Capitals: Top 3 heroes against Hurricanes
The Washington Capitals finally got a win over the Carolina Hurricanes and the fact it came on the road is all the more sweeter.
The Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday night in Raleigh thanks to several players stepping up.
The first period was scoreless but it would set the scene for a lot of fireworks to come in the remainder of the game. Richard Panik got the Caps on the board at 2:58 in the second, finishing off a backhander that trickled off the stick of Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce.
The Caps doubled their lead with Evgeny Kuznetsov tapping in a pass from John Carlson at 5:07. 2-0 was the score after two periods.
The Hurricanes got on the board 39 seconds in thanks to Jordan Staal before the Caps answered shortly after at 2:29 with Lars Eller banging in a rebound off the boards on a shot from Alex Ovechkin.
Jakub Vrana added an insurance goal that would pay off in the long run as the Hurricanes got two goals back. It wasn’t enough as the Caps hung on for a 4-3 win.
As we’ve said, many players shined in Washington’s win. Here is our top 3 impact players who shined the most.
Jakub Vrana
Jakub Vrana got what turned out to be the game-winning goal, making him hero of the game material. Vrana was on the second line per usual and used his speed to give the Caps a vital goal in the third period.
Entering the zone, Vrana hustled and nobody but the goaltender was in front of him when he caught a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and buried it glove side past Petr Mrazek to give the Caps a commanding 4-1 lead at 4:51. T.J. Oshie had the secondary assist.
Vrana’s goal was his 16th of the season and he already has 32 points thus far just one game into the new year. He needs just eight more goals to match his career-high which earned him a payday to stay on board with the Caps for the next two seasons.
Vrana’s tally also ended a 10-game goal-less drought and the Caps need players like Vrana down the stretch if they look to continue to separate themselves from the pack.
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1213289691723644929
Vrana did this despite posting a Corsi For percentage of 39.13%. Vrana finished with four shots in 12:15 of ice time with one giveaway and a +1. Could Vrana reach 30 goals? If this is the start of an uptick trend he might.
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Evgeny Kuznetsov officially finishes with the third star of the game while he’s the second star on our list. He had another excellent game with a goal and an assist for two points.
Kuznetsov finished with a +1, two shots on goal, a giveaway while winning 23% of his face-offs in 20:18 minutes of ice time. Kuznetsov was on the ice for the second longest on the power play for a total of 4:10.
After the Caps went up 1-0 thanks to Richard Panik, Evgeny Kuznetsov doubled Washington’s lead after they went on the power play. It came when Sebastian Aho was called for interference on Garnet Hathaway, putting Washington on the man advantage.
While quarterbacking the attack, John Carlson faked a shot. Instead it was a pass right to Kuznetsov who was planted by the net. Kuznetsov tapped it in to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead.
Tap tap taperoo. #ALLCAPS #CapsCanes pic.twitter.com/kY4IjbwFFV
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 4, 2020
Kuznetsov told Mike Vogel of WashingtonCaps.com:
“I feel like they got pretty good looks early in the first period. But then we kind of controlled the game. I think that the breakaway when we were on the power play and Sammy stopped the breakaway, and we got a goal right away gave us some energy.”
Later on, Kuznetsov assisted on Jakub Vrana’s goal putting the Caps in the driver’s seat while the next guy we’ll mention handled the rest.
Ilya Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov had another solid road outing to remain undefeated away from Capital One Arena with an 8-0-0 road record. Samsonov stopped 38 of 41 shots for a .927 save percentage.
The bulk of his work came in the first and third periods. In the first 20 minutes, Samsonov faced 18 shots but stood tall stopping everything in his sight. In the third, Samsonov faced 15 shots and while some got past him, he still helped keep the Caps lead intact.
🥪🥪🥪 pic.twitter.com/e8bqZT3rRp
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 4, 2020
Samsonov was named officially as the first star of the game and deservedly so, he earned that on our list here. Capitals coach Todd Reirden told NHL.com:
“[Samsonov] was, no question, the first star tonight. His emotional control never changes. I think it allows our team to not get too derailed. He was outstanding.”
“Almost every night [Samsonov] is playing, that’s his level. I think he’s passed all the expectations you could think of for that young of a rookie goaltender. It’s not easy. Sometimes (he doesn’t) play for two weeks and he comes in and delivers. I can’t think of a game where he didn’t play well.”
No matter what happens to Braden Holtby in the future, Samsonov living up to the hype keeps the Capitals crease in good hands.
light. Must Read. Capitals stun Hurricanes
Those are our top 3 heroes from a huge win over the Hurricanes. Who is your top 3? Let us know in the comments!