RALEIGH, NC. – The top two teams from the Metropolitan Division are now set to go head-to-head, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It will be just the second time these two organizations battle in the postseason, joining the 2019 first round, which saw the Canes earn a Game 7 victory in double overtime.
Carolina arrives at the series after a five-game first-round win over the New Jersey Devils, while Washington advanced after taking down the Montreal Canadiens in the same number of contests.
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CAR@WSH, Gm7: McGinn scores in 2OT to win series
Revisiting The Regular Season Meetings…
April 10: Carolina and Washington went back and forth, ending in a 5-4 shootout victory for the Caps.
April 2: Jackson Blake’s first multi-goal game helped the Canes to a dominant 5-1 victory at home.
December 20: The Canes “didn’t put together a full 60” and lost 3-1 in D.C.
November 3: Dmitry Orlov scored twice in a 4-2 win for the Canes at Lenovo Center.
Carolina and Washington split the season series with two wins each, with both winning the two games in their home building.
During the regular season series, Seth Jarvis led the Canes with five points in those four games. For the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin had three points in three games, missing the late-December contest between the two due to his leg injury.
On The Other Side…
After squeaking in the playoffs last year as the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card team, the Capitals were swept by the New York Rangers. This year, they returned with a vengeance, and second-year head coach Spencer Carbery helped make them the best team in the Eastern Conference with 111 points in the standings.
In addition to being a league-wide powerhouse, a bulk of the season’s discussion surrounding the team was regarding Alex Ovechkin becoming the league’s best goal-scorer of all-time, impressively doing so after returning from a fractured fibula that he suffered in November.
But now that the chase is over, the team has its sights set on a second Stanley Cup in eight seasons. This year is their first time advancing out of the first round since the 2018 playoffs.
The Special Teams Battle…
Carolina’s Power Play During The Regular Season: 18.7% (25th)
Carolina’s Penalty Kill During The Regular Season: 83.6% (1st)
Carolina’s Power Play During The First Round: 31.6% (5th)
Carolina’s Penalty Kill During The First Round: 100% (1st)
Carolina’s power play had a very tough final four months of the regular season, but the units found their stride in the first round, cashing in for six power-play goals and scoring in four of their five games against New Jersey.
While the power play’s newfound spark was enjoyable, the penalty kill continued to operate business as usual. They were the league’s best when down a man this season, and didn’t allow a single power-play goal to the Devils in the first round.
Washington’s Power Play During The Regular Season: 23.5% (14th)
Washington’s Penalty Kill During The Regular Season: 82.0% (T-4th)
Washington’s Power Play During The First Round: 23.1% (T-10th)
Washington’s Penalty Kill During The First Round: 66.7% (T-13th)
Alex Ovechkin will always be feared when Washington has a man advantage, and in the first round, he showcased why. Scoring two of the Capitals’ three power-play goals, all things run through him when it comes to 5-on-4.
However, if the Canes can keep their power play buzzing, it may be a real area of opportunity in this series. Montreal’s power play was not stellar during the regular season (21st), and yet the Habs scored on five of their 15 tries during their series against Washington.