Hurricanes smother Capitals in commanding Game 3 shutout: Takeaways

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday, taking back control of their Stanley Cup playoff second-round series behind an outstanding game from goalie Frederik Andersen and, finally, a flurry of offensive production.

The Capitals, meanwhile, couldn’t sustain momentum after their best period of the series, and goaltender Logan Thompson wasn’t good enough to bail them out.

Andersen saved all 21 shots he faced. Thompson made 24 saves on 28 shots.

Here’s what I saw in Game 3.

Svechnikov breaks through

Andrei Svechnikov had his share of chances in the first two-plus games; the crossbar he hit in the first period was his third of the series. All those near-misses were the first thing that came to mind when he opened the scoring off an offensive-zone faceoff win by Sebastian Aho.

Svechnikov was asked the quantity-over-quality question ahead of Game 3, and he mentioned a) those crossbars and b) how important it was for the Hurricanes to stick with their overall “more is better” strategy.

“Maybe there is not many quality shots, but if you look at last night’s game, I was watching in Toronto, (Brad Marchand’s game-winner for Florida) hit kneecap or something like that,” he said. “We just got to continue doing that and put the pucks on net. And we’re going to get those couple lucky bounces.”

Andrei Svechnikov opens the scoring for the @Canes! 🚨 #StanleyCup

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That time, he didn’t need luck. Svechnikov caught John Carlson flat-footed off the faceoff, beat him to the puck and ripped one past Thompson. That’s the kind of game-breaking skill/speed/power combo that Svechnikov brings to the mix for Carolina when he’s at his best. He stands out for them in a good way.

Freddie’s fortitude

Blame the territorial dominance of his team, the excellence of his counterpart, or some combo of the two, but Andersen flew under the radar for the first two games of the series.

Carolina’s goalie had been good, not great, and not particularly busy.

In Game 3, that wasn’t the case. He was Carolina’s best player, and the Hurricanes needed it, especially in a first period that saw him make nine saves on eight high-danger chances. His first stop, on Tom Wilson all alone, might’ve been his best.

The fact that Andersen has gone from solid to spectacular is great news for the Hurricanes, especially because he missed the tail end of their first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, leaving Game 4 after a collision with Timo Meier. Missing time for Andersen, though, is nothing new. He missed about half the season, from Oct. 27 to Jan. 20, with a knee injury.

“Well, he’s gotten (practice) at that,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He’s had a lot of that where he’s out long stretches, and I think that actually benefits him in these situations. … If he’s out for a while, all of a sudden it doesn’t seem like he misses a beat.”

Capitals’ great period for naught

Washington opened the game, unquestionably, with its best period of the series. We’re as tired of bringing up the shot-attempt counter as anyone, but it has told a story. The Capitals hadn’t won a period in five-on-five attempts in either of the first two games. They’d come closest in the second period of Game 2 — and even then, it looked like more of a slog than anything sustainable.

Game 3’s first period was something else, though. The Capitals weren’t just creating volume; they were creating quality chances, earning eight high-danger opportunities to Carolina’s one. And they weren’t just lightning bolts, either; the Capitals were sustaining zone time and, in their own end, beating the Hurricanes to pucks and disrupting their forecheck overall. It felt like we were watching an actual momentum shift. Brind’Amour, though, shook up his lines for the second period and took tactical control right back. By the second intermission, the Hurricanes had a 2-0 lead and a 43-27 overall edge in five-on-five shot attempts.

Carlson slogging

Carlson’s night overall was not good. Svechnikov’s goal, for obvious reasons, was easy to write off. Eric Robinson’s goal to make it 3-0 at 3:14 of the third period, less so; Robinson shielded the puck, skated past Carlson, put a shot on net, and that was that. If fourth-liners are doing that to Carlson with regularity, Washington is in for a tough time.

We said it ahead of the series: Whether it’s an injury or the realities of time (he’s 35 years old), Carlson has looked frequently out of sorts during the postseason. His power-play goal in Game 2 was huge. He was outstanding during the regular season. But the game — at least when it’s played by young, tenacious forwards — looks a little fast for him at the moment.

(Photo of Andrei Svechnikov: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

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