As the minutes ticked away between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes were running away with an important victory. A win over the C

Alex Ovechkin scored his 892nd career goal, moving him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, but rookie Jackson Blake scored twice to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Wednesday night and clinch a playoff spot.

The Carolina Hurricanes punched their ticket to the postseason, defeating the Washington Capitals in a hot-blooded 5-1 blowout Wednesday night at Lenovo Center.

Despite a 5-1 loss and a less-than-impressive showing against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Washington Capitals weren't going to leave Raleigh quietly.

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Alex Ovechkin needs four goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record. What to know about Capitals vs. Hurricanes game today:

McIlrath, the Capitals’ 6-foot-5, 232-pound defenseman used his reach advantage early to pull Viel’s helmet off. But despite giving way three inches and 19 pounds, Viel got inside and eventually separated McIlrath from his headwear too.

At 72 ft x 32 ft, the 2,300 square foot Capitals Rink at Hi-Lawn is the largest outdoor rooftop synthetic rink in the nation. The rink’s vast size allows for general skating while alsoencouraging hockey play with hockey sticks, pucks and goals available to skaters.

Alex Ovechkin pulled within four goals of setting the NHL goal-scoring mark, but it was third-period tallies by Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson that sent Boston to defeat.