The Carolina Hurricanes may be the lower seed in their second round series against the Washington Capitals, but nobody told them that. The Canes have completely taken control of the series and are now one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals as they hold a 3-1 lead over the Caps.

After a tense overtime win in Game 1 and a 3-1 Capitals win in Game 2 back in Washington D.C., the Hurricanes came back home and put the hammer down in Games 3 and 4. Carolina raced away with a 4-0 shutout in Game 3 to break the series tie and ran away with a 5-2 victory in Game 4 to move within a win of advancing.

Even though it seems like the Hurricanes have the Capitals figured out, they are still expecting the Metro Division champions to come back strong in Game 5, according to Kurt Dusterberg of NHL.com.

“All of that is irrelevant,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Carolina's momentum. “We know how hard the game is going to be and we’re expecting that. The cliche of it is, it’s always the toughest one to get. They’re all tough. We understand that we’ve still got a big job to do.”

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The Capitals will be back in front of their home fans in Game 5, and they will be looking to extend the series. While Carolina has looked like the much more dominant team in this series, Washington finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference this season and is more than capable of getting hot and making a comeback if they play with desperation, which is something that Carolina is expecting to see.

“Wherever there’s a situation where your back is against the wall, desperation comes out,” Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said, per Dusterberg. “We always expect the other team to bring their best. That’s for sure what’s going to happen [Thursday]. We’re going to be ready and dictate the game.”

Interestingly, if the Hurricanes lose Game 5, the pressure shifts back to them somewhat before Game 6. That will be their last chance to close the series out at home, and while they have been very impressive in front of their home fans in this series and all season, nobody wants to go on the road for a Game 7.

That will be the goal for the Capitals, and it is the advantage of having home-ice advantage in a playoff series. If Washington can get one more win, it can change the trajectory and the momentum of the series. The Hurricanes certainly know that and will be on high alert in Game 5.