Hurricanes, Capitals expect more intensity in rematch at Stadium Series

WASHINGTON --The Carolina Hurricanes held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Tuesday in what they hope was a preview of bigger and better things to come later this week.

The Hurricanes will try to do it again on a much larger stage when they host their Metropolitan Division rivals in the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, SN360, TVAS2).
A sellout crowd of approximately 51,500 fans is expected for the Hurricanes' first outdoor game, which is being held at the home of North Carolina State's football team.
"Any time you play a division rival, you get amped up," Hurricanes forward Paul Stastny said. "But I think the outdoor game is always special for guys that played in it or guys that haven't. You're going to have family, you're going to have friends, and it's a pretty cool scene, very unique. You just want to enjoy every single minute of it."
Although each team plays Thursday, when the Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens and the Capitals host the Florida Panthers, they expect some of the emotions from their roller-coaster battle at Capital One Arena to carry over to their outdoor rematch.
"I don't know if they planned this on purpose," Washington forward T.J. Oshie said. "They're almost making the Stadium Series game there, the outdoor game. I think there's going to be a little extra intensity than maybe you would already get from an outdoor game."
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Playing without forward Alex Ovechkin, who is away from the team for at least the remainder of the week to attend to a family matter, the Capitals gave the Hurricanes all they could handle Tuesday.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Brent Burns at 15:00 of the first period, but Oshie responded at 19:02 to tie it 1-1.
Stastny put the Hurricanes back in front 2-1 at 2:33 of the second period, but again the Capitals answered when
Joe Snively
, who was playing his first game since Nov. 15, tied it 2-2 at 6:23.
Stefan Noesen then scored a power-play goal on a deflection at 11:38 to give Carolina a 3-2 lead, and although Washington appeared to tie it 3-3 when defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk scored on a rebound at 9:39 of the third period, the call was reversed after Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour successfully challenged for goaltender interference.
"I think they're going to want to come back because they got the tying goal and they got it taken away, so I don't know how they feel about that," Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield said. "I think they're going to come ready to go, and we've got to match their energy, for sure."
On Saturday, Carolina will become the League's 28th team to play an outdoor game. Washington will play its fourth outdoor game after winning in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, the 2015 NHL Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationals Park in Washington, and the 2018 NHL Stadium Series against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
The matchup will be a new edition in an already intense rivalry that elevated a notch after Carolina eliminated Washington in seven games in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup the previous season.
The Hurricanes trailed 2-0 and 3-2 in that best-of-7 series before rallying and winning 4-3 in double overtime in Game 7 on the road.
"I think the rivalry kind of built there," Oshie said. "Obviously, me breaking my collarbone (on a hit from Warren Foegele in Game 4), I had kind of a little bit of a hatred built up after that. … From back in my younger years to where they weren't crazy competitive to now, they're one of the top teams in the League. They're hard to play against. They play the right way.
"It's definitely a tough task. It's always fun creating those little rivalries. I'm sure they don't like us very much. We don't like them very much."
Having played three seasons for the Hurricanes (2017-2020) before signing with the Capitals as a free agent on Oct. 10, 2020, van Riemsdyk said he is looking forward to seeing the atmosphere.
"It will be great," said van Riemsdyk, who previously played two outdoor games with the Blackhawks.
"I've been to Carter-Finley once for a football game too, so it will be good. They've got a passionate fan base, so the extra seating probably they'll welcome it. It will be loud. It will be fun. Those outdoor games always are, and hopefully we can get the win."