Caps fall to Hurricanes

The Washington Capitals have had their fair share of ups and downs so far in the first four games of their 2013 campaign.  Washington opened the season on a scoring tear, but the offense has fizzled of late, as Washington dropped their second consecutive contest yesterday, 3-2, to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Oct 10, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes right wing Kevin Westgarth (8) in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

In Washington’s first matchup against a fellow Metropolitan conference member, things looked good early on, as the Capitals found the back of the net first with a goal from Jason Chimera just 5 minutes 33 seconds into the first period.  Washington continued to dominate in the opening period, but failed to capitalize, carrying a 1-0 lead heading into intermission.

In the second period, it was Carolina who came out firing, knotting the game at one on a wrister from Elias Lindholm.  Captain Alexander Ovechkin responded, when he redirected a Steven Olesky shot past goalie Anton Khudobin.  Former Capital Alex Semin quickly answered for the Hurricanes, as he took charge of a two-man advantage, sniping a shot past Washington goalie Braden Holtby to tie the game at two.  From here on out, it was all Carolina as they out shot the Capitals, and eventually Nathan Gerbe broke the tie with about 13 minutes remaining in the final period to give Carolina the 3-2 edge.

Washington will look to get back on track, Saturday, when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals square off against the Colorado Avalanche at Verizon Center.