Carolina Beats Washington 4-1 in NHL Stadium Series Game

The Carolina Hurricanes had never played in an outdoor NHL game until February 18th, when they hosted the Washington Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium, home of North Carolina State’s football team, in this season’s Stadium Series game. The Hurricanes didn’t have to go far; Carter-Finley is across the street from PNC Arena, the team’s normal home. These outdoor games in football or baseball stadiums allow for big crowds, and this was no exception with 56,961 on hand.

Carolina got off to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Hurricanes put it away with a three goal second period, with Paul Stastny, Martin Necas, and Teuvo Teravainen all putting the puck in the net. Tom Nelson scored Washington’s only goal in the third period. Frederick Andersen stopped 24 of 25 shots on goal for the Hurricanes to earn his 13th win of the season in Carolina’s 4-1 victory.

Carolina is having a great season, and improved to 37-10-8 with the win. The Hurricanes’ 82 points is second only to the Boston Bruins (89 points) in the NHL Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes will host the Bruins on March 26th; Carolina beat Boston in Raleigh on January 29th and lost in overtime in Boston on November 25th.