Game 4 in Raleigh brought more trouble for the Washington Capitals as they fell 5-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes and slipped into a 3-1 series hole.
Even with Washington on the brink of elimination after finishing the regular season with the most points among Eastern Conference teams, a moment from Alex Ovechkin earned attention from the NHL’s official X account.
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Midway through the night, the NHL reposted a Bleacher Report’s B/R Open Ice graphic celebrating Ovechkin’s 77th career playoff goal, which pushed him past Mario Lemieux for 12th place all-time in league history.
“THE GR8EST GOAL SCORER WITH ANOTHER MILESTONE 😱,” B/R Open Ice wrote. “Ovi has passed Mario Lemieux for 12th all-time on the playoff goals list 🚨.”
Ovechkin’s goal came on a 5-on-3 power play with just over seven minutes left in regulation, with Dylan Strome recording his ninth assist of the playoffs on the play.
It was another trademarked shot by Ovechkin, finding the net from his office in the left circle, beating Canes goalie Frederik Andersen clean and cutting Carolina’s lead to 3-2.
The goal marked a moment of hope for Washington, which had trailed all game long, but Carolina answered quickly, removing all chances of a comeback.
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Sean Walker scored his first playoff goal with 3:15 remaining to reestablish a two-goal cushion before Andrei Svechnikov iced the game with an empty-netter for the final 5-2 outcome.
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) scores a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.James Guillory-Imagn Images
Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun scored earlier in the third period to cut Carolina’s lead in half, making it 2-1, for the only other goal scored by Washington.
The Hurricanes lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 with Game 5 set for puck drop at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington.
Related: Capitals Make Alex Ovechkin Announcement During Game 4 Loss to Hurricanes