After splitting the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes at home, the Washington Capitals headed to Raleigh for their first road test of the second round. Awaiting them will be a loud Lenovo Center where the Hurricanes don’t tend to lose many games.

The Capitals faced a similar, perhaps even more daunting test in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens at the raucous Bell Centre. Caps head coach Spencer Carbery believes that experience, which included a road win in Game 4, will help his team against the Hurricanes.

“I think the experience of playing in Montreal, the noise, everything that goes with playing in a hostile environment, I think we can lean on those experiences, and hopefully we do a better job handling that,” Carbery said Friday. “Remember Game 3, first round, getting comfortable in that, but Game 4 was much better in Montreal. So, we will rely on some of that experience of playing in, you could argue, two of the most difficult buildings – Montreal and Carolina – in the League. So, it’s good we can rely on that experience.”

The Hurricanes went 31-9-1 at home in the regular season and won all three of their home games against the New Jersey Devils in the first round. They last dropped a game at home on April 13 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

During the regular season, only the Los Angeles Kings matched the Hurricanes with 31 home wins. The Capitals themselves have not beaten the Hurricanes on the road since a 2-1 shootout victory on December 17, 2023. Carolina also did not lose a single home game against the Caps during the two teams’ 2019 playoff series (3-0).

The Hurricanes’ home crowd is fueled by the team’s relentless five-on-five strategy of putting consistent pressure on their opposition’s net. The Capitals were overwhelmed by that pressure in Game 1 of the series, but they handled it far better in Game 2, and Carbery believes they can still reach another level in Game 3 despite the hostile environment.

“I have a lot of belief in our group and I feel like Game 1 to Game 2 and significant parts of Game 2, you can see us getting to the level that we’re going to need to play at, and it’s going to even get a little bit more difficult going on the road,” Carbery said. “I know the guys can feel it as well and have confidence that they understand that, ‘Okay, we got this series back to square one.’

“And now going on the road for two, and them having home ice advantage, the challenge increases a little bit. That means that we’re going to have to beat that challenge. Our game and the things that we’re doing on the ice for 60 minutes is going to have to be better. And I think they know that, have embraced that. I genuinely believe we can play better. So hopefully that comes to fruition in Game 3.”

In their two road games at the Lenovo Center earlier this year, the Capitals saw just 33.3 percent of shot attempts, 34.5 percent of expected goals, and 38.7 percent of scoring chances. They were outscored 9-3 in the two losses.

The Capitals will need a much better effort in Game 3 to take a lead in the series. Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm.