It could have turned out to be the night when Aliaksei Protas became the Washington Capitals’ savior. Instead, the Carolina Hurricanes poured a bucket of cold water on all the anticipation. Naturally, the Caps’ 24-year-old center couldn’t be more gutted.
In Game 1 between the Caps and the Canes of the second round of the 2025 playoffs, Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring when his clean shot found the visitors’ net, beating Carolina’s Frederik Andersen. It was the first-ever career postseason goal by the Belarusian national, and his teammates didn’t fail to celebrate the moment with thunderous jubilation. And yet, the ecstatic feeling soon changed as Carolina ran away with the game with a 2-1 OT win. Aliaksei was, for obvious reasons, left with a long face.
In an X post by the official Washington Capitals’ account, Aliaksei Protas was heard talking about how things unfolded at the Capital One Arena tonight. In the post-game interview, Protas flatly said, “The way we played tonight, I don’t think it was good enough to win“. This was Aliaksei’s first action after a skate injury kept him off the ice for 10 games straight. Understandably, being handed a defeat upon his return was a tough pill to swallow.
But being the seasoned athlete he is, Protas knows there’s a long way to go before the best-of-seven-game series concludes. “Frustrating, but we know we’ll get better,” Aliaksei said, with gleaming eyes.
“It’s only the first game … We have a second game on Thursday. We’ve got to be ready. It’s only the start—frustrating, but we know we’ll get better.”
Aliaksei Protas after scoring the series-opening goal in tonight’s contest with the Hurricanes.#CapsCanes pic.twitter.com/IRXnFhfbZ8
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 7, 2025
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