Washington Capitals face Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Capitals are back on the ice Thursday night in hopes of defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5.

The breakdown:

As an organization, the Washington Capitals have orchestrated what some would describe as a dream season. 

From Alex Ovechkin becoming the NHL's all-time goals-scoring leader to the Caps finishing with the best record in the Eastern conference, coupled with the team advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018. But if Washington doesn't find a way to win tonight, the dream will have come to an end.

It's game five of the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes' best-of-seven series, and after taking games 3 and 4 at home, the Canes hold a suffocating 3-1 lead. In game three, Carolina staved off the Caps' strong start to ultimately win a shutout. In game four, the Hurricanes flexed their collective muscle from the start, holding on for a 5-2 victory. 

Capitals win game 2 over Hurricanes

The Washington Capitals won game two in their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night as they chase the Stanley Cup.

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And that brings us to tonight. The Washington Capitals are facing elimination. A team that has defied the odds all season long now has the inevitable task of needing to win three games in a row to advance to the conference finals. In what has already been a season, the likes of which could be the plot of a blockbuster movie script, pulling off that task would be a fitting ending. But this is the NHL playoffs, not a Hollywood movie set. The Caps must claw back against the Canes, one game at a time. 

The Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Capital One arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and it's win or go home.