Logan Thompson was arguably the Washington Capitals’ MVP both in the regular season and the playoffs. But that dam finally broke in the Capitals’ 3-1 elimination loss in Game 5.
Thompson gave up two questionable goals to the Carolina Hurricanes from sharp angles. Andrei Svechnikov’s third-period tally with 1:59 remaining was the dagger.
Svechnikov ran a give-and-go with Sean Walker before throwing a shot on net that squeaked through Thompson. The tally was Svechnikov’s third of the series and his eighth of the playoffs — good for second-most in the league.
“It was a 3-on-2, I think, and it kicked out to my left,” Thompson said postgame. “I just lost sight of it for a second. There was kind of bodies coming in between, and it’s my job to find the lane and get my eyes on it, and he sifted it through. It was a terrible goal to give up to end a season, and I’ve got to wear that. I’m an adult. That’s on me, and I can be better.”
Thompson stopped 18 of 20 shots on the night — a .900 save percentage. The only other goal he gave up was a Jordan Staal snipe, again from the right side of the ice, where he was too deep in the net and left the far side open. Seth Jarvis added an empty netter in the final minute to send the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final.
“It stings. It sucks,” Thompson said. “Credit to them. It’s a good team over there. They’re well-coached. A couple close games. I think it could’ve gone the other way. Credit to Freddie Andersen. I thought he was the better goalie this series. I think I could’ve been better and made a couple saves in Raleigh and definitely tonight. It sucks, but it’s a good team, so tip your hat to them.”
Despite the two arguable softies, Thompson was tremendous all postseason long. He stopped 1.06 goals above expected in Game 5 — including an incredible stick save to rob Logan Stankoven at the end of the first period.
In his 10 appearances in the postseason, Thompson gave up 2 or fewer goals seven times. He stopped 8.86 goals above expected in the playoffs per MoneyPuck — second only to Hurricanes’ goaltender Frederik Andersen (12.2). Andersen only gave up 6 goals in the five-game series to the Capitals.
“They’ve got a goalie that’s playing like that and has that kind of confidence, and you don’t get a ton — it’s tough to beat them when you get those chances,” Dylan Strome said.
Carbery on Capitals falling in five games to suffocating pressure from Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Washington Capitals in just five games of their second-round series. The Capitals, the NHL’s second-highest scoring team during the regular season (3.49 goals per game), managed just seven goals in their five games against the Hurricanes (1.4 goals per game).
Carolina’s defensive pressure was so relentless that shots, let alone goals, became a precious commodity for the Capitals throughout the series. The Hurricanes held the Caps to under eight shots in 11 of the 15 regulation periods, with the Capitals’ highest shot volume output being 21 in Games 2, 3, and 4.
“We battled it all series,” head coach Spencer Carbery said postgame. “[Carolina] is just relentless with their pressure, and their ability to break plays up with their sticks. There’s no team in the league like it. Doesn’t mean they’re going to win the cup. They absolutely are right there, but they are a handful.
“You can tell, too, they’ve learned now how to win this time of year, and they don’t get rattled. It’s a great series for us. I hate, hate, hate — and I won’t be able to let it go for a while — losing a series to them, but it is a great learning experience to feel what that just felt like because it was suffocating and guys had no space, could barely get shots off in that series.”
No Capitals player had more than two points in the series with John Carlson, Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas, and Dylan Strome tying at the top of the team leaderboard. Not one player scored more than one goal, meaning seven players tied for the team lead in goal-scoring at one.
“We have multiple guys that are sitting at two or three shots in five games, that have 30 goals in the regular season,” Carbery said. “So they make it really, really challenging on you. They check well. Their sticks are good. They skate. So it’s a worthy opponent. Really good team.”
Alex Ovechkin, the team’s leader in goals during the regular season (44), was the lone player to record more than 10 shots on goal (14). Aliaksei Protas, one of the 30-goal scorers Carbery mentions, recorded just three shots. The same goes for 26-goal scorer Connor McMichael, who also managed just three shots.
Overall in the series at five-on-five, the Hurricanes controlled 62.6 percent of the shot attempts, 57.7 percent of the expected goals, 57.6 percent of the scoring chances, and 52 percent of the high-danger chances. They also got unbelievable goaltending from Frederik Andersen whenever they did have a letdown, as Andersen finished with a 4-1 record, a 1.19 goals-against average, and a .937 save percentage.
The Hurricanes will now move on to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will face the Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers series winner. The Panthers are up 3-2 in the second round after a blowout 6-1 victory on Wednesday night.
