The first period belonged to the Canes - in the possesion game if not on the scoreboard. In the second, Connor McMichael broke the tedium by beating Brandon Bussi backhand to make it 1-0, but Nik Ehlers tied it up with a lucky bounce before the period was up. Halfway into the third, and to cap off a strong forechecking shift, Nic Dowd redirected Rasmus Sandin's flawless pass to give the Caps the lead.