3 Takeaways From the Hurricanes’ Game 3 4-0 Shutout Win Over Capitals

After splitting the first two games of Round 2 in Washington, D.C., the Carolina Hurricanes returned home to the Lenovo Center for Games 3 and 4. While they played okay on the road, they knew that to go up 2-1 in the series, they would need to elevate their game to the next level. Playing in front of a sold-out Caniac crowd at the Loudest House in the NHL was going to be a huge advantage for the team, and in the end, it proved to be so as the Hurricanes won Game 3 on Saturday night (May 10) in a 4-0 shutout victory. That being said, what three things stood out in the Game 3 win for the Hurricanes?

Takeaway #1: Perfect Night for Special Teams

What a night for the special teams for the Hurricanes. Coming into the playoffs, it was a foregone conclusion that the penalty kill would be the Hurricanes’ greatest strength, as it was the top unit in the NHL for the regular season. However, the power play was ranked 25th and only had three man-advantage goals since Jan. 1. As cliché as it sounds, if teams cannot win on the road and score power-play goals, they are going to struggle in the playoffs. As the postseason has continued, the latter has surprised many people, and the Hurricanes’ power play has only improved as each game progresses.

In Game 3, the Hurricanes’ power play went 2-for-2 on the night after goals from Jack Roslovic and Jackson Blake. Roslovic’s goal gave the Hurricanes some insurance, making it 2-0, while Blake’s goal put the game away as it made it 4-0 late in the third period. For a team that struggled from January to mid-April on the power play, to see it be at 9-for-27 in the playoffs, it has to be a relief for head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his staff.

That 9-for-27 gives the Hurricanes a 33.3% power play, which ranks them first among the teams remaining in the playoffs. Furthermore, the next best team in terms of the man-advantage is the Edmonton Oilers, who are at 30%. On the flip side, the Hurricanes’ penalty kill went 2-for-2 as well, shutting down the Capitals once again in the series. They now sit 21-for-22 (95.5%) in the playoffs, which also ranks them first. The second-best penalty killing team is the Dallas Stars (87.1%). If the Hurricanes can keep up these red-hot special teams, there is a good chance they will extend their stay in the postseason. The ability to control the special teams in Game 3 helped propel them to the 4-0 shutout win.

Takeaway #2: 21-Save Shutout Performance From Andersen

As it seems to be with each passing game, what else is there to say about Frederik Andersen that hasn’t already been stated? The Danish netminder had another sensational game for the Hurricanes after having a 21-save performance in the 4-0 victory. Andersen, while missing part of Game 4 and the entirety of Game 5 in Round 1, has been lights out for Carolina in seven starts. He carries a 5-2 record with a 1.32 goals-against average (GAA) and a .940 save percentage (SV%). His GAA is his best in the postseason while starting under 10 games, more so, the best of his career. The only time his SV% was better was in the 2016 Playoffs with the Anaheim Ducks, where he had a .947.

This has, without a doubt, proven why the Hurricanes signed Andersen to the one-year extension for the 2025-26 season. The way he’s been playing is why they are 2-1 in Round 2 of the playoffs. Even more so, Andersen has played better than the first postseason with the Hurricanes, where he posted a 1.83 GAA and .927 SV% when the team made it to the Eastern Conference Final. He has managed to keep them in a ton of games through the eight games of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, seven of which he started. If he did not stand tall in Game 1 of Round 2, who knows where this series is after three games? Furthermore, if people look back at Round 1, he kept the Hurricanes in those games against the New Jersey Devils before the offense really got going.