Washington Capitals on the brink of elimination

The Hurricanes defeated the Capitals 5-2 in Game 4 on Monday night in Carolina.

Sean Walker drove to the middle of the ice and scored a crucial late goal past Logan Thompson, and Andrei Svechnikov sealed the win with an empty-netter as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Sportsnet reports that Walker's goal came shortly after the Capitals narrowed the gap to 3-2 on an Alex Ovechkin one-timer during a 5-on-3 power play with around eight minutes remaining. Taylor Hall sent a pass up the left wing to Walker, who paused, then cut inside behind Jack Roslovic and scored at 16:45 to restore a two-goal lead at 4-2.

Taylor Hall, Seth Jarvis, and Shayne Gostisbehere each found the back of the net for the Hurricanes, while goaltender Frederik Andersen held the Capitals scoreless until the third period and ended the game with 19 saves.

Equally significant was the Hurricanes' ability to quickly answer each time the Capitals closed the gap in the third period. Taylor Hall scored on a 1-on-1 opportunity less than three minutes after Jakob Chychrun made it 2-1, and Sean Walker followed with his goal roughly four and a half minutes after Alex Ovechkin cut the deficit to 3-2.

The series now heads to Washington for Game 5 on Thursday, where the Capitals will be fighting to avoid elimination, while the Hurricanes look to secure their second Eastern Conference Final appearance in the past three years.

Source:
Sportsnet
Hurricanes take Game 4, push Capitals to brink of elimination