The Washington Capitals entered Friday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes on the heels of controversy. Yet, in Hurricanes country, the winds of change hardly blew.
Despite trailing 1-0 early, the Caps scored five unanswered goals to win the first of back-to-back games this weekend in a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Anthony Stewart's deflection gave Carolina a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Jeff Halpern and Troy Brouwer scored 69 seconds apart in the second to give Washington the lead for good. In the third period, John Carlson's blast from the point on the power play extended the Caps' lead to 3-1. Cody Eakin, who earned his first career NHL point with an assist on Brouwer's goal, scored his first career NHL goal on a 2-on-1 with Alexander Semin to make it 4-1. Nicklas Backstrom capped off the game when he scored his third goal in two games to give the Caps a 5-1 lead.
Michal Neuvirth made 24 saves for the victory in his second start of the season.
The Caps will now head to Long Island to play the New York Islanders Saturday at Nassau Coliseum.