The Washington Capitals accomplished some rare feats Wednesday. On the road, they scored first, opened a multi-goal lead and held on for a victory. Friday, the Caps hope to do it again against the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center.
In a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, Washington held a lead longer than they had in their previous 13 road games combined en route to just its second win in its last seven on the road. Mathieu Perreault, Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechkin scored the Caps, while Michal Neuvirth made 31 saves in his first start of 2012.
The Caps and 'Canes will meet for the fourth time this season and second time in a week; the Caps defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 Sunday at Verizon Center. Washington has won all three prior meetings this season.
Carolina enter Friday's game losers of two straight. After Sunday's loss to the Caps, the Hurricanes lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday.