Capitals set sights on rival Hurricanes for second-round series

The Washington Capitals are moving on in the NHL playoffs. But the chippiness of the first round will likely pale in comparison to the upcoming series against the rival Carolina Hurricanes.

The opening series against the Montreal Canadiens featured more than $60,000 in unsportsmanlike conduct fines and countless highlight-worthy hits.

Washington forward Tom Wilson cemented himself as an enemy to Montreal after mocking the Canadiens with now-infamous fake tears during the series.

Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev felt the physicality in Game 1. He lost three teeth on the ice and stayed on the bench for the overtime period — his dental surgery waited a few hours.

All that for two teams that didn’t appear to have much bad blood before the series began.

The Hurricanes and Capitals played each other four times this season as division rivals, splitting the series.

That familiarity bred contempt.

Last month’s regular-season matchups between the two squads devolved into brawls. Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield ended an April 2 scrap by tossing Washington’s Connor McMichael to the ice, causing the Capital to strike his head on the surface.

Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime wouldn’t let the incident go unanswered. He sought out Chatfield in the first period of the April 10 rematch, grabbing the Carolina defenseman by the sweater and taking swings at his skull.

The ensuing fight was a decisive victory for Duhaime, who proudly skated to the penalty box while Chatfield picked himself up.

“It’s going to be a fast, physical, competitive series again,” Wilson said. “We know them really well. They play fast. They play direct hockey. Predictable to each other. I’m sure our coaches will give us a game plan.”

Carolina booked its ticket to the second round with a double-overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

The NHL did not immediately announce when the second round would begin. The Capitals-Hurricanes series was the only finalized matchup through Wednesday’s games.

Though Carolina will have an extra day off, Washington had a much easier path in its series-clinching win.

“They had to play two overtimes last night,” Capitals forward Dylan Strome said after Wednesday’s game. “No idea when the series is going to start, but rest is a weapon.”

A bit of time off will allow the Capitals to examine the film and plan for what promises to be a hard-fought series. Less than an hour removed from Wednesday’s game, several Capitals already had their scouting report ready for the Hurricanes.

“Everyone kind of knows how they play. They dump a lot of pucks in and don’t let you have a lot of zone time. We’re going to need to find a way to combat that,” Strome said. “They’re a great team. We’ve had some pretty good games with them, some physical games.”

The first-round series against Montreal was an appetizer for the postseason run, players said. The opener allowed players to feel the rhythm of playoff hockey after missing the postseason in 2023 and being swept by the New York Rangers in the first round last year. 

The successful first round gave Washington its first series win since claiming the 2018 Stanley Cup.

“It’s exciting. It’s what we all want in this room, what we’ve all worked for all year,” defenseman Jakob Chychrun said. “It’s just exciting to get to that next series. We know it’s only getting harder from here.”

Captain Alex Ovechkin has seen more than a dozen playoff runs fizzle during his 20-year career. The NHL’s all-time goal scorer has only made it to the finals once, when he lifted the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Only a handful of players — including Wilson, defenseman John Carlson and forward Lars Eller — remain from the 2018 squad. This year’s roster is different, according to Ovechkin. They’re easygoing, unbothered by the expectations that have often plagued the franchise.

“The most important thing is we have fun,” said Ovechkin, who led the team with four goals in the opening round. “It doesn’t matter if it’s up or down. We still try to be positive and try to win the games. That’s the most important thing.”