The Carolina Hurricanes visit the Washington Capitals in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-1 lead in the series

The Hurricanes will go to Washington for Game 5 on Thursday with a chance to close out the second-round Stanley Cup playoff series, but expect to see Capitals’ best.

For part of Monday night, the Washington Capitals stunk. For other parts, they tried desperately to remain with the Carolina Hurricanes — and just about did. But think about that for a second. It feels as if the Capitals are merely trying to hold on to this second-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the tips of their fingernails as the Hurricanes rip it away from them.