Back home, still winning: Hurricanes stifle Capitals in early Metro Division showdown

RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s too early in the NHL season for a big game, isn’t it?

The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals have been two of the best teams in the NHL this season, and the two went head to head Sunday in a Metropolitan Division game at the Lenovo Center.

The Hurricanes took a 4-2 victory in a game that wasn’t lacking for pace or entertainment value, earning their sixth consecutive victory to extend a streak that began with four in a row at the tail end of a six-game road swing.

Carolina (8-2-0) defenseman Dmitry Orlov scored twice against his former team, including the game-winner, and forward Martin Necas continued to pile up points with a goal and two assists in extending his point streak to six games.

Alexander Ovechkin scored for the Caps (8-3-0) and continued to pull closer to Wayne Gretzky as the league’s leading career scorer. Oveckhin’s seventh of the season was No. 860 of his career, leaving him 34 behind Gretzky’s record, which seemed so unassailable for many years.

Pyotr Kochetkov again was the starting goalie for the Canes as Frederik Andersen continues to recover from a lower-body injury. He didn’t have nearly as much work as the Caps’ Charlie Lindgren, who had the Canes swarming around him much of the night and made numerous high-quality saves.

Kochetkov had the crowd roaring midway through the third period when he denied Ovechkin on a partial breakaway. Moments later, he made another stop in tight against Martin Fehervary.

The Caps pulled Lindgren for an sixth attacker in the final 85 seconds of regulation and Ovechkin got off another two shots. Andrei Svechnikov’s empty-net goal sealed it.

In his 11 seasons with the Caps, Orlov won a Stanley Cup with Ovechkin and saw No. 8 score goals by the boatload. He also saw him score again Sunday as Ovechkin notched a 5-on-3 goal in the final minute of the first period.

But Orlov did his countryman and former teammate one better Sunday, matching his career high. He ripped a shot from the left circle for the first goal of the game in the opening period, then buried a blast from the right circle in the second period to give the Canes a 3-2 lead.

Necas had tied the score 2-2 as the Canes quickly transitioned the puck. Jesperi Kotkaniemi forced a turnover in the Carolina zone and quickly got it ahead to Eric Robinson. Necas was on the receiving end of a nice setup pass from Robinson as he brake for the net, lifting a backhander past Lindgren.

The Caps rolled into Raleigh off a big home-ice win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, notching five first-period goals in a 7-2 victory. Washington was averaging 4.4 goals a game, getting 18 in their three-game winning streak.

The Canes controlled much of the opening period — defenseman Sean Walker said 90% of the period was a good one for the home team. But that was not enough after some sloppy penalties by Carolina.

In one sequence, Necas was called for hooking and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for tripping. That set up two full minutes of 5-on-3 power play time for the Caps, and the Canes’ penalty killers almost navigated the full two minutes.

But with 15 seconds left in the Caps’ two-man advantage, Ovechkin unloaded a one-timer from the right circle for his seventh of the season and his first power-play goal.

Then, 10.7 seconds before the end of the period, Brandon Duhaime scored off the rebound of a Nic Dowd shot after the Canes turned over the puck in their end. Two goals in 33 seconds and the Caps led 2-1 after one.

But the Canes’ pressure game in the second period was relentless. Ovechkin, for example, had one shift in the offensive end as Carolina kept the puck in the Caps zone, getting 16 shots.

____