Capitals @ Hurricanes: How the Game Was Won

"Aho won the faceoff and fed the puck back to Mike Reilly, who was clearly getting ready to clear the puck out of the zone from the corner. Chychrun had other plans, however, and made up a lot of ground quickly to get his stick on the clearing attempt. The whiffed clear bounced right to John Carlson, who kept it in at the point and found Leonard in the slot on a quick pass."

"Logan Thompson was excellent in net and Connor McMichael made some great plays to keep the momentum going in the Caps' favor. The fourth line got the scoring started with a goal from Brandon Duhaime, and then Dylan Strome scored what would end up being the game-winner in the second period. Alex Ovechkin sealed the deal with an empty netter and the 901st goal of his career (in the McNugget Minute, no less)."

Washington produced a dominant bounceback in Carolina, dictating play, converting on special teams, and relying on high-effort individual plays. Logan Thompson was excellent in net while Connor McMichael helped sustain momentum. The fourth line opened the scoring with Brandon Duhaime, and Dylan Strome delivered the second-period game-winner. Alex Ovechkin added an empty-net goal, his 901st. Jakob Chychrun provided the defining moment with a third-period power-play effort: racing back to disrupt a clearing attempt, keeping the puck in via John Carlson and finishing blocker-side to record the 100th goal of his career. The result underscored effort-driven, teamwide execution.

Read at Japers' Rink