Svechnikov lifts Hurricanes over Capitals 3-2 in shootout

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored the winning goal in a shootout after tying the game in the second period, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Monday night.

Stefan Noesen also scored for Carolina in regulation. Martin Necas had two assists, and Frederik Andersen made 18 saves.

“I think we’re pretty resilient and play the game the right way,” Noesen said.

Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome scored in regulation for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots.

It was the first shootout for both teams this season. Carolina’s Brent Burns and Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov converted to begin the tiebreaker, but Svechnikov had the only other tally.

“Sometimes you’re on the right side of it and sometimes you’re not,” Capitals center Lars Eller said.

Svechnikov is 7 for 13 career in shootouts, with five game-deciding goals.

“It’s a flip of a coin, but we have to be happy to get the two points,” said Andersen, who stopped Ovechkin’s shootout attempt. “We don’t care how they come.”

Carolina won its second straight, including an overtime victory Saturday at Philadelphia.

Washington’s Marcus Johansson took a penalty late in the third period, and Eller went to the box for two minutes in overtime.

“It didn’t set up the way you wanted it to,” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. “We didn’t get a chance to win. It got to a shootout and they were better than us in the shootout.”

Ovechkin converted on a second-period power play with a shot from the left side, notching his 47th goal in 86 career games against Carolina.

Svechnikov got the Hurricanes even with 4:18 to play in the second.

Noesen’s deflection of Burns’ shot on a power play produced the first goal 4:27 into the game. It was the first goal for Noesen with Carolina — he was playing his 10th game since joining the organization in the summer of 2021.

Strome was relentless in front of the net and it paid off with his goal 1:23 into the second.

There were two stretches of 4-on-4 action in the third period but neither ended with a goal. A tripping penalty on Johansson gave the Hurricanes a power play for the final 1:55 of regulation.

“I would love to score on the power play there,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Not letting that affect the rest of our game was pretty solid.”

Washington entered overtime for the first time this season. Even with the extra five minutes, the Capitals had a season-low 20 shots.

“I don’t think there was anything wrong with the effort,” Eller said. “We had to fight in our own end. It’s just a fight to get (the puck) out sometimes.”

CAPITALS HURTING

Earlier in the day, the Capitals announced winger T.J. Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Oshie left in the first period of Washington’s victory at Nashville on Saturday night. The team said defenseman John Carlson, who also sat out at Carolina, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

That meant defenseman Matt Irwin made his season debut and center Connor McMichael was in Washington’s lineup for just the second time this season.

LET HER STAY UP

Noesen had 48 goals for Carolina’s American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago last season. He said a common thread for his goal-scoring efforts has been the presence of his 23-month-old daughter at games.

She attended Monday night.

“I think we need to change her bedtime and get her here more often,” Noesen said.

FAREWELL FOR A WHILE

The Capitals and Hurricanes won’t meet again until mid-February, with a Valentine’s Day game in Washington and then four nights later an NHL Stadium Series matchup across the street from the Raleigh arena at Carter-Finley Stadium.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Tuesday night at home vs. Vegas.

Hurricanes: Thursday night at Tampa Bay.

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