Caps Lose In Shootout After Late Hurricanes Rally
Thursday night’s showdown pitted the Washington Capitals against the Carolina Hurricanes in a clash between the Eastern Conference’s top contenders. With under three minutes to play, Washington appeared poised to claim two points, but Carolina forced overtime and eventually won 3-2 in a shootout at Capital One Arena.
Carolina tied it on a late goal by Logan Stankoven with 2:15 remaining in regulation, setting up an extra session where the Hurricanes spent more time in the Caps’ end but couldn’t convert the golden chance. In the shootout, Washington’s trio of shooters couldn’t solve Brandon Bussi, who earned his 10th win in his first 11 starts, while Seth Jarvis’ first-period conversion gave Carolina the deciding edge.
Washington coach Spencer Carbery indicated a possible shakeup in the shootout approach, saying, “We’ll probably try to utilize different guys, to be honest with you. I think this is probably the last straw with the guys that we’ve had. So we’ll look at some different guys.” The Capitals’ attempt with Anthony Beauvillier, Dylan Strome, and Sonny Milano yielded no success in the shootout, marking Washington’s fourth shootout loss of the season (0-4) and extending their skid in tiebreakers to four in 2025-26.
Strome and Beauvillier have been the only Capitals players to score in shootouts this season, with just two successful attempts across 15 tries. The game marked the sixth meeting between Washington and Carolina in 17 games that required a shootout, with the Caps winning four of those six before Thursday.
Washington held a precarious 2-1 lead late in the game, though Carolina dominated the first two periods. The Hurricanes outshot the Caps 29-9 in the first 40 minutes and controlled possession heavily (61-23 shot attempts). Carolina also owned the faceoff circle, winning two-thirds of the draws through two periods.
In a more physical swing, Nic Dowd and Anthony Beauvillier contributed significant energy for Washington. Dowd, who lines up alongside Beauvillier, was part of nearly half of the Caps’ 21 hits, and his first-period spar with Jordan Martinook helped spark a team that had looked flat early. Dowd later drew a go-ahead goal with 11:32 left in the third, his second goal of the season, as he capitalized on a rebound after serving a fighting major.
Connor McMichael opened the scoring for Washington at the 5:00 mark of the second period, finishing a breakout sequence started by Rasmus Sandin and Alex Ovechkin. McMichael’s goal, the Caps’ 12th time scoring first in 13 games, came on their second shot of the period and represented a brief burst of momentum before Carolina tied it at 13:53 on Nikolaj Ehlers’ rebound.
Washington and Carolina exchanged chances as the middle frame wore on, with key saves and timely defense shaping the close. After Dowd’s fight and goal, McMichael described the sequence that produced the lead, noting how the team found rhythm with a simple, well-executed breakout.
Logan Thompson stood tall for Washington, turning aside 37 of 39 shots. He matched the recent trend of facing heavy volumetric pressure and limiting goals against in a strong 39-shot effort for the second consecutive game. “We were right there, grinding it out all game,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get two points tonight. But we’ll take the point and move on.”
The Capitals have now earned at least one point in 13 of their last 14 games (10-1-3). The night underscored the league’s tight balance in the Metro, with Washington continuing to stay near the top while chasing consistency in overtime and shootouts.
