Raleigh, N.C. - Sean Walker cut into the middle of the ice to beat Logan Thompson for a key late goal, then Andrei Svechnikov followed up with an empty network cli foot to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night and lead 3-1 in the second round of playoff series.
Carolina improved to 5-0 in the playoffs and could win Game 5 in Washington on Thursday, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years.
"If I'm honest with myself, I think our first two games (on the road) might be better than some of these games - just the chance we gave up, it's a little too much for me," said Hurricane Rod Brind'amour. "But obviously at this time of the year, it's about the results. I like where we are, and that's for sure."
Walker scored very well, with the Capitals in 3-2 with eight minutes left in the 5-3 power play. It begins with a fight of hockey, and the unusual sight of Rasmus Sandin in Washington skating just makes the blades of his stick stick sticks into a gap along the slit of the board, allowing Taylor Hall to collect the puck and then turn the pass to the radiant walker on the left.
Walker hesitated to fall behind Jack Roslovic and scored 16:45 to push the lead back 4-2, his first career playoff goal.
Shortly after Svechnikov's seventh playoff goal, the Capitals pulled Thompson with an extra pull, and Carolina was led twice after two goals, but had to stick with it in the last 10 minutes.
"I think overall, we remain calm," Walker said. "There is no real panic, just sticking to our system."
Hall, Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored for the Hurricanes, with Frederik Andersen taking the closing ceremony to third before leaving with 19 saves.
Equally important, the Hurricane responded twice as the capital took the target in the third goal. Hall was less than three minutes after Jakob Chychrun brought the Capitals to 2-1 in a 2-1 range, with Hall scoring less than three minutes, and he passed the ball from Roslovic after Roslovic slowly returned and Washington's defense lost his defense.
Walker's score came about 4½ minutes after Ovickin's goal.
Ovechkin's explosion was the first time this series has won the NHL professional goal leader on the scoring list. Thompson ended with 32 savings.
"We gave ourselves some chances, we just didn't execute, make the game, whatever you want to call it," said Washington coach Spencer Carbery. "I made some mistakes - they capitalized."
By then, the Eastern Conference Best Seeds started off quickly after Game 3, starting with Connor McMichael to get a one-on-one chance at Andersen in the opening minutes. Aliaksei Protas will ring the right position soon after.
Washington also took only one goal in a 4-minute power play, which was the first 3½ minutes of the man who was about to end the first stage.
"Their free throw kills are excellent, the best in the league, and five years are called five years anyway," Carbury said. "But it doesn't look like that. It doesn't look like that."