Capitals Snap Hurricanes’ Win Streak Following 4-1 Win

The Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Washington Capitals for the first of three meetings for the 2025-26 season. Rod Brind’Amour’s side was looking to claim its fifth straight win, while the Capitals were looking to stop the skid they were on heading into Tuesday night’s (Nov. 11) matchup. After the final horn, the Capitals won 4-1 over the Hurricanes.

Game Recap

The first period saw the Capitals dominate play for about 15 minutes. They were forcing turnovers in the neutral zone and forcing the Hurricanes to rush passes, while controlling the tempo with their own transition play. Brandon Duhaime made it a 1-0 game after he got a pass from Ethan Frank on the backdoor of the crease. He had a tap-in goal to get it past Andersen.

Tempers flared as the period was winding down after Nic Dowd ran into Andersen, prompting an answer from the Hurricanes. Initially, Sean Walker confronted him before Andersen wanted to let Dowd know he was not having it. That interaction led to an all-out fracas, where Logan Stankoven dropped the gloves with Martin Fehérváry and won the fight.

The second period saw two goals, one from each side. Dylan Strome scored his fifth of the season after getting a lead pass from Alexander Ovechkin as Strome flew into the zone and past the Hurricanes’ defense. Strome shot it shortside and over Andersen’s glove. The Hurricanes kept pressing and tried to get back into the game. They finally cashed in on a chance after Nikolaj Ehlers was able to get the loose change and put it over Logan Thompson to cut the lead in half. The goal pushed Ehlers’ point streak up to five games, and his third goal during the streak. After 40 minutes of the play, the game was 2-1 Capitals, with the Hurricanes taking control of the momentum.

The third period saw the Capitals score two, one from Jakob Chychrun and one from Ovechkin. Chychrun picked up the loose change following an initial save on a Ryan Leonard shot to make it a 3-1 game. The Hurricanes were struggling to get chances, but they had a couple throughout the period. Ovechkin iced the game with an empty net goal with 30 seconds left to score his 901st.

The Hurricanes saw their four-game winning streak snapped following the loss. They are 11-5-0 on the season, and need rest after playing four games in six days. Regarding the Capitals, they are 8-7-1 and saw their losing streak snapped, taking a win on the road in Raleigh. They hold the season series lead 1-0 following their victory on Tuesday night.