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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin holds up the puck after scoring his 895th career goal, breaking the NHL record for most goals ever, after an NHL game between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 6, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

2 Capitals Takeaways Following a Tough Round 2 Series Loss to the Hurricanes

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Christopher Babos | Last updated May 16, 2025 11:05 AM ET

The Washington Capitals’ season ended with a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 on Thursday night. Washington’s 50th season in franchise history skidded to a close following Andrei Svechnikov’s game-winning goal with 1:59 remaining in regulation. The Capitals and Hurricanes had battled for a scoreless 44 minutes at Capital One Arena before the Hurricanes’ leading scorer slipped a puck behind a stunned Logan Thompson.

It was a tough series for Washington, a team that averaged nearly 3.5 goals per game in the regular season. The Capitals scored only seven goals on Frederik Andersen in the five-game series loss, an average of 1.4 goals per game in Round 2. Despite the postseason exit, head coach Spencer Carbery and his players held their heads high after an unforgettable 50th anniversary campaign in Washington.

Carbery Proud of Capitals’ 50th Anniversary Season

The Capitals are closing the books on the 2024-25 season earlier than any team hopes to in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Eastern Conference’s best squad from the regular season experienced a .500 record in the playoffs at 5-5. Still, a heartbroken Washington head coach spoke fondly about his team and their season after the series loss to the Hurricanes.

“This 50th Anniversary Caps team will go down in history,” Carbery, a 2025 Jack Adams Award finalist, said after the game. “I’ll just speak for myself. This is one of the greatest seasons that I’ve ever been a part of as a coach or a player. I’ll never forget this group. I told those guys. I love ‘em. Every single one of ‘em. What we went through as a group this year, what they accomplished, and O’s (Ovechkin’s) record, and everything that went into this season. I will never forget this group. Really, really memorable year.”

pic.twitter.com/IEbZ8Np3Gp
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 16, 2025

It was an impressive turnaround for a team that entered the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the season’s final day. The Capitals stood tall at the top of the Eastern Conference for most of the 2024-25 campaign as captain Alex Ovechkin navigated the uncharted territory of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s regular-season goal-scoring record.

The late-season injury to Martin Fehervary on April 15 weakened the defensive core right before the playoffs began. While it didn’t cost Washington in Round 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, the absence of Fehervary and his shot-blocking capabilities was a fatal blow against the Hurricanes’ steady attack in Round 2.

Ovechkin’s Status for the 2025-26 Season

A 39-year-old Ovechkin still looked like one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive threats following a 44-goal, 73-point season in 2024-25. “People are going to look at this team and go, ‘How did this team do so well? How did this team win the East?’” Carbery said. “He’s a big part of that as our captain, and everything he did this year … He was fantastic this year. I thought he had a great playoffs. He answered. He did what he came back this year to prove and show, and he did it in the playoffs as well.”

Ovechkin scored five goals and totaled six points during 10 playoff games for Washington this season. His 15.2% shot percentage tied the second-highest in his career for the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning playoff run. Unfortunately for the generational goalscorer, Ovechkin scored only once against the Hurricanes in the series. “Yeah, it’s tough,” Washington’s captain said postgame. “We have a special group, but obviously we have our chances. Maybe we don’t execute, maybe luck was not on our side, because I don’t think we played bad hockey. I think we have lots of great chances to get the lead (in Game 5), but it’s tough.”

Washington’s captain is under contract for one more season in Washington on a $9.5 million average annual value (AAV) he signed with the Capitals in 2021. With a Sept. 1985 birthday, he will open the season at age 40. He would join notable names such as Gordie Howe, Marc-Andre Fleury, former Capitals teammate Jaromir Jagr, and others who have played in the NHL after their 40th birthday.