By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sean Walker cut to the middle of the ice and beat Logan Thompson for a critical late goal, then Andrei Svechnikov followed with an empty-net clincher to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Walker’s score came after the Capitals had pulled to within 3-2 on Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer blast on a 5-on-3 power play with about eight minutes left. Taylor Hall flipped a pass to Walker to surge up the left side, then he hesitated to cut inside behind Jack Roslovic to score at the 16:45 mark to push the lead back to 4-2.
Svechnikov followed with his seventh postseason goal shortly after the Capitals pulled Thompson, the capper on a night when Carolina twice led by two goals but had to hold on in a tense finish down the stretch.
Hall, Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen carried a shutout into the third before finishing with 19 saves.
Just as importantly, the Hurricanes twice responded as the Capitals inched within a goal in the third. Hall’s score on a 1-on-1 chance came less than three minutes after Jakob Chychrun had brought the Capitals to within 2-1, while Walker’s score came about 4 1/2 minutes after Ovechkin’s goal.
Ovechkin’s blast got the NHL’s career goals leader on the scoresheet for the first time in the series. Thompson finished with 32 saves.
The series shifts back to Washington for Game 5 on Thursday, with the Eastern Conference’s top seed working to stave off elimination and the Hurricanes aiming for a second trip to the conference final in three seasons.