5/8/2025
Washington 3, Carolina 1
(Washington DC) Logan Thompson made 27 saves, and Tom Wilson added a goal with an assist in the Washington Capitals’ 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2. The series heads to Raleigh deadlocked at 1.
The Capitals found goals from Connor McMichael, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson. Carolina’s lone goal was scored by Shayne Gothisbehere.
The Hurricanes came into the evening off a 2-1 overtime win in Game 1 thanks to a goal from Jacob Slavin. With Washington hoping to salvage a split at home, the Capitals again looked to goaltender Logan Thompson after making 31 saves in the loss on Tuesday night. Carolina turned again to Frederick Andersen between the pipes for the Canes.
After a scoreless first period, Washington took advantage of a Carolina miscue. Connor McMichael made no mistake on a breakaway at 2:16 coming off a Canes turnover. The Capitals led 1-0 after two periods.
It did not take long for Washington to score quickly to begin a period again. John Carlson snapped a power play tally into an open cage off a pass from Tom Wilson at 1:54 of the third.
Shayne Gothisbehere countered with a man advantage goal from the right slot at 9:26 of the third.
Tom Wilson iced the game for Washington with an empty net goal at 19:00. Logan Thompson was busy for Washington, making 16 saves in the final period, and 27 saves in the game.
Capital Tom Wilson said after the game about Thompson, “He’s our wall back there…He’s calm. He just keeps us in every single game. It’s nice having a goalie that’s going to give it his all. He’s been our MVP all year and he’s playing great.” Thompson needed to be great to even the series for the Caps. The series shifts to Raleigh to see if the Caps can steal a game on the road.
Up Next: Game 3 in Carolina is scheduled for Saturday at 3pm pacific on TNT.
Edmonton 2, Las Vegas 0
(Las Vegas, NV) Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime winning goal for the Edmonton Oilers, seizing a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers impressively had all their scoring in regulation without either Draisaitl or Connor McDavid involved.
The Oilers scored goals from Jake Walman, Vasily Podkolzin, Darnell Nurse, Evander Kane, including the Draisaitl overtime winner. Victor Olafsson scored a pair of goals with William Karlsson and Alex Pietrangelo adding goals for Vegas.
Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard came into the evening on a five game win streak. One of those wins came in game 1 against Vegas where Edmonton scored three goals in the third period to down the Golden Knights 4-2.
For the second consecutive game, the Vegas Golden Knights used the man advantage to score the game’s first goal. Victor Olofsson one timed a Mark Stone pass to put Vegas in front at 8:42 of the opening period. The Golden Knights led 1-0 after one period of play.
Jake Walman’s arrival to Edmonton brings more stability to the Oilers’ blue line. The trade acquisition from San Jose tied the game with a blast from the left circle. The goal at 11:31 evened what was an uneventful second period. Minutes later, Vasily Podkolzin scored between the hashes at 15:18. For Podkolzin, the goal marks his first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Postseason play can hinge off mistakes. A pair of Vegas turnovers led to a wrister from Darnell Nurse finding the back of the net. Nurse’s goal at 17:17 gave the Oilers a 3-1 lead. Vegas quickly countered. William Karlsson tipped in a shot from Jack Eichel at 18:10. The eventful second period saw four goals after no scoring through eleven minutes.
The third period pace continued the way the second period ended. An Edmonton forecheck initiated by Zach Hyman resulted in a goal from Evander Kane at 1:54 of the third. The Oiler’s restoration of a two goal lead was short-lived. A Connor McDavid high sticking penalty led to Victor Olofsson’s second goal of the game at 4:32. Vegas leveled the game at 11:58 when Alex Pietrangelo’s right blueline shot found the back of the net. Bonus hockey was necessary to decide a winner.
The overtime period witnessed Vegas and Edmonton trading great chances. The Oilers midway through overtime went on a five minute power play after a five minute major against Nicholas Roy for crosschecking Trent Frederic in the face. Edmonton could not capitalize with the Golden Knights pulling off an exquisite exhibit of penalty killing. But in big games, it takes special players to rise to the occasion. Look no further than Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. A two on one break with two of the best players of the generation is welcoming recipe for Edmonton. This was the case at 15:20 when Connor McDavid stickhandled by a defending Jack Eichel before chiseling a pass to Leon Draisaitl. The Hart Trophy front runner zinged a shot past the stick side of Vegas goaltender Adin Hill to win the game.
The Oilers 5-4 overtime win gives them a 2-0 lead in the series. Edmonton leads 2-0 in a series for the first time since 2017. Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said about the ending, “When you have elite talent, those game breakers, they just need a moment or an opportunity to make that play. You saw it tonight”. Although the stars had the final say, what was impressive was hot Edmonton hung in the game with McDavid and Draisaitl rather quiet.
The series shifts to Edmonton, with game 3 scheduled for Saturday night at 6pm on TNT and CBC.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESN.
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