Rare slip for Knights
LAS VEGAS — Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant for months talked about his team’s hard work, ability to battle and their devotion to playing a full “200 feet of hockey.”
In pockets of Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, the Golden Knights were surprisingly outworked, outbattled and outhustled in losing 3-2 to the Capitals. Game 3 is Saturday night in Washington and the Knights are going to need to up the energy level even further in a frantic series with scoring chances galore.
The Knights outshot the Capitals 39-26, but the hustle stats in Game 2 went to the Caps, who handed the expansion club just its second home loss of the postseason.
The Capitals had 18 blocked shots to eight for the Knights, helping goaltender Braden Holtby turn things around.
He allowed five goals in the opener but was sublime in Game 2 as he made 37 saves — none bigger than stopping Alex Tuch with the paddle of his stick in a sprawling move with just 1:59 left.
The Capitals also showed their mettle on the penalty kill, limiting the Golden Knights to a single goal in four attempts — including a 5-on-3 on the third period.
“You’ve got to try and capitalize on those,” Knights defenseman Luca Sbisa said. “It’s just one of those games, even at the end, with Tuchy having that chance. Most of times it goes in. It’s just one of those games.”
And while the Capitals outhit the Golden Knights, 46-39, it was some of the Knights’ bigger hits that ignited the Capitals in the second period.
The Knights’ defenseman Brayden McNabb hammered the Capitals’ first-line forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, sending him to the dressing room with a little more than five minutes left in the first period. He didn’t return.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who said Kuznetsov’s status for Game 3 was unclear, said that hit was the key moment in the game for his team.
“It galvanized us as a group, I think it might be a turning point for us,” Trotz said.
With Kuznetsov out, Trotz added Nicklas Backstrom to his top line with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. And 5:38 into the second period, with the game tied at 1-1 and the Capitals on a power play, Ovechkin scored his first career Stanley Cup Final goal to give the Capitals the lead.
“I think they got energy from that, I think they were pissed off, that’s how sports go,” Knights forward Erik Haula said. “You see one of your best players go down and you’re pissed off, that’s part of it. It’s no excuse for us. Bottom line is we were right in that game I think, it was right there for us to grab, we just came short.”