Much of the time between Games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Final was filled with speculation about whether Evgeny Kuznetsov would be healthy enough to participate come Saturday night.

The Washington Capitals' top-line pivot bore the brunt of a thunderous hit from Vegas Golden Knights blue-liner Brayden McNabb in Game 2, but looked no worse for wear in Game 3, playing a pivotal role throughout a dominant 3-1 win.

Kuznetsov was buzzing from the start of his first shift. He recorded an assist and scored the game-winning goal, and the Caps generated 51.52 percent of the shot attempts and 59 percent of the scoring chances when he was on the ice at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.

He's been a force throughout the postseason, leading all players with 27 points in 22 games, but perhaps his signature moment of the playoffs came in the second period, when his perfectly executed rush in transition led to a key insurance goal for the Capitals.

We'll break down what happened below. The entire play can be seen here.

The play started with the Capitals in good defensive-zone position, but they had a mishmash of players on the ice, as Kuznetsov (middle) is on with T.J. Oshie and Jay Beagle.

As part of Shea Theodore's rather rotten night, his stick broke on his shot, leading to an easy block for Oshie.

With two Golden Knights in pursuit, Oshie quickly chipped the puck to Beagle, who was in support. With Kuznetsov ahead of him, Beagle wisely deferred possession to the more skilled playmaker as the Capitals headed up ice with numbers in their favor.

After wading through the neutral zone unscathed, Kuznetsov scanned his options upon crossing the blue line. He's got Beagle charging hard to the net and Orlov under back pressure from David Perron, while Colin Miller monitors the middle of the ice.

With Marc-Andre Fleury now in the frame, Kuznetsov has to make his choice. Orlov is essentially a non-factor unless a rebound pops into the slot, so Kuznetsov can either shoot or attempt to feather a pass through Miller onto Beagle's tape. Note how far away he holds the puck from his body to keep Fleury guessing.

It's a good thing he opted to shoot.

With a quick change of his blade angle, Kuznetsov rifled a picture-perfect shot past Fleury that clanked off the post and in. Though Fleury cut down the angle well, Kuznetsov placed the puck under his blocker and over his pad - virtually the only spot where the acrobatic netminder couldn't reach it.

Kuznetsov's impact on the Capitals' lineup was crystal clear in Game 3, and it's plays like his game-winner that make his case for a potential Conn Smythe Trophy.

(Screenshots courtesy: NHL.com)

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WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals have traversed their share of uncharted territory this postseason - none more significant than playing a Stanley Cup Final game in D.C. for the first time in two decades.

It only made sense that Ovechkin, the face of the franchise, would score the opening goal.

“He’s very passionate, as everyone knows,” coach Barry Trotz said following Washington's 3-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. “It was the right thing in a playoff game, the first victory in the final, that Alex scores the first goal. Some poetic justice, if you will."

Ovechkin has always played the game with abandon, but since vanquishing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, freed from the failures and expectations of the past, he’s almost looked lighter, unburdened.

He scored 1:10 into the second period of the first June hockey game played in the nation’s capital since 1998, setting the tone for a decisive Game 3 win that gave the Caps a 2-1 series lead. Ovechkin threw the puck past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as he tripped over Brayden McNabb and after Fleury was unable to control John Carlson’s point blast.

“He was possessed out there,” Carlson said. “That’s a good way to put it, I think. He’s playing with passion and energy and joy and he’s a one-man wrecking crew. How committed he is. It’s the best he’s played in my opinion.”

It’s hard to argue with that. Ovechkin’s 14 goals are tied with John Druce for the most in franchise history in a single postseason. By the end of the game, Ovechkin had 13 shot attempts and five shots on goal. When he didn’t have the puck, he was trying to get it back. He was throwing hits and blocking shots. Nothing different, really, from what he’s done throughout the course of the Capitals’ improbable run to the final.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

“I feel like Ovi always has about 10 shots on goal halfway through the game, or he has the attempts at least,” center Lars Eller said. “He was pumped up. Everybody was pumped up today. I’m not surprised he scores a goal. He always wants to score, badly. I haven’t seen a different Ovi today than I have lately. He’s been on. But he always shows a lot of emotion at home, and that’s right.”

When Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 11:40 later on an odd-man rush to put Washington up 2-0, the reaction from the bench was instant. Ovechkin thrusted his hands in the air, threw his head back, and screamed. Eller embraced him.

“It's just automatic,” Ovechkin said. “You just get excited. If Holts makes a huge save you can just see the whole bench jump and get excited. It's huge moments for us. You just want to give emotion to your teammates and to yourself as well.”

Ovechkin’s “hot-stick” celebrations seem like a lifetime ago, but he’s never shied away from expressing his joy, for himself or his teammates, whether on the ice or on the bench. The Ovechkin who's finally getting to play in a Cup final is the same one he’s always been - everyone’s just paying attention now.

“He’s on another level,” Eller said. “Everyone kind of reacts to stuff differently and he’s always been that brash celebrator. It’s great to see and he’s as engaged as anyone could ever be, I think. It shows in his game and it shows in the effect that it has on the rest of us. He always shows his emotions when he scores, but he’ll be just as happy for somebody else scoring. He wants to win as bad as anyone.”

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals have traversed their share of uncharted territory this postseason - none more significant than playing a Stanley Cup Final game in D.C. for the first time in two decades.

It only made sense that Ovechkin, the face of the franchise, would score the opening goal.

“He’s very passionate, as everyone knows,” coach Barry Trotz said following Washington's 3-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. “It was the right thing in a playoff game, the first victory in the final, that Alex scores the first goal. Some poetic justice, if you will."

Ovechkin has always played the game with abandon, but since vanquishing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, freed from the failures and expectations of the past, he’s almost looked lighter, unburdened.

He scored 1:10 into the second period of the first June hockey game played in the nation’s capital since 1998, setting the tone for a decisive Game 3 win that gave the Caps a 2-1 series lead. Ovechkin threw the puck past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as he tripped over Brayden McNabb and after Fleury was unable to control John Carlson’s point blast.

“He was possessed out there,” Carlson said. “That’s a good way to put it, I think. He’s playing with passion and energy and joy and he’s a one-man wrecking crew. How committed he is. It’s the best he’s played in my opinion.”

It’s hard to argue with that. Ovechkin’s 14 goals are tied with John Druce for the most in franchise history in a single postseason. By the end of the game, Ovechkin had 13 shot attempts and five shots on goal. When he didn’t have the puck, he was trying to get it back. He was throwing hits and blocking shots. Nothing different, really, from what he’s done throughout the course of the Capitals’ improbable run to the final.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

“I feel like Ovi always has about 10 shots on goal halfway through the game, or he has the attempts at least,” center Lars Eller said. “He was pumped up. Everybody was pumped up today. I’m not surprised he scores a goal. He always wants to score, badly. I haven’t seen a different Ovi today than I have lately. He’s been on. But he always shows a lot of emotion at home, and that’s right.”

When Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 11:40 later on an odd-man rush to put Washington up 2-0, the reaction from the bench was instant. Ovechkin thrusted his hands in the air, threw his head back, and screamed. Eller embraced him.

“It's just automatic,” Ovechkin said. “You just get excited. If Holts makes a huge save you can just see the whole bench jump and get excited. It's huge moments for us. You just want to give emotion to your teammates and to yourself as well.”

Ovechkin’s “hot-stick” celebrations seem like a lifetime ago, but he’s never shied away from expressing his joy, for himself or his teammates, whether on the ice or on the bench. The Ovechkin who's finally getting to play in a Cup final is the same one he’s always been - everyone’s just paying attention now.

“He’s on another level,” Eller said. “Everyone kind of reacts to stuff differently and he’s always been that brash celebrator. It’s great to see and he’s as engaged as anyone could ever be, I think. It shows in his game and it shows in the effect that it has on the rest of us. He always shows his emotions when he scores, but he’ll be just as happy for somebody else scoring. He wants to win as bad as anyone.”

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Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik doesn't appear to have sustained an injury following a hit by Vegas Golden Knights forward James Neal that forced him to leave Game 3 midway through the third period.

"I'm not too concerned," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "He's fine."

Orpik left the ice following the hit, and some wondered whether he was undergoing the league's concussion protocol after hitting his face on the ice.

The veteran defender is a frequent critic of the analytics crowd, but there has been no denying his value this postseason. He's averaged nearly 17 minutes of ice time a game, while he's also chipped in a game-winning goal.

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It's safe to say Shea Theodore will have trouble sleeping tonight.

The Vegas Golden Knights' defenseman turned in a forgettable performance in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, making a handful of costly gaffes, and looked completely disengaged at times.

Here he is (No. 27 in white) on the Capitals' second goal of the game, fanning on the shot, then making a poor decision to pinch at the blue line, leading to Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal on an odd-man rush.

Seven minutes after his poorly-timed pinch, Theodore submits his candidate for worst play of the night. He gets absolutely worked here by Matt Niskanen. Either he wasn't aware Niskanen was right on his tail, or just assumed Marc-Andre Fleury would've came out earlier to play the puck. Either way, this lack of hustle drives a coach crazy, and it forced Fleury to take a desperation tripping penalty to save a goal.

After Braden Holtby's awful giveaway put the Golden Knights within one, Theodore decides to channel his inner Betty Crocker and cooks up a nice hot batch of turnovers. This one comes as the last man back, and leads directly to Devante Smith-Pelly's dagger.

Games such as this aren't uncommon for 22-year-old defensemen, but in the Stanley Cup Final, a performance such as this is magnified.

Theodore is one of the game's best young D-men and has a very bright future ahead. However, Vegas relies on him to play big minutes, so he'll need to be much better if the Golden Knights are going to come back in this series.

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WASHINGTON (AP) Alex Ovechkin went airborne, Evgeny Kuznetsov flapped his arms like a bird of prey and the Washington Capitals are flying high, just two wins away from winning the Stanley Cup.

Ovechkin dived to score his 14th goal of the playoffs and raised his arms in joy when Kuznetsov beat Marc-Andre Fleury and broke out his signature bird celebration in a second period the two Russians will long remember. Led by their two best players, the Capitals beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final.

Fired up in the first Cup Final game in Washington since 1998, the Capitals unloaded chance after chance on Fleury, who made 23 saves but couldn't backstop a frazzled, disjointed team that lost two games in a row for the first time in the playoffs. At the other end, Braden Holtby gifted Tomas Nosek a goal by giving the puck away but stopped the other 21 shots he faced from the Golden Knights, who looked nothing like the winners of 13 of their first 16 playoff games through the first three rounds.

The Golden Knights' historic run in its inaugural season is now in danger of coming to an end with Game 4 back in Washington on Monday night. The Capitals are seeking their first title in their 43-year history.

Holtby was there when the Capitals needed him, but they didn't need him much because they were on the attack for much of the game. Fleury stopped Ovechkin on a 2-on-1 rush early and the superstar captain was at his best early.

In his first home Cup Final game, Ovechkin attempted eight shots in the first period and scored a goal that seemed inevitable. It came 1:10 into the second period when Ovechkin went full-extension over Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb to reach the rebound and backhanded the puck past Fleury.

Ovechkin's 14th goal of the playoffs matched John Druce's franchise record set in 1990 and tied him for the league lead in these playoffs.

His joy overflowed on the bench when Kuznetsov showed his injured left arm is just fine by scoring on a perfect wrist shot on an odd-man rush. Ovechkin looked to the ceiling with his arms extended as he was hugged by Lars Eller.

''He's so emotional about playing for the Cup,'' coach Barry Trotz said of Ovechkin. ''You can tell by the expressions on his face all the time, his emotion. One thing you can see is Alex keeps his emotions on his sleeve. It's on the outside. It's not on the inside. You know exactly what he's thinking.''

Capitals fans who have watched heartbreak after playoff heartbreak easily could've been thinking the worst when Vegas scored early in the third period. Holtby - well-aware of the Golden Knights' ability to cross up opposing goaltenders - had his puck-handling attempt intercepted by Bellemare. The puck skittered to Nosek for an easy goal.

Vegas built some momentum, but Devante Smith-Pelly gave the Capitals an insurance goal with 6:07 left - his fourth of the playoffs - after Jay Beagle took the puck away from Shea Theodore on the forecheck and found his teammate skating in alone on Fleury.

''I've always loved the playoffs,'' Smith-Pelly said. ''I love scoring the big goals. I don't know what it is, but these kinds of games are the most fun to play in.''

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More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals

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The Arizona Coyotes want to make it very difficult for Oliver Ekman-Larsson to walk away from the desert.

Following a report last month that indicated the two sides are discussing an eight-year extension worth north of $8 million a season, it's fair to say the team is pulling out all the stops to re-sign its star blue-liner.

"We've been very clear that we're willing to do whatever we possibly can to have him come back," Coyotes general manager John Chayka told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com. "(We) think he's a heck of a defenseman, heck of a player, heck of a person.

"Really believe in him and what he can bring to our team. Trying to get something done to lock him up long, long term. Build around him and really put together a team he deserves."

Moves to appease OEL started last season, when the Coyotes recruited Ekman-Larsson's brother, Kevin, to suit up for their minor-league club.

The team also acquired fellow Swedish defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson from the Chicago Blackhawks, a move that came at Ekman-Larsson's request.

Ekman-Larsson has spent his entire career with the Coyotes, tallying 290 points in 576 games. He finished last season with 14 goals and 28 assists across 82 appearances.

The 26-year-old is entering the last year of his current contract that carries a $5.5-million cap hit. He can re-sign with Arizona as soon as July 1.

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Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back in the lineup for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kuznetsov left early into Game 2 with an upper-body injury after he was on the receiving end of a hit by Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb.

On Saturday morning, the Capitals forward took part in pregame line rushes in his usual spot between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.

Kuznetsov sits atop the playoff scoring race with 25 points in 21 games.

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