Capitals defeat Hurricanes on goal with two seconds left

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jay Beagle scored with two seconds remaining in the third period to lift the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Friday.
Beagle took a pass from Nicklas Backstrom at the top of the crease and slipped a shot past goalie Cam Ward to give the Capitals a split of the home-and-home.

"Beagle doesn't always get the sexy stats," Washington coach Barry Trotz said. "Great play by Backstrom] getting it over there, but Beagle went to the net hard. It was great for us."
***[WATCH: [All Capitals vs. Hurricanes highlights]*
The goal was Beagle's first in 15 games.
"Backstrom makes an incredible play there," Beagle said. "The stick lift [on Hurricanes forward Brock McGinn] and then he throws it across. I'm just crashing the net, eyes closed, and it hits my stick."
Brett Connolly tied the game 3-3 for the Capitals when he scored from the slot with 3:08 remaining after T.J. Oshie stripped the puck from Noah Hanifin behind the Hurricanes net.

"[Oshie] is such a good player with the puck," Connolly said. "He's always hunting pucks and backchecking and doing the little things. You combine that with his really good skill set, and that's why he such a good player."
Ovechkin had a goal and two assists for the Capitals (28-14-3), whose five-game winning streak ended in a 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves.
Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes (20-16-8). Ward made 23 saves.
The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead 10 seconds into their first power-play opportunity. Justin Williams fed Staal, who flipped a shot under the crossbar at 3:10 of the first period for the 200th goal of his NHL career.

The Capitals tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal of their own at 7:25. After a lengthy goal-mouth scramble, Lars Eller scored from the left side of the crease after Jakub Vrana hit the right post. Eller has scored in four straight games.
Ovechkin gave Washington a 2-1 lead 28 seconds into the second period with a one-timer from the left face-off circle for his NHL-leading 28th goal. John Carlson got his 300th NHL point on the set-up pass.
Carolina scored five seconds into its second power play when Aho beat Grubauer with a one-timer from above the circles at 8:50 to tie the game 2-2.
Skinner gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead at 1:49 of the third period when he skated through the Capitals defense and beat Grubauer to the short side. Lee Stempniak had an assist in his season debut after missing the first 43 games because of back and upper-body injuries.

"We had an opportunity to put the game away, and we gave up two in the last three minutes," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. "It would have been nice to lock it down and get the two points. It didn't happen."
The Capitals go into their five-day break on a roll.
"The character of the team shows," Ovechkin said. "We're starting to realize who we are. We have to work hard. It's not going to be easy. For us right now, a huge two points."

Goal of the game

Beagle's goal at 19:58 of the third period.

Save of the game

Grubauer's saves on Hanifin at 10:40 and Stempniak at 10:41 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Ovechkin's goal 28 seconds into the second period.

They said it

"I think everybody realized we had to be a little bit better than [Thursday] night. You got big goals when you needed it. Connolly getting it, then the late one [from Beagle]. That's going to leave a mark on [them]. I think we're in a real good spot getting the win tonight. It will make the break a lot more pleasurable." -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz
"All in all, a great game. It definitely hurt. We had a lot of guys step up and play really well. I thought we controlled a lot of the game too. It's going to be a hard one to swallow." -- Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal

Need to know

Beagle's is the latest go-ahead goal in Capitals history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Alexander Semin scored at 19:49 of the third period in a 3-2 win against the Hurricanes on Nov. 6, 2008. ... The Capitals are 7-3-1 when tied entering the third period. ... Aho has nine goals in the past 10 games. … The Hurricanes played without defenseman Brett Pesce, who was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury sustained during the morning skate Thursday, and forward Derek Ryan, who was injured in the third period of the win at Washington.

What's next

Capitals: At the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: Host the Calgary Flames on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; FS-CR, SNW, NHL.TV)