rested. We’ve been sharp, we’ve been practicing well and it’s going to be a good fight but we’re ready for it. -- Aho

“I think both teams will be prepared. I think a team that has the will and the execution to push the other team out of the series is doing to be the one who wins.” -- Wilson

Hurricanes projected lineup

Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Jackson Blake

Taylor Hall -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Logan Stankoven

Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Seth Jarvis

Eric Robinson -- Mark Jankowski -- William Carrier

Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns

Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield

Shayne Gostisbehere -- Sean Walker

Frederik Andersen

Pyotr Kochetkov

Scratched: Jack Roslovic, Tyson Jost, Riley Stillman, Juha Jaaska, Scott Morrow, Ty Smith, Alexander Nikishin, Spencer Martin

Injured: None

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Anthony Beauvillier

Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson

Andrew Mangiapane -- Lars Eller -- Ryan Leonard

Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Aliaksei Protas

Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson

Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy

Alex Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk

Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath, Ethan Bear, Taylor Raddysh, Mitchell Gibson

Injured: Martin Fehervary (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)

Status report

The Hurricanes reassigned goalie Ruslan Khazheyev to Chicago of the American Hockey League on Monday. … Dubois, who left midway through practice Monday, took part in the Capitals morning skate and will play.

NHL.com independent correspondent Harvey Valentine contributed to this report