Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin came out firing, the Carolina Hurricanes surged and the Washington Capitals showed why they're the defending Stanley Cup champions when it mattered most. Backstrom and Ovechkin combined to score three goals on the first eight shots before 19-year-old rookie Andrei Svechnikov led a furious third-period comeback. But Backstrom blocked a couple of shots in the final minutes, Braden Holtby made 27 saves and Washington held on to beat Carolina 4-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of their first-round series. Read more http://www.espn.com/nhl/recap?gameId=401126327
