Capitals Slam Hurricanes 6-0, Take 3-2 Series Lead; Nicklas Backstrom Scores Two Goals, Again

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Jon Sorensen

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-0 Saturday night at Capital One Arena in the District. The win gives the Capitals a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is set for Monday night in Raleigh.

STARTERS
Braden Holtby (2-2, 3.00 GAA, .905 sv%) got the start in goal for the defensing champions. Petr Mrazek (2-2, 2.00 GAA, .919 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Carolina Hurricanes. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson
Vrana-Kuznetsov-Hagelin
Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly
Stephenson-Dowd-DSP

Siegenthaler-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Jensen

Scratches: Dmitrij Jaskin, Christian Djoos and Ilya Samsonov.

FIRST PERIOD
The Capitals struck first with a power play goal from Nicklas Backstrom at 7:33 of the opening frame. The goal was setup by a nice no-look crossing pass from John Carlson.

The first period would end with the Capitals holding 1-0 lead. Washington led in shot attempts 10-6 for the first frame.

SECOND PERIOD
The Capitals would stretch their lead to 2-0 on Nicklas Backstrom’s second goal of the game at 14:21 of the second period.

Moments later the Capitals would make it 3-0 on a goal from Brett Connolly. The play was setup by a nice hustle and feed from Alex Ovechkin.

THIRD PERIOD
The Capitals would make it 4-0 with a power play goal from Tom Wilson at 1:04 of the final frame.

The Capitals would make it 5-0 on a penalty shot by Nic Dowd at 9:57 of the final frame.

Moments later the Capitals would make it an even half-dozen with a power play goal from Alex Ovechkin at 10:14 of the final frame.

That would be the final. Capitals take a 3-2 lead in the best of seven series.

SHAVINGS

  • Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and two assists.
  • Tom Wilson became the 26th player in franchise history to reach the double-digit playoff goal mark.
  • Tonight marks Alex Ovechkin’s 10th career multi-assist playoff game and 33rd career multi-point playoff game. It also marks Nicklas Backstrom’s fourth career multi-goal playoff game, 28th multi-point and 10th career three-point playoff game.
  • Saturday marked the largest margin of victory in playoff shutout in Capitals franchise history. It bests the previous mark of four, accomplished on three other occasions.
  • The NHL box score for the game is here.

SCENES FROM THE DISTRICT

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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6 Responses to Capitals Slam Hurricanes 6-0, Take 3-2 Series Lead; Nicklas Backstrom Scores Two Goals, Again

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