Walker, Svechnikov score late as Hurricanes push Capitals to brink of elimination in 5-2 win

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sean Walker cut to the middle of the ice and beat Logan Thompson for a critical late goal, then Andrei Svechnikov followed with an empty-net clincher to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Carolina improved to 5-0 at home in the playoffs and can clinch a second trip to the Eastern Conference final in three years by winning Game 5 in Washington on Thursday.

“If I'm just honest with how I feel about it, I thought our first two games (on the road) might've been better than some of these games — just the chances we've given up, a little too much here for me,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “But obviously at this time of year, it's about results. I like where we're at, that's for sure.”

Walker's score was a big one, coming after the Capitals had pulled to within 3-2 on Alex Ovechkin's one-timer blast on a 5-on-3 power play with about eight minutes left. It started on a puck battle and the unusual sight of Washington's Rasmus Sandin skating in only to get the blade of his stick stuck in a gap along the boards, allowing Taylor Hall to collect the puck and flip a pass to the surging Walker up the left side.

Walker hesitated to cut behind Jack Roslovic and score at the 16:45 mark to push the lead back to 4-2, marking his first career postseason goal.

Svechnikov followed with his seventh postseason goal shortly after the Capitals pulled Thompson, the capper after Carolina twice led by two goals but had to hold on through the final 10 minutes.

“I think as a whole, we kind of kept our composure,” Walker said. “Didn't really panic, just stuck to our systems.”

Hall, Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen carried a shutout into the third before finishing with 19 saves.

Just as importantly, the Hurricanes twice responded as the Capitals inched within a goal in the third. Hall's score on a 1-on-1 chance came less than three minutes after Jakob Chychrun had brought the Capitals to within 2-1, sprung on a long pass from Roslovic after he was slow coming back and Washington's defense lost track of him.

Walker's score came about 4 1/2 minutes after Ovechkin's goal.

Ovechkin's blast got the NHL's career goals leader on the scoresheet for the first time this series. Thompson finished with 32 saves.

“We're giving ourselves some opportunities, we're just not executing, making the play, whatever you want to call it,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “And making some mistakes — and they're capitalizing.”

To that point, the Eastern Conference's top seed got a quick start after a Game 3 shutout, starting with Connor McMichael getting a 1-on-1 chance on Andersen in the opening minute. Aliaksei Protas followed by ringing the right post shortly after.

Washington also managed just one shot on goal during a 4-minute power play, the first 3 1/2 minutes of those coming to close the first period.

“Their penalty kill is excellent, best in the league, has been for the last, whatever, five years call it,” Carbery said. “But it can't look like that. It cannot look like that.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes' Taylor Hall (71) celebrates his goal with teammate Jack Roslovic (96) during the third period of Game 4 of second-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Robinson (50) battles for the puck with Washington Capitals' Nic Dowd (26) with Hurricanes' Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) nearby during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven (22) has his shot blocked by Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson (43) controls the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) during the second Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sean Walker (26) controls the puck in front of Washington Capitals' Connor McMichael (24) during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

Today, a leading global wedding technology platform The Knot Worldwide (TKWW), announced the appointment of Michael Pickrum as Chief Financial Officer. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic finance, operations, and business development within the media and technology industries, Pickrum will oversee TKWW’s global finance organization. Pickrum joins TKWW at an exciting moment as the company celebrates its 30-year anniversary and continues to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112910392/en/

Pickrum joins TKWW from Maximum Effort, the media, marketing, and investment company co-founded by Ryan Reynolds, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Before this, he held the roles of COO and CFO at ExecOnline, Inc., a B2B online leadership development company. Pickrum spent over 17 years at BET/Viacom, where he served as EVP and CFO starting in 2007. Prior to that, he was COO of BET Interactive. He earned his master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from The Wharton School.

“I am thrilled to be joining TKWW at such an important time in the company’s journey,” said Michael Pickrum, CFO, TKWW. “There is incredible power in celebrations and I am looking forward to working with the exceptional team at TKWW to further enable our millions of couples and 900,000 small business owners around the world to celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.”

“Michael is a world-class financial and operations leader with an impressive track record of driving strategic growth and operational excellence across media and technology companies,” said Raina Moskowitz, CEO, TKWW. “As we continue to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation, Michael’s deep expertise in strategic planning, analysis, and capital allocation will be critical to our ongoing success. We are thrilled to have him join our team and help guide TKWW through our next phase of growth.”

Pickrum is based in New York, NY and reports to TKWW Chief Executive Officer Raina Moskowitz.

About The Knot Worldwide
Across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, The Knot Worldwide champions the power of celebration. The company’s global family of brands provides best-in-class products, services, and content to take celebration planning from inspiration to action. Through its wedding brands, including The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Hitched.co.uk, Mariages.net, Matrimonio.com, and others, the company offers an extensive database of hundreds of thousands of wedding professionals to assist couples in organizing the happiest day of their lives. We have a brand for every kind of celebration—from booking a birthday party, to planning a wedding, to preparing to become a parent, and every moment in between.

Michael Pickrum, courtesy of The Knot Worldwide