RALEIGH — Rod Brind’Amour said, statistically, game three wasn’t a must-win for his Carolina Hurricanes, but he admitted that, practically, it was absolutely a must-win.
Well, even if it wasn’t, the Hurricanes came through with a hugely important game-four win over the Capitals in their round-one series, evening the score of the series at two games apiece.
The Canes couldn’t have started the night any better. On the first shift of the game, the Hurricanes fended off a rush from the Capitals and quickly reloaded as Jaccob Slavin carried the puck out from the back of his own goal, carried it through the neutral zone, played a game of give-and-go with Justin Williams, and then he found Warren Foegele on the back door.