2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Capitals vs. Hurricanes Eastern Conference 2nd Round preview

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features eight teams that advanced out of the first round in four best-of-7 series. The second round starts Monday. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference Second Round between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals:

(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (2M) Carolina Hurricanes

Capitals: 51-22-9, 111 points
Hurricanes: 47-30-5, 99 points
Season series: WSH: 2-2-0; CAR: 2-1-1
Game 1: Tuesday at Washington (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS)

The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time when they play in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

The Capitals and Hurricanes last played against each other in the playoffs in the first round in 2019, when Carolina came back from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits before rallying from down 2-0 and 3-2 in Game 7 to win 4-3 in double-overtime.

They split the regular-season series, with the home team winning all four games.

The Hurricanes and Capitals both advanced to the second round in five games, Carolina defeating the New Jersey Devils and Washington taking out the Montreal Canadiens.

"It's been a great battle with them," Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov said. "We remember, we played in 2019 against them and it was always hard. Even in the regular season, it's always been a rivalry. It's going to be lots of fun. There's going to be lots of noise from this series. We've got to stay focused, play our game. We've got a deep team."

During the regular season, forward Seth Jarvis led the Hurricanes with five points (three goals, two assists) in four games against Washington. Forward Jackson Blake also scored three goals.

Goalies Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov each started two games against Washington. Andersen allowed five goals on 49 shots (2.41 goals-against average, .898 save percentage). Kochetkov gave up five goals on 43 shots (2.57 GAA, .884 save percentage).

Andersen was unable to finish the series against the Devils after getting injured during Game 4.

The Capitals didn't have a skater with more than three points against Carolina in the regular season, but Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, including the 892nd of his NHL career, on April 2 in a 5-1 loss.

Logan Thompson started just one of Washington's four games against Carolina during the regular season, and he didn't go past the first period. He allowed three goals on 12 shots April 2 and left the game because of an injury that kept him out until Game 1 against Montreal on April 21.

Thompson, though, is expected to be in net for Game 1 after posting a 2.23 GAA and .923 save percentage in the first round, including 28 saves in the 4-1 series-clinching win in Game 5 on Wednesday, when Carbery said, "'L.T.' was phenomenal."

The Capitals have not advanced out of the second round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2023.

"We know them really well," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said.

Game breakers

Capitals: It's Alex Ovechkin until it isn't Ovechkin anymore. And it's still Ovechkin for the Capitals. He could have nothing going on in the game and then, bam, one shot changes everything. He could be quiet, almost hiding, and then all of a sudden the puck finds him on the power play and he hammers a shot past the goalie to change everything. Ovechkin scored four goals in the first round, including two in Game 1, one of them being his first career playoff overtime goal, and the power-play goal in Game 5 that got Washington started. He led the Capitals with 19 shots on goal against the Canadiens. All these years in the NHL and still, at 39 years old, all Ovechkin needs is a small opening to break a game open.

Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho isn't just a game breaker for the Hurricanes, he's a game changer who typically will show up in the big moment. Aho scored the double-overtime goal in Game 5 against the Devils that got the Hurricanes through the first round with a 5-4 win. He also scored the tying goal on the power play to make it 4-4 in the second period and assisted on Andrei Svechnikov's goal earlier in the second that made it 3-3. He led the Hurricanes with eight points (three goals, five assists) during the series, playing 22:19 per game. Aho is the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers all-time leader in playoff goals (30), assists (48) and points (78).

Goaltending

Capitals: Logan Thompson answered the bell in a big way for the Capitals in the first round after admittedly getting "my bell rung a bit there," when teammate Dylan Strome barreled into him following a Canadiens goal during the third period of Game 3. Thompson left Game 3 with 6:37 remaining, losing his balance at one point on his way off the ice, but he was back in net for Game 4 and made 16 saves in a 5-2 win. He made 28 saves in Game 5, a 4-1 victory. Thompson had a 2.23 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in five games during the first round, a continuation of his regular season that saw him finish 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and .910 save percentage in 43 games. If Thompson has to come out, the Capitals have faith in Charlie Lindgren, who was 20-14-3 with a 2.73 GAA and .896 save percentage in 39 regular-season games.

Hurricanes: Andersen's availability is Carolina's biggest question going into the series. He sustained an injury during Game 4 against the Devils and didn't play Game 5, but he's been skating and practicing, both positive signs. Andersen was 3-1 with a 1.59 GAA and .936 save percentage in four games against New Jersey before his injury. Kochetkov made 31 saves on 35 shots in Game 5 to help eliminate the Devils. He allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first period, but just one goal on 22 shots the rest of the way.

Numbers to know

Capitals: The Capitals were plus-16 in high-danger scoring chances during the first round, according to NHL EDGE stats. They had 40 chances and allowed Montreal 24, the fewest of any team in the first round. Strome led Washington with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the first round after leading the Capitals with 82 points (29 goals, 53 assists) in 82 games during the regular season. The Capitals led the NHL with 25 comeback wins during the regular season and had two more in the first round, including a third-period comeback victory in Game 4. They allowed one goal in the first period in the first round, a change from the regular season when they allowed 79, which was tied for the eight most in the League with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hurricanes: Carolina is the fourth team in NHL history to win a playoff series in seven consecutive postseasons and first since the Canadiens won did it 10 years in a row from 1984-93. The Hurricanes were 15-for-15 on the penalty kill with one short-handed goal during the first round after leading the League on the PK during the regular season (83.6 percent). The Hurricanes controlled the puck in the offensive zone 45.1 percent of the time in the first round, according to NHL EDGE. That's in the 99th percentile and more than three percentage points better than the League average.

They said it

"To get himself to the spot where he's played this playoffs comparatively to last year, it's night and day. And he's a year older. He's 39 years old. Credit to him, man. He just continues to do things that you just can't wrap your head around in this sport, in this league, and at the most difficult time of the year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs." -- Carbery on Ovechkin

"The Hurricanes seem to win a round every year, and I'm glad to be a part of that now. This is a lot of fun. There's a chance to do something special, and we're past the first test. It's only going to get harder from here. There's a lot that can happen in a player's career, and chances like this don't come around very often. I'm very grateful to be here and excited for what's to come." -- Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall

Will win if …

Capitals: Thompson stays on top of his game the way he was in the first round and throughout the majority of the regular season, and their penalty kill is better than it was against the Canadiens. There are a lot of other factors that will determine the Capitals' success, or lack thereof, during the series. But the Hurricanes will pressure, directly attack and sustain possession to lead to power-play opportunities. The Hurricanes had 19 power plays in the first round, tied for the most among all teams through at least five games. They were third during the regular season with 246 power plays. The Capitals were 66.7 percent on the penalty kill against the Canadiens (10-for-15). Their PK has to be better against the Hurricanes, who not only got on the power play a lot during the first round but scored six times. It starts with Thompson.

Hurricanes: They play the same way they did against the Devils, which, of course, will be easier said than done. For starters, the Capitals are healthy; the Devils were not, especially among their defensemen. They were without Jonas Siegenthaler in Games 1 and 2, Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon for Games 2-5, and Johnathan Kovacevic in Game 5. The Capitals have been one of the League's most efficient teams with the puck. That's what made their performance in Game 3 against the Canadiens such an aberration. But the Hurricanes arguably are the best team in the NHL at sticking to their game plan. They rarely deviate, and if that plan works it means intense pressure on the Capitals and sustained offensive zone time for the Hurricanes. Do that and it gives them the best chance to win the series.

How they look

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

Alexander Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk

Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren

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

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

Hurricanes projected lineup

Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Jackson Blake

Taylor Hall -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Logan Stankoven

Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Seth Jarvis

William Carrier -- Mark Jankowski -- Eric Robinson

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, Ruslan Khazheyev

Injured: None