"He did a good job in the particular match-up he was in," says Caps coach Todd Reirden of Kuznetsov's Tuesday night performance. "I was excited to see that line play together and they obviously convert right away [on Oshie's goal in the first], so that was nice to see.
"But for me, it was four lines and some heavier minutes for some guys, but I thought we managed the game really well and stayed patient. Because they are a team that has some high-end skill for sure, so you can't let up at all. They've been able to have the success that they've had since the All-Star break, and credit to them. We should expect them to be much better the next time we play them, and especially in their building. So I expect a strong response from them [on Thursday], and we've got to be even better than we were tonight."
Carolina is certainly capable of playing better, and the Reirden and the Caps are expecting as much on Thursday in Raleigh. After not seeing one another for nearly three months, the Caps and Canes will go it again in the Hurricanes' building. With the Stanley Cup playoffs looming just ahead on the horizon, having consecutive games against the same opponent can be a benefit.
"That's the norm in the playoffs," notes Reirden, "and it's something I think is great for us to get prepared for. We know they are going to make some adjustments, as are we. That's the fun part of it for the coaching staff, and for things we are trying to do. We will look forward to see if they want to get a different match-up than we had tonight or in different ways. He gets last change next game and we will adjust from there.
"But that's the fun part. I enjoy having those [home-and-home] games in the regular season. It really allows you to focus on your own game, and adjustments within our own room of how we want to get better. Oftentimes when you are playing a Western Conference team or a team that you haven't seen for a while, now you're re-introducing scout information and you end up focusing a lot on the opponent. Usually, as we get closer to game time I talk a lot about our game. But starting I'd say Thursday morning, we'll be able to focus totally on our own game and how we can have success against this team."
Even after Tuesday's loss, Carolina is 18-7-1 since the All-Star break while Washington is 18-7-2 over the same span. The Hurricanes have scored 90 goals at five-on-five in 38 games since the calendar flipped to 2019, ranking third in the league in that category over that span. But the Caps have found a way to limit Carolina in that regard; only three of the seven goals the Hurricanes have scored against Washington this season - in three games - have come at even strength.
With 91 standings points to date in 2018-19, the Canes have already matched the fifth-best season in franchise history (dating back to 1979-80). Carolina has six games remaining, so it won't be able to topple its all time best season of 112 points in 2005-06 - the season of its lone Stanley Cup championship - but it could climb as high as second. The Canes (nee Hartford Whalers) have had only one season with 100 or more points, and their second-best season total ever was 97, registered in 2008-09, the last season in which they reached the playoffs.
