WASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Capitals are one win away from the first championship in their 43-year history after routing the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly all scored in the first period to get the Capitals rolling against a determined Vegas team that had no answers early against Braden Holtby, who stopped 28 shots in another strong showing. The desperate Golden Knights outchanced the Capitals by a wide margin but fell apart after James Neal clanked a shot off the post instead of hitting a wide-open net early, and the expansion team's Cinderella run could be over in a matter of days.
Evgeny Kuznetsov dished out four assists and John Carlson, Michal Kempny and Brett Connolly also scored as thunderous chants of ''We want the Cup! We want the Cup!'' rang out from the crowd.
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will get their first chance to hoist the Cup in Game 5 on Thursday night back in Las Vegas. No team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1942 has blown a 3-1 lead in the Cup Final.
The Capitals seem to be getting enough bounces to make up for nine previous first- or second-round playoff exits in the Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom era - and plenty more disappointments in the previous decades, too.
While Vegas rang several shots off the posts, the Capitals seized just about every opportunity as they have throughout this surprising run. Kuznetsov padded his lead as the playoffs' leading scorer with primary assists on Oshie's power-play goal that made it 1-0 and Wilson's that doubled the lead.
Smith-Pelly, who scored the insurance goal to ice Game 3, kicked the puck from his left skate to his stick and roofed a shot on Marc-Andre Fleury with 20.5 seconds left in the first period. Fleury came into the final as the Conn Smythe front-runner for playoff MVP honors but looked human again by allowing six goals on 23 shots at a defense that has often left him vulnerable.
Kuznetsov leads all playoff scorers with 31 points, Ovechkin is tied for the goal lead with 14 and Holtby showed again Monday his ability to alter the course of a game.
Holtby got some good fortune from the post on shots by Alex Tuch, Neal and Brayden McNabb. But he also made a handful of big saves early when the Golden Knights came out with a furious approach.
By the time Vegas got third-period goals from Neal and Reilly Smith it was too late.
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Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov joined an elite group thanks to his third three-plus-point effort of the playoffs Monday night.
The 26-year-old's third assist of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final gave him 30 points this postseason, making him just the fifth player to hit that mark in the last 21 years.
Kuznetsov fifth player this century with 30 points in one playoff...Malkin 36 (08-09), Crosby 31 (08-09), Briere 30 (09-10), Couture 30 (15-16).
Kuznetsov now has a four-point cushion over teammate Alex Ovechkin for the top spot in the playoff scoring race. He's also jumped into 10th place on the Capitals' career playoff scoring list.
In a crucial contest that can either give the Capitals a 3-1 series lead or allow the Golden Knights to even the series heading back to Vegas, Washington made a statement by scoring three times in the first 20 minutes.
T.J. Oshie opened the scoring midway through the first period, before Evgeny Kuznetsov gave Tom Wilson a perfect feed for the second goal roughly six minutes later. And just when the Golden Knights thought they could escape the frame down only two, Devante Smith-Pelly buried a beautiful dish from Alex Ovechkin with just 21 seconds remaining.
Making matters worse for the Golden Knights was that James Neal had missed a wide-open net earlier in the period that would have given them a 1-0 lead.
While a three-goal advantage is far from safe with 40 minutes to play, the Caps are in the driver's seat heading into the second period.
Perron, who didn't take part in pregame warmup, had a career-high 66 points in 70 regular-season contests this year, but has failed to find the back of the net in 14 playoff games, compiling eight assists.
The 30-year-old is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
While the Stanley Cup Final may be in full swing, NHL referee Garrett Rank has another tournament on his mind.
The 30-year-old qualified for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinneock Hills after tying for first place in a qualifying event at Ansley Golf Club in Rosewell, Ga., on Monday.
"Was next to the best players in the world on the ice ... next week I get to play with the best golfers in the world," Rank told theScore contributor Adam Stanley. "It's a pretty cool life I'm living right now."
Rank, who became a full-time ref in 2014, shot 2-under over 36 holes at one of the 12 regional qualifying tournaments on Monday.
Roman Josi wasn't going to let an injury stop him from going for gold.
The talented Nashville Predators defenseman broke his hand in Switzerland's semifinal victory over Canada at the World Championship in May and played through it in the gold-medal game loss to Sweden, Switzerland head coach Patrick Fischer told Swiss radio station SRF on Sunday, as translated by Swiss Hockey News.
The Swiss national team had to ask the Predators for permission to dress Josi for the final, in which it fell to Sweden in a shootout.
Josi assisted on both of Switzerland's goals in regulation and logged more than 29 minutes of ice time in the championship game.
He chose to represent his home country at the tourney in Denmark after the Winnipeg Jets eliminated the Predators in the Western Conference semifinal.
Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge that he harassed a 19-year-old hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo last week, according to The Canadian Press.
Lee was granted permission to re-enter Canada on Monday after being arrested and having his passport confiscated following the alleged incident last Wednesday.
He faces a possible fine and up to 15 days in jail if convicted. His next court date is June 22.
Lee was in Buffalo with the Senators for the NHL's scouting combine.
On the strength of back-to-back wins from the Washington Capitals, the complexion of the Stanley Cup Final has shifted drastically.
The back-and-forth drama and theatrics of an epic Game 1 have become an afterthought, as for virtually the first time all season, the Vegas Golden Knights appear to be on the ropes.
The expansion team of destiny will quickly point to the thumping it received from the Winnipeg Jets to open the Western Conference Final as a similar experience of adversity - one the Golden Knights quickly overcame, reeling off four consecutive victories to reach this point.
Now, Vegas needs another bounce-back performance to make the final a best-of-three heading back to Sin City. Here are three areas where the club needs to show improvement Monday night to ensure that happens (all advanced stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick).
The second line
By this point in any playoff series, players are pretty familiar with who they'll draw for the majority of their matchups. For the Golden Knights' second line - composed of Erik Haula, James Neal, and David Perron - things haven't gone well against Alex Ovechkin and Co.
Outperforming the greatest goal-scorer of his generation as he looks to win the first Stanley Cup of his legendary career isn't exactly an easy task, but Vegas' trio needs to find a way to push back.
The Golden Knights' second line has combined for just one goal and three high-danger scoring chances all series. Head coach Gerard Gallant seems cognizant of that, as Alex Tuch will join the second line and Tomas Tatar appears set to replace Perron for Game 4.
For Vegas' sake, it better work.
Not-so-Wild Bill
(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)
As Vegas' second line struggles, the performance of the top unit of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, and Jonathan Marchessault becomes paramount to the Golden Knights' chances of winning. However, the trio's most potent goal-scorer hasn't found a way to make a grand impact just yet.
Aside from a goal in Game 1, Karlsson has been held pointless, and only mustered two shots on goal at five-on-five through three contests - including a goose egg Saturday night.
Marchessault and Smith have produced seven and three high-danger chances, respectively, to Karlsson's one. The Golden Knights' 43-goal man needs to be better if one of the most relentless lines in hockey is going to make a difference Monday in Washington.
Drive the net
In Game 1, the Golden Knights produced quality chance after quality chance - 24 in total, 14 of which were classified as high-danger at five-on-five.
Since, Vegas has 14 high-danger chances combined, and only three goals over two games. The Capitals' defensive corps deserves some credit for adjusting and keeping the Golden Knights' chances to the perimeter, but Braden Holtby isn't going to be solved by shots from the outside, and the onus is on Gallant's crew to change that.
Since Day 1 of this dream season, the Golden Knights' mandate has been to force opponents back with their speed, converting on their chances from dangerous areas along the way. After being bottled up for two consecutive contests, Vegas needs to push the pace and return to what's worked for 100 games so far.
The Vegas Golden Knights will shake things up for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, as winger Tomas Tatar confirmed he will draw into the lineup for the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.
It's not clear who he'll replace, though it appears David Perron will be the odd man out, according to multiple reports.
The Golden Knights acquired Tatar at the trade deadline and he's registered one goal in six playoff appearances so far.
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Prospects at the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine were faced with a wide variety of questions in their formal team interviews. That last one came from the Washington Capitals, and the number of prospects who got it right hovered between very few to none. The Capitals informed prospects they would learn the correct answer if they were drafted by Washington.
Formal interviews are the toughest and perhaps most important part of the combine. While the fitness testing provides teams with information moving forward - shining a light on areas that need improvement, which teams can then use to create a plan for those players going into camp and beyond - the interviews allow teams to get to know players in a different setting.
Many prospects noted Saturday that they’d spoken to upward of 20 teams, with some interviewing with all but one or two. Serron Noel of the Oshawa Generals had 10 interviews on his first day alone. (Noel also said that he likes being yelled at during the Wingate bike test, which will make some NHL strength and conditioning coach very happy one day.)
In addition to the formal team interviews and grueling physical testing, prospects had to deal with questions from the media. Here’s what we learned about some of the prospects who likely won’t go in the first round this year, but will be assets to whichever team drafts them.
C Blade Jenkins, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
In May 2017, Jenkins chose to leave the U.S. National Team Development Program, forgoing his scholarship at the University of Michigan and joining the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.
"I think for me just kinda looking at it and seeing major-junior kinda fit my style of game and style of play a little bit more than others,” Jenkins said of what drove his decision to move to the OHL. "You’re developing and you’re playing against high-end draft picks. You’re playing against first- and second-rounders, and I think that kinda gives you a little bit of a taste of what it’s gonna take to get to the next level."
Jenkins is ranked 26th among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and is on the younger side of this year’s draft class - he won’t turn 18 until August. He has areas of his game that require improvement moving forward including his skating, a fact of which he is well aware. Jenkins said he plans to develop his speed this summer, working both in the weight room and on the ice.
When asked who he models his game after, if anyone, Jenkins said he tries to play like Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.
"He’s a big body and his hockey IQ I think is what sets him apart, and his playmaking ability," Jenkins said. "That’s kinda what I like to bring to the table as well, to make others around me better, whether that’s them putting up a couple goals and me being able to give it to them.”
C Ty Dellandrea, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Dellandrea’s draft year came with the challenge of balancing a successful personal season with a disappointing team campaign. While Dellandrea finished the year with 59 points in 67 games, the Flint Firebirds finished second-to-last in the league, ahead of only the Sudbury Wolves.
Dellandrea is ranked 25th among North American skaters by Central Scouting, and showed great perspective when asked why he thought that he was on the verge of being considered a first-rounder, but not quite there.
"I think maybe I started taking this game and my career seriously a little bit later than others," Dellandrea said. "Some guys have been doing this for years and years, even from a little kid. I might’ve started hockey a bit later."
He played multiple sports when he was younger including volleyball and lacrosse, which took up some time in summer he might’ve otherwise spent training for hockey.
"I think the past three summers, even two summers I’ve grown a ton in my play and in my size so I think with me I just have a lot of potential," Dellandrea said. “I’m gonna keep growing, whereas some other guys uh, you know maybe have already figured out - figured this out already. I think I got a lot of room to grow and to rise."
While he understands it will take time and training, Dellandrea does see himself as eventually becoming a No. 1 center at the next level. He said he tries to model his game after Jonathan Toews.
"I think my ability to play an all-around game," Dellandrea said when asked about his strengths. "I take pride in playing a strong defensive game as well as offensive so I like to use my shot and my speed to my advantage."
C Jack McBain, Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL)
For McBain, the decision to play another year of Junior A and then head to Boston College this fall, rather than taking the major-junior route, was not one he made lightly.
"I had the opportunity to go watch a Michigan game and I really fell in love with college hockey, kind of everything about it," McBain said. "I think at that time and right now, I think it’s the best thing for my game, I think going there and playing against guys that’s 25 years old, basically men, I mean I think that’ll really benefit me in the future."
When asked what aspects of his game he feels are the strongest, McBain said he’s a strong two-way player with a high hockey IQ, and that he uses his size well. He also said that while he’s a good skater, that’s an area where he can still improve.
"You know, I think when I’m in stride I can skate with anybody," McBain said. "For me though, I’ve been working on my first three strides, and getting quicker and more explosive and agile."
McBain was a member of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in 2017, and also represented Canada at this year’s Under-18 World Championships. What NHL jersey he’ll don in Dallas remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him off the board by the middle of the second round.
