Backstrom scored twice and Ovechkin scored on the power play to fire up a raucous sellout crowd in the first playoff game in Washington since celebrating the franchise’s first title in June. It looked like the Capitals would roll toward a statement victory against an opponent lacking playoff experience, but the pesky Hurricanes turned up the heat. The Hurricanes were playing their first playoff game since 2009 after ending the league’s longest drought. Carolina had 10 players making their playoff debuts and its lineup had 342 games of playoff experience to Washington’s 1,282. With his 62nd career playoff goal, Ovechkin tied Bobby Hull for 27th on the all-time list.

Source: thestar April 12, 2019 03:22 UTC