The Carolina Hurricanes look to win Game 5 on the road and eliminate the Washington Capitals from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Carolina won Game 4, 5–2. The Hurricanes scored in every period and carried a two-goal lead into the third. The Capitals cut the deficit to one a few times, but Carolina quickly responded to restore their two-goal cushion. The Canes outshot the Caps 38–21 and maintained solid offensive zone time from start to finish. Although Carolina took several penalties, they still went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.

Washington will look to keep its season alive on home ice. Things aren't looking good for the Capitals, as they just can't seem to get their offense going. In today's NHL, it's often a race to three goals, and when Washington reached that mark, they won. But in the last two games, they've been badly outplayed on both sides of the puck and haven't held a lead since Game 2 at home. The Capitals did well blocking shots in Game 4, but that was largely because they were playing on their heels.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

*The above data was collected on May 15, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Carolina Hurricanes

Washington Capitals

Carolina is ranked ninth in scoring, tenth in goals against, 25th on the power play, and first on the penalty kill. In Game 4, he scored a goal, posted a +1 rating, and registered five shots on net. The Hurricanes' depth has been excellent, and their top-ranked penalty kill has been key in containing any Capitals pushback. Now, as Carolina returns to the road, they'll look to avoid falling behind 1–0 as they did in Games 1 and 2, and aim to hold Washington to two goals or fewer once again.

Washington is ranked second in scoring, tied for eighth in goals against, tied for 13th on the power play, and fifth on the penalty kill. All of these metrics faltered in Game 4, except for the penalty kill, which went 3-for-3. Alexander Ovechkin leads the team in goals, but has just one in this series, which came in Game 4. He's been largely contained, managing only a few shots on goal per game. Washington's top lines are running out of time to bounce back, and it starts with their leaders stepping up and generating positive plus/minus play.

Even though the Capitals are back home, both sides of the puck continue to struggle, and they've been outshot in every game. Washington lost the last two games by deficits of four and three goals and has been outscored 12–6 in the series. The Caps' two home games were low-scoring, defensive battles, but it seems Carolina has figured out how to break through the Washington defense.