Hurricanes beat Washington 3-1 to advance to Eastern Conference Finals
WASHINGTON (WTVD) -- The Carolina Hurricanes are moving on after sending the Eastern Conference's top regular-season team packing in dramatic fashion.
Andrei Svechnikov scored with 1:59 left in the third period from an improbable angle to give Carolina the lead in a stunning 3-1 victory Thursday night. An empty-net goal with 26.1 seconds left by Seth Jarvis was the icing on the cake.
The Hurricanes finished 12 points behind the Capitals in the regular-season standings but looked like the better team throughout their second-round series and finished it off in style.
Captain Jordan Staal gave the Canes the lead with his first goal of the playoffs, a first-period score assisted by Jordan Martinook.
Washington's Anthony Beauvillier scored an unassisted goal in the second period, and the game remained tied going into the final period.
Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, including several on Alex Ovechkin.
The winning goal came after a give-and-go with defenseman Sean Walker. Svechnikov's shot got through Logan Thompson from a narrow angle, quieting the crowd and settling a game that had been back and forth.
The Hurricanes win the series 4-1 and now get a break while waiting to learn whether they'll face the Florida Panthers or Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Canes advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for a second time in three years. They also improved to 10-5 in potential close-out games in seven trips to the postseason with coach Rod Brind'Amour.
If they face the Panthers, it would be a rematch of the 2023 Eastern finals. Florida leads the series 3-2 with the chance to eliminate the Maple Leafs as soon as Friday night.
Carolina would have home-ice advantage against Florida but open on the road if it's Toronto.
Carolina is 35-7-2 through 82 games and then two rounds when scoring first.
The Associated Press contributed.
