Canes Controlled the Ice but Couldn't Find the Finishes
Three iron hits and a cold power play turned Carolina’s heavy chance volume into a two-goal loss to Washington
Carolina absolutely controlled play — two-thirds of the shot attempts, almost 20 high-danger looks, and plenty of pressure that the scoreboard didn’t reflect. The Hurricanes’ chances were worth nearly four expected goals, yet they left Raleigh with two on the board. That gap between volume and result came down to bad finishing and a hot opposing goalie.
Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake did the heavy lifting: Svechnikov unleashed six shots and created the game’s largest individual chance value, and Blake drove quality looks as well. But Svechnikov’s post in the second was one of three sharp near-misses that robbed Carolina of momentum, and the power play went cold — CAR was 1-for-6 with the man advantage. Logan Thompson stood tall for Washington (31 saves), leaving Bussi’s night and those unlucky iron hits as the difference between a one-sided game on the shot clock and a loss on the scoreboard.