The Carolina Hurricanes have the Washington Capitals on the ropes, having taken a 3-1 series lead thanks to Monday night’s 5-2 victory at Lenovo Center in front of a sellout crowd.
Carolina entered the third period with a 2-0 lead after goals from Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis. Both teams then scored twice in the final frame.
Each time the Capitals cut the Hurricanes’ lead to one, Carolina responded and maintained a two-goal cushion. They then added an empty net goal late in the game to win by a three-goal margin.
Capitals Fans Sense The End Is Near After Game 4 Loss
Capitals fans on X appeared ready to throw in the towel following their Game 4 setback.
One fan kept his response to the loss concise and said, “Simply embarrassing.”
Another fan pointed to Washington’s poor defense in the last two games and wrote, “9 goals given up to 2 scored over the last two games, this team has given up its pathetic.”
One frustrated fan said, “Loser organization. Holding a parade for an individual scoring goals in the regular season looks foolish now, doesn’t it? Every model we have predicted this exact outcome. Slow and uninspired. Horrendous leadership on and off the ice. No identity. That is the Capitals.”
One Washington fan wished fans would boycott the next game and said, “I hope the building is empty on Thursday.”
Another fan stated that Thursday’s game would be the last of the season: “At least we don’t have to watch much more of this horrid performance, last game on Thursday.”
One hockey fan seemed to be experiencing déjà vu and commented, “It’s not just that Caps lose in the playoffs. It’s how they lose. They go completely flat. Completely stale. There’s just nothing on the ice. Such a sad way to always end the year.”
Capitals Coach Spencer Carbery Speaks About Defensive Breakdowns
One of the backbreaking goals the Hurricanes scored on the Capitals was a breakaway tally from Taylor Hall, who cut in behind the Washington defense and beat goaltender Logan Thompson. Coach Spencer Carbery pointed to that defensive breakdown as a key part of the game, saying that his defensemen didn’t know Hall was lurking.
“Both our D basically lost track that there was a guy behind,” he said.
When the Capitals failed to score on a four-minute power-play in the opening frame, it was a considerable blow to Washington’s chances of winning.
“Their (Carolina) penalty killing has been best in the league, has been for the last 5 years…but it (Washington’s performance) can’t look like that, it cannot look like that,” Carbery said of their power-play.
The Capitals will now try and stave off elimination from the postseason when the two teams reconvene for Game 5 on Thursday evening.