Hurricanes Edge Capitals 2-1 in Overtime to Lead Series

Washington, D.C. — The Washington Capitals fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.

Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring for the Capitals with a goal at 3:53 into the second period, assisted by Brandon Duhaime and John Carlson. Protas, who had a strong regular season with 66 points, registered his first playoff goal of the campaign.

The first period ended scoreless, with the Hurricanes dominating play, leading in five-on-five shot attempts 32-6. The Capitals managed to take a brief lead in the second period but struggled to maintain control.

Midway through the third period, the Hurricanes tied the game with a goal from Logan Stankoven at 9:42, assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The period concluded with a 1-1 tie, as the Capitals faced pressure, despite their earlier lead.

Overtime began with intense action, and at 3:06, Jaccob Slavin scored the game-winner for Carolina, securing the victory and putting the Hurricanes ahead in the series. The game witnessed strong performances from both goaltenders, with Logan Thompson starting for the Capitals and Frederik Andersen for the Hurricanes.

Game 2 is set for Thursday night at Capital One Arena, where the Capitals will look to rebound in front of their home crowd.