WASHINGTON -- One of the storylines heading into the Eastern Conference Second Round between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals centered on how the Hurricanes would hold up during a long series to the punishment of the Capitals’ physicality.
But it was Carolina that initiated the physicality to start this best-of-7 series and will look to carry it into Game 2 at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
In their 2-1 overtime victory here in Game 1 on Tuesday, the Hurricanes showed they can give hits as well as they can take them against the Capitals, outhitting Washington 44-31 and controlling the puck for much of the series opener.
“Maybe during the regular season we don't do it as much, but it’s dictated by the way we play,” Carolina forward Jordan Martinook said of playing physical. “We play a lot in the [offensive] zone, and that's obviously the strength of our team, is you're trying to [play] in the offensive zone. And usually when you have the puck, you're not throwing as many hits … but I think you get into playoffs [and] every team's thinking you can wear guys down or just make people second-guess a decision.
“It's not like we're going out trying to make huge hits every shift. It’s just try and take a piece here, take a piece there. And that’s playoff hockey.”
After the Hurricanes were 30th in the NHL in hits per 60 minutes during the regular season (17.15), they have more than doubled that with an average of 34.53 during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s actually more than the Capitals, who have averaged 31.35 this postseason.
But Washington is known for having a heavier team with big forwards such as Tom Wilson (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), Alex Ovechkin (6-3, 238), Aliaksei Protas (6-6, 247), Pierre-Luc Dubois (6-4, 220) and Brandon Duhaime (6-2, 210). The Hurricanes prevented the Capitals from controlling play with their size in Game 1, however, by pinning them in their defensive zone for much of the game, outshooting them 33-14 and holding a massive 94-34 advantage in shot attempts.
Wilson led Washington with six hits, including a big one in the first period on defenseman (and former teammate) Dmitry Orlov in the Hurricanes end. Ovechkin had one shift during the second period when he delivered hits in the offensive zone on forwards Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal, which led directly to two scoring chances. But Carolina kept Washington on its heels enough to avoid having to deal with too many such shifts.
“We were just able to kind of play in their end, which I think tires you out defensively, and then it takes a little bit out of your forecheck and all that,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “So I think that was the key to that game.”
Carolina has players who can play physical, such as Martinook (6-1, 208), who had four hits Tuesday; Staal (6-4, 220), who had three; Andrei Svechnikov (6-3, 199), who had six; Sebastian Aho (6-0, 180), who had five; and William Carrier (6-2, 220), who had a game-high seven. In fact, the Hurricanes signed Carrier, a Stanley Cup winner with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, to a six-year, $12 million contract ($2 million average annual value) on July 3, 2024, partly because he can play the kind of physical, grinding game necessary in the playoffs.
