Walker, Svechnikov, achieves late when Hurricanes press the capitals in 5-2 victory: Wralsportsfan.com

By Aaron Beard, AP athlete

Raleigh, NC -Raleigh, NC (AP) -Sean Walker cut into the middle of the ice cream and defeated Logan Thompson for a critical late gate. Then Andrei Svechnikov followed with a clinch with an empty network to help Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Monday evening to achieve a 3-1 lead in the playoff series.

Walker's score came to 3-2 after the capitals had moved to 3: 2 on a 5-to-3 power play with a 5-to-3 power game. Taylor Hall turned a pass to Walker to control the left side. Then he hesitated to cut inwards to Jack Roslovic to score in the 16: 45 mark to push the lead back to 4-2.

Svechnikov followed with his seventh after -season goal shortly after the capitals Thompson pulled, the capper in one night when Carolina led twice with two goals, but had to hold the route in a tense conclusion.

Hall, Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisherere also scored a goal for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen was wearing a shutout in the third time before the end.

It was just as important that the Hurricanes reacted twice when the capitals reached a goal in the third. Hall's score in a 1-on-1 chance came less than three minutes after Jakob Chychrun brought the capitals to 2-1, while Walkers score came about 4 1/2 minutes to Ovechkins goal.

For the first time, Ovechkin's explosion brought the career goals manager of the NHL executives on the Scoresheet. Thompson ended with 32 parades.

The series moves to Washington on Thursday for game 5, whereby the top seeds of the Eastern Conference is working on rounding off the elimination and the hurricanes in three seasons to the final of the conference.

___

AP NHL Playoffs: And