Stars guide Capitals to 2-1 series lead over Vegas

WASHINGTON – Evgeny Kuznetsov flapped his wings, Alex Ovechkin stood on the bench and roared with both arms up as Lars Eller happily rubbed his stomach, and Capital One Arena answered his cheer with an even louder one. The Stanley Cup Final had arrived in Washington, and the Capitals rose to the moment.

The Capitals earned a 3-1 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights in the series. The Capitals’ stars carried them, from Ovechkin scoring the first goal to Kuznetsov building on the lead to goaltender Braden Holtby pitching a shutout through 40 minutes and turning away 21 of 22 shots. Washington played its game perfectly, suffocating the Golden Knights as they managed just 13 shots through two periods.

The organization’s first Stanley Cup Final win at home was sealed when Jay Beagle set up Devante Smith-pelly, who beat Vegas goaltender Marc-andre Fleury from point-blank range at 13:53 of the third period. A wave of red leaped to its feet in celebration, “Let’s go Caps” chants following shortly after. Washington’s two-goal lead was restored, and the Golden Knights’ push fell short.

It had been 20 years since Washington hosted a Stanley Cup finals game.

“I’ve never seen the fans like this,” forward T.J. Oshie said. “They’re always good, but I’ve never seen them like this.”