Poor puck-management, bizarre calls (and lack of standard calls), and failure to maintain momentum paved the way to a 4-3 overtime loss for the Carolina Hurricanes…but the seven-game point streak remains.
Saturday, the Washington Capitals handed the Carolina Hurricanes a brutal loss. In the first half of the game, the Hurricanes and Capitals appeared to be at the same level, as both generated decent chances and made similar kinds of mistakes. However, the following half belonged to the Capitals, whose desperation powered through the Hurricanes’ attempt to keep the game 3-0 in their favor.
However, there was another component at play that got under the skin of everyone inside the building. Can you guess? Here’s a hint, what’s black and white and skates all over…
Jokes aside, the officiation of the game certainly raised eyebrows on numerous calls. Two calls made close together left many scratching their heads, as interference penalties were given to both teams on what appeared to be rather harmless plays. Later, Carolina seemingly assessed a hooking penalty well after the play had concluded, as the arm of the referee in the Hurricanes’ zone remained down the entire time.
Then came the real controversy…
With 6:56 left in the third period, Logan Stankoven – no longer possessing the puck – took a hit to the head from Tom Wilson, who had both raised his shoulder and left his skates upon contact. Despite the aforementioned fringe interference calls on previous plays, there were no whistles. Seconds later, Jakob Chychrun scored the game-tying goal, with a secondary assist from Wilson.
In overtime, Justin Sourdif scored the game-winner. However, it was reviewed for goaltender interference before it was made official. Capitals defenseman John Carlson had become entangled with Taylor Hall and Frederik Andersen before the puck crossed the line.
By the time it was declared a good goal, the only Hurricanes player remaining on the ice was Andersen; the rest had already left for the locker rooms.
Clay Stevenson, the Capitals’ goalie, logged the first win of his career in just his second game in the NHL.
Hurricanes Notes
The Hurricanes were rarely and severely outshot 22-42. Additionally, the Hurricanes allowed 16 high-danger chances against, while they only dished out eight. However, they did lead in several key stats, such as hits (29-24), takeaways (6-2), and blocked shots (18-10).
Despite taking a hard check to the head, Stankoven was not pulled from the game, and was able to return after head athletic trainer Doug Bennett tended to his injury on the bench.
Andersen had a fantastic game, making 38 stops on 42 shots. He logged a .902 save percentage, which is his fifth-highest this season, and second-highest in the month of January.
