WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson probably made dozens of saves in these playoffs tougher than this one — a shot by Andre Svechnikov from a severe angle that knocked Washington out of the postseason.
In the end, though, that was part of the reason the Capitals couldn't give Carolina a tougher series. With Alex Ovechkin and his teammates struggling to score, a few too many low-percentage shots went in for the Hurricanes.
The final one came off Svechnikov's stick late in the third period of Game 5 on Thursday night. Svechnikov was almost in the corner — the second tight-angle goal Thompson allowed in the game — and after an empty-netter the Hurricanes skated off with a 3-1 win that ended this second-round series.
“Terrible goal to give up to end the season. I've got to wear that,” Thompson said. “I'm an adult. That's on me. I can be better.”
Thompson wasn't bad in this series. His .911 save percentage was about the same as his regular-season mark of .910. But the big question all series was whether Carolina's style of play — which relies on shot quantity more than quality — would succeed. The answer to that was obvious from the start.
A shot from the point through traffic won Game 1 in overtime for the Hurricanes. A shot to the short side went in to put Carolina up 2-0 in Game 3. Then Thompson couldn't hold onto a glove save in Game 4, and a goal off the rebound gave the Hurricanes a two-goal lead in that one.
Thompson did make some big stops — including a lunging stick save on Logan Stankoven on Thursday — that helped keep the Capitals in games. Washington managed only seven goals in the series, so when Carolina did score, the impact was magnified.
And thus ended the Capitals' most successful season since they won the Stanley Cup in 2018. They made the playoffs a year ago — barely — and were swept immediately by the New York Rangers. Not much more was expected in 2024-25, but Washington celebrated its 50th-anniversary season in style, finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings and helping Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky's career goals record.
The Capitals dispatched Montreal in five games before facing a Carolina team that pressured them from the start and never allowed Washington to get comfortable.
“It's tough obviously. We had a special group," Ovechkin said. "I don't think we played bad hockey. We had lots of great chances to get the lead. It's tough.”
Ovechkin scored one goal in the series against Carolina after contributing four in the first round and 44 during the regular season.
“For him to come back this year and play the way that he did, chase down this record, start that he had, breaking his leg, coming back from that, and just continuing to not only do the things he did individually statistically, but lead our team,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “It's why people are going to look at this team and go, ‘How did this team do so well? How did they win the East?’ He's a big part of that.”
Ovechkin turns 40 in September. Carbery was asked if he expects his star back next season.
“My understanding is he's under contract so he'll be back next year,” Carbery said.
Assuming that's true, the Capitals will likely be taken more seriously as contenders next season than they were at the beginning of this one.
“This is one of the greatest seasons that I've ever been a part of as a coach or a player," Carbery said. "What we went through as a group this year and what they accomplished and O's record and everything that went into this season — I will never forget this group. Really, really memorable year.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Noah Trister, The Associated Press
