Recap: Canes Eliminate Caps In Game 5

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Andrei Svechnikov scored with 1:59 remaining to break a 1-1 deadlock and spark the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday. With the win, Carolina eliminates Washington and advances to the Eastern Conference Final.

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The Capitals came out firing with their home crowd behind them, but it was Carolina that grabbed the game's first goal as Jordan Staal found the top corner on Logan Thompson's glove side at 9:38. Unfortunately, just over four minutes later, a tough bounce off the end boards sent the puck to Washington's Anthony Beauvillier in the crease, who tucked it home to level the score.

With the two teams tied after 20, a scoreless second stanza was inches away from featuring a goal for each side. Washington's Matt Roy actually found twine with a slap shot early in the frame, but the play was ruled offside in the build-up. Then, with just seconds left in the period, Seth Jarvis rang both the crossbar and the post with a single shot from the left circle, coming within inches of giving Carolina a late lead.

Thursday's contest appeared destined for overtime until Svechnikov's dagger, which came on a rush chance from an unlikely angle. After Jarvis dished the puck to Svechnikov as he crossed the blue line, the Russian sniper played catch with Sean Walker before ripping a wrister from below the right circle that snuck through Thompson. Just 92 seconds later, Jarvis deposited the puck into an empty Caps net, sealing the game and the series for the Canes.

Frederik Andersen turned away 18 of 19 shots for his seventh win this postseason, continuing his stellar play as the Canes' starter.

Stats & Standouts

• Andrei Svechnikov became just the second player in franchise playoff history to score a go-ahead goal in the final two minutes of regulation in a potential series-clinching game, joining Eric Staal (59:28 in Game 7 of 2009 CQF).
• Svechnikov's goal was his eighth of the playoffs, passing Staal (7) for the most by a Hurricanes/Whalers player through the first 10 games of a single postseason.
• Jordan Staal's first-period goal was the eighth of his career in a potential clinching game, including his third in that scenario against Washington. With Staal's strike, 15 of Carolina's 19 deployed skaters have scored a goal this postseason.
• Jaccob Slavin recorded nine blocks in Game 5, which is the most in a single game by any skater during the 2025 playoffs.
• Alexander Nikishin became the second player in franchise history to make his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining Aleksi Saarela (2019). The rookie skated 10:33, firing two shots and laying two hits in his first game on North American ice.
• With an 8-2 record this postseason, Carolina has reached the Eastern Conference Final in fewer games (10) than any previous appearance in franchise history (11 games in 2006, 2019 and 2023).
• Carolina‘s three Conference Finals appearances since 2019 are tied with Dallas, Edmonton, Tampa Bay and Vegas for the most in the NHL in that span.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the calmness of his group against Washington...

“We do have guys that have been through this for many years, and together. That’s important. But we did add a bunch of new guys too, and they all came in and really just bought into what we’re trying to do as a group. I think you see it by the results.”

Andrei Svechnikov on the game-winning goal...

“I knew it was a rush opportunity for us and I knew Walksy was up top. I tried to pass to him and he kind of gave it back to me. No, I didn’t expect it, but it was right on my stick and I think at that point, I only had a shot.”

Jordan Staal on how the team stays comfortable in tight games like Thursday...

“We’ve been playing like that for a long time. We’ve been in playoffs, in those type of games for quite some time. The guys trust our game and I think that’s the biggest thing. When you start wavering off of what we want to do, it starts getting squirrelly and things aren’t looking great. When you believe in what you’re going to do, that’s going to work out. I think it just becomes more calm and more consistent so that way eventually, if we continue to do what we’re doing, we’re going to win the game. It looks like the guys did that tonight.”

Rod Brind'Amour on Alexander Nikishin's NHL debut...

“I don’t know if there is a tougher spot to throw a kid in, especially when there’s such a language barrier. I thought he did alright, we got a little fortunate on the (Capitals’ goal) that was offside, because I think he turned that one over. But he hung in there, and you can see he’s going to be a good player for us. He’s got a bright future.”

Sean Walker on the Canes' success in limiting Washington's chances...

“It’s just kind of the buy-in, top-down. All four lines, the three D-pairs, we’re all playing the same system and that’s a really suffocating game. We want to play in the O-zone as much as we can, and when you’re doing that, you’re going to limit the amount of shots they have. I think we did that really well all series, and that’s something that’s going to be really important going forward.”

Jordan Staal on Frederik Andersen turning in another stellar performance...

“When Freddie’s in, he’s a stud. He’s been a stud his whole career. You guys always talk about his calmness. He’s a rock that makes things look easy. Tonight, he made some huge saves. I was on the ice for a few of them like, ‘thank goodness.’ He was able to give us a chance and that’s all you ask for. He was great all series long, just steady. He’s obviously a huge part of that series win.”

Sean Walker on the Canes' approach to the Eastern Conference Final...

“I think, honestly, it’ll be the same mindset. We don’t care who we’re going to play, we’re going to just end up doing our systems, our game plan and go forward and make them play our game. So regardless of what happens, we’ll be watching, but we’ll just be preparing ourselves.”

What's Next?

• The Hurricanes will likely be off tomorrow as they await their upcoming Eastern Conference Final foe.
• Next Game: Date TBD | ECF Game 1 | Time TBD | Tickets | Parking