Late Hurricanes flurry forces Game 7 vs. Caps

[April 23, 2019]  Jordan Staal, falling to the ice in front of the net, scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Carolina Hurricanes fended off elimination by defeating the visiting Washington Capitals 5-2 in Game 6 on Monday night at Raleigh, N.C.

The result sends the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series to a decisive seventh game, Wednesday in Washington.

Staal's second goal of the series, which snapped a 2-2 tie, came with 16:09 remaining.

The Capitals celebrated with 9:26 left, but that would-be goal was disallowed because the whistle had blown. Then with 8:02 left, Carolina's Justin Williams scored on a redirect. Dougie Hamilton added an empty-net goal with 3:06 to go.

Rookie Warren Foegele scored his team-leading fourth playoff goal and Teuvo Teravainen also tallied for the Hurricanes, who are playing in their first postseason since 2009.

Brett Connolly and Alex Ovechkin scored for defending Stanley Cup champion Washington.

The series now returns to Washington, where the Capitals won Games 1, 2 and 5. The winner moves on to meet the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek made 23 saves.

Goalie Braden Holtby stopped shots 31 for the Capitals, who rolled to a 6-0 win in Game 5 on Saturday night at home.

When Connolly opened the scoring Monday just 5:06 into the game, it marked the first time in the series that the road team held the lead.

Connolly took a pass from Lars Eller, then moved from the side of the net into position to launch the shot.

Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) scores his third period goal against the Washington Capitals in game six of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defied the Washington Capitals 5-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina pulled even about 5 1/2 minutes later on Foegele's goal. It was set up on the power play, when Washington players were sharing a stick after one broke, and came just five seconds after the man-advantage expired. Foegele collected a rebound, spun around and fired from high in the slot before the Capitals were reset.

Ovechkin got loose in transition and fired a shot past Mrazek for a 2-1 lead with 4:48 to go in the first period.

Carolina held a 15-7 edge in first-period shots.

Teravainen scored on the Hurricanes' second shot of the second period amid a Washington breakdown at 1:56. Carolina's Sebastian Aho stole the puck on the forecheck and delivered the pass to Teravainen.

The Hurricanes had left winger Jordan Martinook back in the lineup after he missed Game 5 with a lower-body injury. Right winger Andrei Svechnikov, who has been out since he was dropped by an Ovechkin punch in Game 3, and left winger Micheal Ferland remained out of Carolina's lineup.

--Field Level Media

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