Recap: Aho Leads Canes Past Caps in OT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Five preseason games, five preseason victories for the Carolina Hurricanes, who topped the Washington Capitals, 5-4, in overtime.
Sebastian Aho's second goal of the game was the difference-maker for the Canes, as he scored just 19 seconds into 3-on-3 action.
Here are five takeaways from the Canes' penultimate preseason game.

One
Sebastian Aho had himself a night, as he tallied a pair of goals and a primary assist. Skating on a line with Teuvo Teravainen, who recorded a team-high four points (1g, 3a) and Warren Foegele, Aho made plays happen with his speed in the middle, where he seems to be settling in.
"We are building our identity. This is how we want to start. This is who we are. We've got to get it going early," he said. "Work hard. No off days or off nights. Every night you have to be ready and play for the team. It's all about hard work."
Aho's first goal was the result of hard work by his line, helping to force a turnover in the neutral zone. Foegele sprung Aho with a quick pass, and in the blink of an eye later, it was off his stick and in to the back of the net to give the Canes a 2-1 lead.

"I'm getting more comfortable after every game," Aho said of playing the middle.
It took just 19 seconds for the Canes to end the game in 3-on-3 overtime. Jaccob Slavin worked the puck up the ice to Aho, who then executed a perfect give-and-go with Teravainen for the game-winning tally.
"Winning is a lot more fun. It's good to see we can do it against good teams," Teravainen said. "We battle hard and work hard. That's the key."

Two
It took until their fifth exhibition game, but the Hurricanes faced their first deficit of the preseason when Alex Ovechkin cashed in on the Capitals' second power play of the game eight minutes in.
To the Canes' credit, though, they didn't trail for long. Just 90 seconds later, they answered back to tie the game at one. Aho drove the net through the middle of the ice with speed. Dmitry Orlov was draped on him, and the two slid with Holtby out of his crease. Teravainen jumped on the loose puck and deposited it into the gaping cage.

"That's the name of the game. You don't want to get down or worry about the score, especially early in the game," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We got our legs going, and at least the guys played hard. We got fortunate on some of the breaks, but we worked for them too."
Teravainen would go on to record three primary assists, two of which set up Aho for his goals. The chemistry between the Finns is already back.
"I feel like we have chemistry as soon as we step on the ice," Teravainen said. "We look for each other out there. We both can skate around, especially him. He's pretty fast."
Teravainen also recorded the primary assist on Valentin Zykov's power-play goal in the third period. Teravainen took a shot from the point that careened off the lively end boards, where Zykov was waiting to pop in a nifty backhander.

"I had time to come in and shoot. I hit the first guy's shin pad, so that's why it went wide a little bit," Teravainen said. "Z did a good job getting the puck and shooting it right away."
Three
The Hurricanes have scored four or more goals in all five of their preseason games, but tonight was the first game in which they surrendered more than one goal. Though the Canes never trailed after than 90-second segment in the first period, the Capitals erased a two-goal deficit in the second and tied the game in the latter half of the third period to force extra hockey.
"For us, it worked good because we hadn't really had any tight games," Brind'Amour said. "We got a lot of work on our penalty kill. We got fortunate. They had a lot of tap-ins they missed. It's good for us because we needed some work on that. It will be good teaching for us moving forward."
Four
Andrei Svechnikov is a talented offensive player. He was, after all, the second overall selection this summer. That skill was on display on a power play in the second period when Svechnikov beat Braden Holtby with a snappy wrist shot, a play that begin with a beautiful, speedy zone entry by Martin Necas.

It's also important to consider that Svechnikov is an 18-year-old rookie, and there are going to be some growing pains. Tonight, he was whistled for a trio of penalties, all in the offensive zone. He's aggressive and forces turnovers, but sometimes, as seen tonight, it could be a bit reckless.
Svechnikov also lost track of countryman Alex Ovechkin on the Capitals' third goal. With Dougie Hamilton up in the play, Svechnikov was tracking Ovechkin, who eluded the rookie to pounce on a rebound and even the score at three.
This is all a part of the learning process for Svechnikov, though, teachable moments that will better the young forward with time.
"The league is getting younger. If you can play, I don't care about the age," Brind'Amour said. "We're trying to make sure our young guys have a voice just as much as anybody."
Five
Five and zero. It doesn't mean anything beyond these letters on this website, but it sure is preferable to the alternative.
"It means a little bit for us. We're trying to establish something. We've been somewhat irrelevant for too long here," Brind'Amour said. "Yes, the preseason doesn't mean anything as far as the wins and losses, but for us, how we're doing it does matter."
And just how the Canes have been doing it is pretty impressive thus far. There's a lot to tinker with and adjust, as is to be expected with a young team in the preseason. But there's also much to be optimistic about.
"I'd rather be 5-0 than 0-5," Brind'Amour said. "You want to keep building. That's the message we've been pumping here every day. We're trying to get better. We don't want to take a step back. I'm proud of the way the guys have been doing it so far. I know it's preseason … but so far, everyone has kind of bought into it."
Up Next
The Hurricanes close out their six-game preseason slate at home on Sunday afternoon against the Nashville Predators.