Jaccob Slavin scored the decisive goal 3:06 into overtime, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of their second-round series at Capital One Arena. The Hurricanes started strong, outshooting the Capitals 12-5 in the first period but failed to score.
Aliaksei Protas put Washington ahead with a goal early in the second period. Despite dominating with a 71-28 shot attempt advantage through two periods, Carolina could not capitalize until Logan Stankoven tied the game with just over ten minutes left in regulation.
In overtime, Slavin’s shot from the right point found its way past Capitals’ goalie Logan Thompson for the win. “Puck came up to me at the point there, and I was just trying to get it to the net,” Slavin said about his game-winning goal.
Frederik Andersen returned as Carolina’s goaltender after missing their previous game due to injury. He made 13 saves on 14 shots and helped maintain control for his team throughout most of the match.
Carolina’s head coach Rod Brind’Amour praised his team’s performance, saying, “I thought our guys played hard every shift… Sometimes you don’t get rewarded, but tonight we did.”
Logan Stankoven discussed sticking to their strategy despite difficulties scoring initially: “It’s just trusting the game plan… That worked out well for us tonight.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi added that perseverance was key: “Just believe it’s going to turn eventually… Get shots through, and one of them is going to go true and go in.”
The victory marks Slavin’s first playoff overtime goal and extends his point streak. His contributions have been significant throughout this postseason against Washington.
Looking ahead, Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday in Washington at 7:00 p.m. ET.
