WASHINGTON (AP) — Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael each scored in the final minute of a period, Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Friday night to end their losing streak at two.
Lindgren was at his best in the second period, most notably a windmill save on Tyson Jost less than a minute after Pyotr Kochetkov made back-to-back stops on quality scoring chances. Kochetkov was great early when the pressure was on and stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced.
Jakub Vrana also scored for the Capitals, who improved to 10-4-2 at home. Seth Jarvis ended Lindgren’s shutout bid with 9:38 left, but the Hurricanes’ winning streak also ended at two.
Takeaways
Hurricanes: Their recent road woes continued. The Canes are 0-4-1 in their past five road games and have been outscored 21-10 in regulation during this rough run away from Raleigh. Carolina’s next three and five of the next six are also on the road.
Capitals: They bounced back from a rough trip to win their ninth game in 13 without injured captain Alex Ovechkin. Coach Spencer Carbery ruled out Ovechkin returning from a broken left fibula before the Christmas break, meaning the 39-year-old could return as soon as Dec. 28 at Toronto.
Key moment
After Kochetkov stopped McMichael on a shot and Pierre-Luc Dubois on a bat out of mid air, his Carolina teammates got a 3-on-1 rush into Washington’s zone. Lindgren made a spinning glove save to rob Jost and keep the Capitals ahead, earning a lengthy standing ovation from the home crowd.
Key stat
Taylor Raddysh’s secondary assist on Vrana’s goal gave him 15 points, matching his total from last season in Chicago in 41 fewer games.
Up next
Hurricanes visit the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon, and hours later the Capitals host Los Angeles.
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