Holtby’s Game 2 save may have saved Finals for Capitals

Alex Ovechkin covered his eyes with his gloved hands in disbelief. Barry Trotz hid his disbelief inside.

Chandler Stephenson had the perfect view and didn’t like the odds. The net was wide open and Braden Holtby reached his stick across and stopped Alex Tuch’s shot in the final minutes to save the game.

“I thought, `Oh, no, no, no,”’ Stephenson said. “And then his paddle was there and he made the save and I just couldn’t believe it.”

Holtby’s unbelievable move might go down as one of the most important moments in Stanley Cup history. It allowed the Washington Capitals to even the final against the Vegas Golden Knights and served as further evidence of Holtby’s dominant playoff run.

Most of the buzz going into the Cup Final surrounded Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a deserved Conn Smythe favorite who already has two championship rings. But Holtby stole the show in making 37 saves in Game 2 and returned to his careerlong playoff dominance after allowing five goals on 33 shots in a Game 1 that was far from goalie-friendly. It’s the kind of play his Capitals teammates have come to expect

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this time of year.

“The guy’s just a machine,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “Boy, has he been good. Making the saves that he’s supposed to make look really routine and he’s made some game changers none better than the one with a couple minutes left in Game 2.” NEAL GIVES VEGAS EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP >> James Neal has become a source of leadership and inspiration for the Vegas Golden Knights during their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.

So, it came as no surprise that the 11-year veteran made a point of seeking out teammate Alex Tuch, a 22-year-old rookie who missed a chance to score the potential tying goal late in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals

“I talked with him a little bit today,” Neal said Friday. “It’s all good. He’ll get a bigger one for us later in the series. He’s been great for us so far, so no reason to think about that anymore. At the end of the day, it’s a great save and you move forward.”

Braden Holby snuffed the shot with his goalie stick in a 3-2 victory that evened the series heading in Game 3 tonight.

Vegas snagged a winner when they selected Neal from Nashville last June in the expansion draft. They got a skilled forward who scored 20 goals in 10 straight seasons (now 11) and a player who turned out to be perfect for a team that had to mesh immediately to be successful.

“He’s a natural leader,” Golden Knights right wing Ryan Reaves said. “He likes leading the boys into battle. When he has something to say he’s going to say it, and people are going to listen.” OTTAWA EXEC SPENDS NIGHT IN JAIL >> Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee is accused of inappropriately touching and making lewd comments toward a hotel shuttle driver while in Buffalo for the NHL’s scouting combine.

Lee was charged with second-degree harassment after being arrested and spending Thursday night in jail.

The Senators say team officials are reviewing the situation.