Hall, Walker net two points apiece as Carolina takes 3-1 series lead
© Josh Lavallee / Carolina Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. – Twelve different Carolina skaters recorded a point as the Hurricanes thumped the Washington Capitals 5-2 in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series, taking a 3-1 advantage in their best-of-seven battle and remaining perfect at Lenovo Center this postseason.
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For the first time this series, a goal was scored in the opening 20 minutes as Shayne Gostisbehere got the Canes on the board with a seeing-eye shot at 10:24. A pair of penalties – including a double-minor that sandwiched the first intermission – soon threatened Carolina’s lead, but 41 seconds after the Canes completed their four-minute kill, Seth Jarvis made it a two-goal game, stashing a Sebastian Aho rebound at the side of the net 1:05 into the middle frame.
The Canes carried that 2-0 lead into what became a back-and-forth third period.
When the Hurricanes conceded their first goal in six periods of play at the 5:18 mark, they struck back three minutes later on a Taylor Hall breakaway beauty to restore the multi-goal advantage. And when Washington clawed back again, this time via an Alex Ovechkin 5-on-3 power-play blast, the Canes again had a response as Sean Walker lit the lamp late, netting his first of the postseason.
Having held off the Caps’ charge, Andrei Svechnikov put the icing on the Canes’ cake with an empty-netter in the final moments of play.
Frederik Andersen was stellar again, turning aside 19 of 21 shots for his sixth win in eight starts this postseason.
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Sean Walker gets the insurance goal! 🙌 #StanleyCup
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Rod Brind’Amour on the experience of his players showing up this postseason…
“There’s no panic when things don’t go our way. Tonight, they’re closing the gap, we just keep playing…Our older guys have been through this, or even our not so old guys have been through it for a few years, so there’s a little bit of maturity there.”
Sean Walker on his club’s ability to answer Washington’s goals in the third period…
“I think that’s something that’s really important, especially this time of year. You’ve got to answer when teams are making their push, obviously you don’t want to give up those goals, especially late in the third, but as a whole, we kind of kept our composure. We didn’t really panic and just stuck to our systems. Hallsy made a great play on his goal, and I’m happy that I got mine too. It worked out well.”
Dmitry Orlov on the team’s defensive play in the series…
“It’s what we try to do. It’s playoff hockey. You just try to leave everything out there and sacrifice for your teammates. It’s how you win. Sometimes you have a sh*t game, but you put your faith in try to stop the puck and make a big hit, or take a hit to make a play and all of the small things make a big difference in the playoffs. It’s what you try to do and we need to keep doing that.”
Seth Jarvis on Taylor Hall’s showing in Game 4…
“He won the Hart [Trophy] for a reason, he was an elite player and still is. You love to see a guy like that get rewarded, and to come up in a situation like this, when it really matters, was awesome to see.”
Taylor Hall on being able to contribute in the playoffs…
“It’s what you kind of train for and look forward to when you’re in the summer and when you’re in the dog days. Certainly when I was in Chicago at the bottom of the league, bottom of the standings. I kind of knew I was going to get traded here, and I didn’t know what to expect from the group or from the fans. Obviously I think that I felt really comfortable here. It’s an amazing group of guys and it’s been a lot of fun to get to this point and know that we have a lot more left.”
Rod Brind’Amour on Sean Walker’s performances in the playoffs…
“Walks has just been solid. I think his game has gone up another level, so he’s earned that ice time and the trust from the group. Clearly, that goal tonight is an indicator of what he’s capable of. I know his numbers maybe weren’t great this year that way, but you watched him all year. He had a lot of good opportunities and he’s capable of doing that.”
Seth Jarvis on if the Canes feel like they are breaking the will of the Capitals…
“No. There’s still another game, it’s still – the hardest game to win is the one to close it out. We know their experience, they’ve been through a lot of playoff runs, so we’re expecting their best next game. But [winning Game 4 is] a good step in the right direction.”
Rod Brind’Amour speaks on tonight’s 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
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