Capitals back home, but a star may miss Game 3
WASHINGTON — Capitals coach Barry Trotz said Thursday he had no update on the status of Stanley Cup playoffs scoring leader Evgeny Kuznetsov, who sustained an apparent arm or hand injury during the first period of Washington’s 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“Day-to-day,” Trotz said during a conference call held while lightning and thunderstorms in the D.C. area kept the team on its plane after it landed.
Trotz added that he couldn’t say whether Kuznetsov — who was injured on a hard but legal hip check by Brayden McNabb — would participate in the team’s practice on Friday. Coaches are normally reticent about releasing information about injuries, a policy that intensifies during the playoffs.
Trotz, however, said defenseman Brooks Orpik was “fine” after absorbing a slash late in Wednesday’s game and requiring stitches after the victory that brought the Capitals even with the Golden Knights at one win each. Kuznetsov has 11 goals and 25 points in 21 games this spring.
Home advantage?
Game 3 will be contested on Saturday at Capital One Arena, where the Capitals are 4-5 during the playoffs. Home-ice advantage hasn’t been as big a factor as it once was, and Trotz said it hasn’t been a big deal for his team.
“I think we got off to a little bit of a tough start just in our overall game, and I thought we fell down — you know, the first two games, we didn’t have any success,” he said, referring to losses in their first two games against Columbus in the first round. “No, we feel very comfortable at home. I think our game will translate at home. I think our fans will give us a really good boost. I know early in the playoffs we always feel a little pressure in the first round, I think probably all four years. Everybody does, I think. It’s a first step up from a regular season to the playoff intensity. So I think that the home-ice advantage goes away for a lot of teams.
“For us, we’re fine. I think it’s actually going to be a real good advantage for us. We can get some matchups that we actually prefer, and we should be fine. We’re very comfortable with our record over the last four years at home, was one of the best in the National Hockey League. I think we’ll get right back to where we want it to be.”
Playing away from home hasn’t been a problem for the Golden Knights, who are 6-2 on the road. Coach Gerard Gallant said he wants his team to improve its defensive-zone play and eliminate some of the odd-man rushes Washington had Wednesday but he doesn’t want to see the quick, uptempo pace change at all.
“There’s no panic,” he said.
“We’ve got to play a little better, work harder, and compete. We know it’s never going to be easy to win a Stanley Cup. So you’ve just got to focus on the next game. You don’t worry about the last game you just finished. You get prepared for the next game on Saturday.”
Selling Vegas
The Golden Knights set team records for merchandise sales at Games 1 and 2 of the Cup Final, according to Rank + Rally, a company that creates custom merchandise and retail experiences for fans. Sales at Game 1 per capita nearly doubled the average for the first three rounds and more than tripled the regular-season average.
The Golden Knights ranked first in the NHL in team merchandise sales at the end of the regular season.