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After trailing for most of Game 1 on the road in Washington, D.C., the Carolina Hurricanes pulled a rabbit out of their hat. The Canes scored a goal midway through the third to tie the defensive battle up at one goal each before Jaccob Slavin scored the overtime winner just a few minutes into overtime.
As a result, the Capitals have lost home-ice advantage after leading most of the game. The Hurricanes will be feeling very good about themselves heading into Game 2 after getting a critical road win, and should be playing with house money heading into a Game 2 where they will have a chance to really take control of the series.
After the game, Slavin broke down what he saw on the game-winning goal, and it turns out that he didn't even know it hit the back of the net at first, via Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.
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“I knew we had some numbers at the net, and I didn’t know it went in until I saw Jordan Staal coming with his arms up yelling at me,” Slavin said.
The Hurricanes and the Capitals both came into this game with plenty of rest after taking care of the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens in five games each, so it was no surprise to see the intensity ratcheted up to an all-time high. Scoring chances were at a minimum for much of the game, but it was Carolina who was able to possess the puck and generate good looks down the stretch.
Now that they have the win in their back pocket, the Hurricanes will feel great about the way they controlled the tempo of the game. Carolina spent over 33 minutes of game time with the puck in the offensive zone and outshot the Caps 33-14 in shots on goal. Unless the Capitals can figure out how to possess the puck a little bit more and even out the number of chances, it will be very difficult for them to get back in the series.
