Rested Capitals ready for rivalry matchup with Hurricanes

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery and captain Alex Ovechkin have spent the last few days like the rest of the country’s hockey fans: enjoying the first round of the NHL playoffs from their couch.

Washington has had almost a week of rest following its first-round triumph over the Montreal Canadiens. A pair of Game 7s in other series have pushed the start of the Capitals’ second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes to Tuesday evening. 

Hockey lovers, including NHL players and coaches, have been spoiled with double-overtime thrillers and late comebacks throughout the postseason. For Carbery, it’s like watching a horror movie. 

“It’s worse watching other games for me than it is coaching in the moment on the bench, because you just feel for the players and staff,” he said on Monday. “You watch them and you’re just gutted for those two teams that you’re just like, ‘Oh no.’”

“Crazy,” Ovechkin said of Sunday’s Game 7 that saw the Winnipeg Jets score a tying goal with three seconds left against the St. Louis Blues. 

The Jets went on to win in double overtime. 

“That’s playoffs,” Washington’s captain said on Monday. “One mistake can cost you everything.”

The extended break between series has been a mixed bag for the Capitals. The rest is nice, as is the opportunity to watch other games, Carbery and Ovechkin noted.

But several players said Monday that they were itching to get back to work. The morning’s optional practice garnered perfect attendance. 

The rest was needed for Washington’s 39-year-old captain, though. 

“[Ovechkin] would be one guy that added days off would ideally benefit,” Carbery said. “Doesn’t always mean you’re going to hit the ground running, but for him and his body and his preparation, I would expect it to help.”

The Capitals welcomed a chance to breathe after the opening round, according to their coach. The series was over in five games, but the Canadiens didn’t go down easily.

The first-round series was a physical one. Defenseman Alex Alexeyev lost three teeth in Game 1. Friendly fire from Washington’s Dylan Strome knocked goalie Logan Thompson out of Game 3. Forward Tom Wilson used a game-changing hit to set up the game-winning goal in Game 4. 

“It’s just playoff hockey,” Carbery said. 

Ovechkin led the charge. 

The gray-haired winger led the team with four goals in the opening series and ranked second on the team with 19 hits. Any concern about No. 8 taking a back seat after breaking the NHL’s goals record last month was quickly dispelled.

“Sometimes, in the regular season, you don’t want to hit,” Ovechkin said. “But in the playoffs, you have to make a hit because that guy can beat you up the ice. He can score a goal.”

It was a vintage performance for the “Russian Machine” against Montreal. 

“That’s what leaders do,” alternate captain Tom Wilson said after Monday’s practice. “They step up in the tough moments and put their body on the line.”

The second round will likely feature more of the same energy. Carbery said each round, if the Capitals progress, will be more physical than the last. That path continues Tuesday against Carolina, a group that Wilson called “bigger, stronger and faster” than Montreal. 

“The intensity doesn’t go down,” Carbery said. “It just sort of evens out.”

The coach confessed that some bad blood can linger into the postseason, providing extra fire for the best-of-seven series. The Capitals and Hurricanes could provide a textbook example.

Brawls broke out in both of last month’s regular-season meetings between the division rivals.

The upcoming matchup promises intensity, but the familiarity extends beyond proximity. Carbery’s system mirrors the one used by Carolina coach Ron Brind’Amour. There won’t be any tactical surprises when the teams take the ice on Tuesday, Washington’s leaders said. 

“They really execute their game plan flawlessly,” Wilson said. “It’s going to be on us to get them a little bit flustered and get them away from what makes them so good.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the Capitals’ first-round opponent.