Justin Faulk scored midway through the second period Adam Larsson Jersey , and Carolina beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Friday night to remain in the postseason race.It was the fourth win in five games for the Hurricanes, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. Carolina must win its final four games while Florida and
New Jersey lose their remaining games in regulation to play beyond the regular
season.Asked if the playoffs were a realistic goal, Peters answered tersely: ”No.” But Peters believes there are genuine incentives for his team.”You’ve got to play,” he said. ”These guys are pros. You’re paid to play.”Metropolitan Division-leading Washington had won five in a row. Michal Kempny scored his first goal with the Capitals after he was acquired in a February
trade with Chicago.”We’ve been playing great the last month,” Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly said. ”I don’t want to say this was expected, but a game like this
maybe was going to happen eventually. It was probably better tonight than
Sunday.”Washington visits Pittsburgh on Sunday, and the teams have a long history.”Overall, obviously we don’t like those guys,” Smith-Pelly said. ”It’s a huge game. We’ll be back.”Carolina goaltender Scott Darling stopped 20 shots, and Braden Holtby had 26 saves for Washington.Capitals coach Barry Trotz thought his team was simply outplayed.”This league is way too good if you have a little bit of an off-night or you’re not on your `A’ game, this league can humble you in a very hard way and a
quick way,” Trotz said. ”We didn’t have enough invested. We didn’t have enough
guys pulling on the rope.”Kempny put the Capitals in front at 2:35 of the second Youth Jake McCabe Jersey , but Carolina’s Derek Ryan quickly responded. He beat Holtby for his 14th goal at 3:15.”There’s pride on the line,” Ryan said. ”We’re not quite in the playoff race. We’re not eliminated, but we realize where we’re at. We’re just continuing to
play our game. We’re not thinking about it. We have four games, so we’re going
to make those games count.”Faulk’s eighth goal of the season put the Hurricanes ahead to stay at 11:43. It was Faulk’s first goal since he scored three times in a 7-3 victory over the
Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 13.Sebastian Aho’s 28th goal at 14:36 of the third made it 3-1, and Brock McGinn added an empty-netter at 17:50.NOTES: Trotz said he enjoyed the story of emergency goalie Scott Foster’s outstanding performance for Chicago on Thursday night. Trotz doesn’t know who
the Capitals’ emergency goalies are. ”I just know that we have them,” Trotz
said. ”Someone has a phone book with numbers. If you need a goalie, you start
phoning. … I’d like to meet them, just not on our bench.” … Washington F Lars
Eller played in his 600th career game. . Capitals F T.J. Oshie, who had an
assist on Kempny’s goal, logged just 14 minutes of playing time, his lowest
since Dec. 30. Trotz said Oshie was being checked for an injury, but wouldn’t
comment on its specifics. … Carolina D Jaccob Slavin had two assists.UP NEXTHurricanes: Host New York Rangers on SaturdayCapitals: Visit Pittsburgh on Sunday—The first time Michael Porter Jr. actually talked to anyone from the Denver Nuggets was Thursday at the NBA draft. He didn’t think there was any
need Cory Schneider Jersey , and neither did the Nuggets.The fact that he was available at No. 14 surprised both parties, regardless of Porter’s well-documented back and recent hip issues.The oft-injured forward thinks he shook hands with someone from the Nuggets after his pro day workout. He said the first time he spoke to someone from the
organization was when he was drafted, either the general manager or the owner
-he’s not sure who it was.Still, he made enough of an impression for the Nuggets brain trust to make him the last lottery pick selected on Thursday night.“I’m not going to lie to you, I was stressed out,” Porter said. “All that stress was overcome by joy the moment I got called, no matter what number it
was. It’s been my dream since I was a kid.“At the end of the day, the draft is a number and I wasn’t going to let an ego get in the way of my joy. I’m happy to be where I’m at and I feel like it’s
the perfection situation for me.”Albeit an unexpected situation.Everything Porter knew about the Nuggets was hearsay – “a great city, a great organization.” He didn’t invest much of his time prior to the draft getting to
know the team.“Honestly, the teams at the very, very top of the draft told me last week I was their guy, they were going to take me Brock McGinn Jersey Kids ,” Porter said. “Then the hip episode happened, and then doctors got involved and they got score. So once one team gets scared,
a lot of them get scared.”That’s how he dropped.Porter also had the back history as a red flag. He played only three games at Missouri, 53 minutes total. He sustained a back injury and had to undergo
surgery. Then, the hip happened during the draft process and he cancelled a
recent workout.Knowing some teams considered him a gamble, maybe even a risk, Porter just wanted to go somewhere that believed in him, which is apparently Denver.“I consider it a blessing,” Porter said, “because maybe the team I was going to go to at the top wasn’t the right team for me.”Right or wrong, it will cost him. Porter is guaranteed $2.4 million. First-pick Deandre Ayton will get at least $6.7 million.Many fans at Barclays Center wanted Porter to go earlier, specifically ninth. As soon as the New York Knicks were on the clock Tanner Pearson Jersey , chants of Porter’s name broke out. Porter looked over to a crowd of fans on his left and smiled.Both parties were disappointed when Commissioner Adam Silver announced Kevin Knox’s name instead.“That’s just motivation,” Knox said. “A lot of people want him to get to the Knicks, but I mean, it’s all good with me. . They can chant Michael Porter all
they want. But they got Kevin Knox, and I’m willing to work and I’m willing to
get better.”And Porter is going to do the same – for the Nuggets.Porter can’t wait to prove every team that passed on him wrong. He’s not concerned about his health. And he plans to show that no one else should be
worried either.Well, except his competitors.“For me, we’re all in the NBA now,” Porter said. “We’ll see who are the best players, and we’ll see who should have been the top draft picks.”— Authentic New England Patriots Jerseys
