The Washington Capitals’ season came to a crushing end Thursday night with a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. In what was arguably Washington’s strongest performance of the series, the game remained deadlocked for nearly 58 minutes until Andrei Svechnikov netted the game-winning goal with just under two minutes left. Despite a relentless push and multiple high-quality chances, the Capitals couldn't solve Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, who stopped 18 of 19 shots. Anthony Beauvillier scored Washington’s lone goal, tying the game early in the first after Jordan Staal opened the scoring for Carolina.

The Capitals had numerous opportunities to take control, including a called-back goal by Matt Roy in the second period due to an offside entry and three power plays that failed to produce results. Logan Thompson stood tall in net for Washington, making key saves and keeping the game close, but the offense struggled to finish. As the clock ticked down and the Hurricanes pulled ahead, the energy at Capital One Arena turned from hopeful to heartbreak. Seth Jarvis sealed the win with an empty-net goal, and with that, Washington’s postseason run—and season—came to a bitter close.

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Welcome to the NHL Squad Show! Today our hosts Gil Martin (Locked On Islanders), Tom Callahan (Locked on Mammoth), Kyle Kjer (Locked On Ducks) and Shukri Wrights (Locked On NHL Game Night) are here to check in on the second round of the playoffs, before talking about some of the newly hired coaches, including Joel Quenneville and Rick Tocchet!

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The Washington Capitals are staring down elimination, and Spencer Carbery is finally pulling every lever he can in a do-or-die Game 5. Moving Connor McMichael back to center, shuffling Anthony Beauvillier onto the top line, and even overhauling the power play shows that Carbery knows the current formula isn’t working. It’s not just about execution anymore—it’s about identity. This team needs speed, structure, and some level of unpredictability, or this series ends fast.

On the other side, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing with a level of composure and structure that’s simply suffocating the Caps. They’re not taking the bait from agitators like Tom Wilson, they’re dominating puck battles, and they’re turning every Washington mistake into a counterattack opportunity. Meanwhile, Logan Thompson continues to battle in net with minimal support—yet again being asked to be flawless just to keep things close. But if the Caps don’t fix their systemic breakdowns and give their goaltender some help, it won’t matter who’s in the crease. This series could be over in five.

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