Seth Jarvis scored the only tally in the shootout to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 road win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
The victory moved the Canes into first place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina and Washington each have 40 points, but the Hurricanes hold the tiebreaker advantage with fewer games played.
Carolina is 5-2-0 in its last seven games, and 6-2 in games decided beyond regulation time.
Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.
Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots, including two huge saves in overtime on Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Bussi has been a sensation for Carolina, posting a 10-1 record in his first 11 NHL starts.
Despite the overtime loss, Washington is still on a nine-game (7-0-2) point streak. The Capitals haven’t trailed at any time during regulation over the last six games.
Connor McMichael had a goal and an assist, while Rasmus Sandin had two assists. Nic Dowd scored Washington’s other goal.
Logan Thompson had another stellar game in the Capitals’ net, stopping 37 of 39 shots.
An aggressive forecheck and two power-play chances led the Hurricanes to a 29-9 shots advantage over the first two periods. Despite this pressure, Carolina was largely neutralized by Thompson’s strong play and some bad luck, as both Stankoven and Jackson Blake rang shots off the post.
McMichael put Washington ahead five minutes into the second period. Ovechkin collected the puck off the boards and passed to a streaking McMichael, who flew into Carolina’s zone and made a nice backhand finish to beat Bussi.
Carolina’s relentless attack finally paid off with Ehlers’ equalizer at 13:43 of the second period. Alexander Nikishin’s initial shot hit traffic in front of the net, but Ehlers was in position to deposit the rebound.
Dowd restored Washington’s lead 11:32 into the third frame. Sandin sent a beautiful pass to the side of Carolina’s net that Dowd tapped in for the go-ahead goal.
Stankoven drew the Hurricanes level again by converting a deflected puck 17:45 into the third period.
