Carolina concedes three-goal lead but pushes point streak to seven games
© Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After building up a 3-0 lead through 25 minutes, the Carolina Hurricanes conceded four consecutive goals to the Washington Capitals en route to a 4-3 overtime defeat at Capital One Arena.
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Under siege to start the evening, the Canes needed 19 first-period saves from Frederik Andersen to hold the hosts off the board. But with its backstop holding strong, Carolina was able to strike on the counterattack with a pair of first-period goals.
Not dissimilar to Thursday’s historic conclusion, Carolina showed an ability to strike in quick succession once again, as Mark Jankowski and Sebastian Aho potted back-to-back goals in just 4:24, providing a nice cushion on the scoreboard for the visitors.
When the teams returned to the ice for the second period, the scoring continued, as Shayne Gostisbehere found twine for the third time in the last four periods to give his team a 3-0 advantage.
Unfortunately for Carolina, Washington’s territorial advantage began to bear fruit as the middle frame wore on.
The Caps initially broke through Andersen during the middle stages of the second stanza, then inched within a goal before moving to the third. In the final 20 minutes of regulation, their push continued, and a third Washington goal necessitated the Canes’ 15th overtime of the season.
A messy fourth frame ensued, with turnovers plaguing both clubs. But at 1:42, Caps rookie Justin Sourdif potted his own rebound to end the fight.
Andersen finished with 38 saves on 42 shots, his second-highest total of the season, as the Canes picked up at least a point with him between the pipes for the fifth straight game (2-0-3).
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Masterclass in threading the needle 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/qRTN5466qV
Rod Brind’Amour following the final horn…
“We sure didn’t get to (our game). From the opening puck drop to the end, I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a 60-minute game where we were that bad. Somehow, we managed a point. There’s zero way we should have. They dominated us from start to finish… There was zero intensity. We just wanted to get through the game. That’s very rare for this group. It was just nothing…”
Jordan Staal giving his assessment of the game…
“We got a couple freebies and we kind of sat back. We didn’t really play… Our five-on-five play was pretty brutal. They just kept taking it to us, and it was just a matter of time. Thank goodness we had Freddie, otherwise it would have been over a lot quicker.”
Jordan Staal discussing what needed to be different…
“Forechecking. We had to break out 1,000 pucks, I thought. They did a good job of just sending it down there, sending it down there, playing in the O-zone, creating havoc in front, and shooting pucks and doing what we usually do. They did it much, much better tonight.”
Rod Brind’Amour on turning the page from this one…
“That’s easy, because you can’t get any worse than that. You just move on. We have a game tomorrow, and we should have a good answer for that, hopefully.”
Postgame Quotes: Rod Brind’Amour
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