WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals didn’t mince words following a disappointing 2-1 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1, taking accountability for a game where weathering the storm just wasn’t enough.
Though Aliaksei Protas scored, Washington couldn’t get much going on offense and was heavily outshot and outplayed, and despite Logan Thompson’s best efforts, it led to the team dropping the second-round opener.
Takeaways: Capitals Can't Weather Storm, Fall To Hurricanes In Game 1
WASHINGTON — To open the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Washington Capitals found themselves just weathering the storm as best as they could against the Carolina Hurricanes. And though they went the distance, it wasn't enough.
Coach Spencer Carbery was short postgame, and didn’t get into specifics.
"It wasn't good and that's the bottom line. Our entire game was not good,” Carbery said.
The Capitals took accountability for their effort, with Tom Wilson noting that the team just ”seemed a little bit off” from the moment the puck dropped.
“It wasn’t good enough for the most part,” Wilson said. “They come hard, we know that.”
Protas also noted the team didn’t make good decisions, starting in its own end.
“Like I said, it starts from the D zone, first of all and (putting) the puck in the good spots and (being) on the same page together,” Protas said. “I don't think we were today."
Passes didn’t connect, Washington couldn’t generate high-quality opportunities and ultimately, didn’t play to its identity.
“We didn’t play our style of hockey tonight,” Dylan Strome said. “We let them dictate.”
Protas also took the blame for the Hurricanes’ game-tying goal, as his pass to Alex Alexeyev to the slot resulted in a picture-perfect chance for Logan Stankoven that he capitalized on.
“One mistake from me and it cost us, like, cost us a win basically. We got to be better and me personally,” Protas said.
That said, it was only the first game of a best-of-seven showdown, and the Capitals are looking forward to quickly putting the loss behind them and getting back on track.
“I don't think anyone expected the playoffs just to be a straight line of ups, there's going to be ups and downs and the next game is the biggest game,” Wilson said.