National Hockey League
Washington 3, Carolina 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 20, 2024
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
Referees: Chris Lee, Peter MacDougall
Linesmen: Steve Barton, David Brisebois
Attendance: 18573

Charlie Lindgren stopped 24 shots and the Washington Capitals benefitted from goals late in the first two periods to defeat the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division on Friday night.

Aliaksei Protas, Jakub Vrana and Connor McMichael scored for the Capitals, who ended a two-game slide.

Seth Jarvis scored for the Hurricanes, who were unable to recapture the momentum coming off a 3-1-0 homestand. Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves.

The Capitals had scored a total of three goals in their previous two games combined, so they were looking for a lift.

The first one came when Protas tipped in a shot with 43 seconds to play in the first period off a delivery from Andrew Mangiapane. It was his first goal in four games.

Then Washington scored twice in the last four minutes of the second period.

Vrana's goal came with 3:49 to play. McMichael got his goal with 27 seconds remaining.

Vrana, who had missed a few weeks with an injury, hadn't scored since Nov. 17. McMichael posted his first goal in six games and his team-leading 16th of the season.

Jarvis' shot beat Lindgren on the short side with 9:38 to play in the game, so the Hurricanes avoided a shutout. It came on one of Carolina's eight shots in the final period.

The Hurricanes began the third period with a good flurry of offense, but lack of execution around the net turned out to be costly.

With about six minutes to play, the Capitals appeared to score and restore a three-goal lead. The goal was wiped out because of goalie interference after review.

Lindgren, who won his 10th game of the season, joined teammate Logan Thompson (12) with a double-digit win total.

Both teams were 0-for-2 on power plays.

The teams have now split two meetings this season. They won't meet again until April.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Carolina   Washington
Seth Jarvis 1 Points Connor McMichael 1
Seth Jarvis 1 Goals Connor McMichael 1
Sebastian Aho 1 Assists Pierre-Luc Dubois 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Pyotr Kochetkov .864 Save Percentage Charlie Lindgren .960
Pyotr Kochetkov 19 Saves Charlie Lindgren 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Carolina 25 1 0-2 2-2 6 31
Washington 22 3 0-2 2-2 6 25
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Capitals have a W/L % of .636 after a win and .800 after a loss.
  • Carolina will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .727 after a loss.