The Washington Capitals saw their postseason run come to an end Thursday night with a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 at Capital One Arena.
The loss concluded an otherwise impressive season in which the Capitals secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 111 points, thanks to a blend of experienced veterans and emerging young talent.
Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov netted the game-winning goal with just 1:59 left in regulation, finishing off a rush play with a pass from Sean Walker. Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson admitted afterward that he lost track of the puck before Svechnikov’s shot got through, taking responsibility for the decisive goal.
Washington had tied the game in the first period on a goal from Anthony Beauvillier, but it proved to be the team’s final tally of the series. Seth Jarvis iced the game for the Hurricanes with an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.
Veteran forward Alex Ovechkin, who turned 39 last September, managed just one goal over the five-game series. Still, head coach Spencer Carbery defended his performance.
“The stats won’t reflect it, but I thought ‘O’ was great in the playoffs,” Carbery said.
When asked whether Ovechkin might consider stepping away early following back-to-back early playoff exits, Carbery was clear.
“He’s under contract, so he’ll be back next year,” he stated.
Ovechkin, who signed a five-year, $47.5 million extension in 2021, is under contract through the 2025-26 season. He addressed retirement speculation himself last month on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I’m not retiring,” Ovechkin said. “I’ve got one more year, and we’ll see what happens. I love being with the boys, and as long as I can, I’ll try to stick around and put my great body in the NHL.”
He wrapped up this year’s postseason with five goals over 10 games, most of which came in the first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
