The Washington Capitals are looking to go up 2-1 as they head to Carolina, and now coach Spencer Carbery has taken a subtle shot at their opponents.
Through two games of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes are tied at one, and now, things head to Carolina as both teams look to gain the upper hand in this competitive series.
On the road, things can get much trickier for opposing teams, but for the Capitals, they've already played in arguably the most hostile arena in the NHL at the Bell Centre, and now, Spencer Carbery believes that will serve them well in this matchup.
"I think the experience of playing in Montreal, the noise, everything that goes with playing in a hostile environment, I think we can lean on those experiences, and hopefully we do a better job handling that.Remember Game 3, first round, getting comfortable in that, but Game 4 was much better in Montreal. So, we will rely on some of that experience of playing in, you could argue, two of the most difficult buildings - Montreal and Carolina - in the League. So, it's good we can rely on that experience."
Unsurprisingly, Carbery believes that has put them in good stead, and even with the Hurricanes being a much more difficult test in this one, the confidence is high in Washington.
However, they'll need to be much better than they have been in this series thus far, as they've tallied just 4 goals through two games, and with so much talent, that's simply not good enough for a team with Stanley Cup expectations.
Ultimately, Game 3 could be the difference maker in this series, and while some would be intimidated on the road, the Capitals are battle tested in the toughest road arena in the NHL in Montreal, and now, they'll hope that can help them as they look to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025.
Canes beat Caps 4-0
I vaguely remember at one point thinking I was enjoying Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. That was hours ago.
After a goal-less first period, Andrei Svechnikov put Carolina ahead with a quick goal after an offensive-zone faceoff. Before the second period was up, Jack Roslovic beat Logan Thompson on the short side.
Early in the third, Eric Robinson made it 3-0 on the rush. With three minutes left, Jackson Blake banked a rebound off into Thompson’s five-hole. 4-0 was the final. Freddie Andersen earned the shutout.
Caps lose. Hurricanes lead the series 2-1.
We know the Caps can outplay the Canes. We saw it in Game 2, we saw it in the first period tonight. But they haven’t proved they can sustain. They can try again on Monday.
