Martin Necas had a goal and two assists to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 on a memorable night in their first NHL Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series outdoor game.
STATEment Win! pic.twitter.com/nM0BukZNIf
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 19, 2023
The NHL’s 37th outdoor game was a celebration of the uniqueness of Carolina hockey, featuring a college game-day atmosphere complete with tailgating, a marching band, and a buzzing sellout crowd of about 56,961 at North Carolina State’s college football team’s home.
WHAT A NIGHT pic.twitter.com/GDyBW2TMaM
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 19, 2023
The Hurricanes, marking their 25th anniversary season, became the 28th team in the NHL to play in an outdoor game.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Paul Stastny and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for the home team, which completed a three-game season sweep of their Metropolitan Division foe.
Carolina finished with a 10th win in 11 games.
This was for you, Caniacs ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vbePNGZ1Fh
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 19, 2023
Temperatures hit the 70s for multiple days earlier in the week, while rain arrived to delay Friday’s practices, but conditions were optimal Saturday: clear and chilly all day, with temperatures dipping into the low 40s by the puck drop and high 30s by the final horn.
North Carolina showed out 👏 pic.twitter.com/mgUx0ft5Vk
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 19, 2023
Tom Wilson scored midway through the third period for Washington, who suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
The Capitals are still missing captain and leading goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin, who is away after the death of his father.
The Hurricanes host the St. Louis Blues while the Capitals host Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
![Hurricanes down Capitals in first NHL Stadium Series outdoor game 2 YouTube player](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/53DKC7237OI/maxresdefault.jpg)