Hurricanes win Game 4, put top-seeded Capitals on brink
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 Monday night to take a 3-1 series lead on the top-seeded team in the conference.
Sean Walker delivered the dagger for the Hurricanes, scoring a key insurance marker with 3:15 remaining, a little more than four minutes after the Capitals made it a one-goal game. It was the first career playoff goal for Walker, who also added an assist in the contest.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Seth Jarvis, and Taylor Hall scored the first three goals for Carolina. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-netter. Frederik Andersen was solid between the pipes with 19 saves on 21 shots.
Jakob Chychrun and Alex Ovechkin found twine for the Capitals. It was Ovechkin's 77th career playoff goal, passing Mario Lemieux for sole possession of 12th on the all-time list.
The Hurricanes are seeking their third Eastern Conference Final appearance in seven years under head coach Rod Brind'Amour.