Round 4: Stanley Cup finals: Game 3
Series: Tied 1-1
Saturday June 2 Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: May 30 Capitals won Game 2 3-2 in regulation.
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
13-Vrana 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
65-Burakovsky 20-Eller 10-Connolly
18-Stephenson 83-Beagle 25-Smith-Pelly
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
39-Chiasson
79-Walker
72-Boyd
63-Gersich
64-Pinho
28-Jerabek
22-Bowey
1-Copley
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Wes McCauley (#4), Marc Joannette (#25)
Linesmen: Matt MacPherson (#83), Jonny Murray (#95)
Standby Referee: Kelly Sutherland (#11)
Standby Linesman: Matt MacPherson (#83)
Series Supervisor: Don Van Massenhoven
Las Vegas' Expected Lineup Forwards Jonathan Marchessault - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith
Alex Tuch - Erik Haula - James Neal
David Perron - Cody Eakin - Ryan Carpenter
Ryan Reaves - Pierre - Edouard Bellemare - Tomas Nosek
Defensemen Brayden McNabb - Nate Schmidt
Deryk Engelland - Shea Theodore
Luca Sbisa - Colin Miller
Goaltenders Marc - Andre Fleury (starter)
Maxime Lagace
Malcolm Subban, the Golden Knights’ usual backup goaltender, remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Golden Knights Coach Gerard Gallant said he expects Subban to return at some point during the Stanley Cup series, but he did not specify when that may be.
1st PeriodNone
2nd Period01:10 GOAL 8-Ovechkin. assists 74-Carlson & 92-Kuznetsov 1-0 WSH
12:50 GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 83-Beagle & 77-Oshie 2-0 WSH
3rd Period03:29 VGK GOAL Nosek, assist Bellemare 2-1 WSH
13:53 GOAL 25-Smith-Pelly, assist 83-Beagle 3-1 WSH
FINAL: 3-1 WSH
by Isabelle Khurshudyan, Jesse Dougherty, Samantha Pell, Scott Allen, Dan Steinberg and Neil Greenberg June 2 at 1:13 PM
2018 NHL Stanley Cup finals: Kuznetsov expected to play in Game 3; Vegas’s Marchessault does hot lap
Nicklas Backstrom and the Capitals look to even the series Wednesday night. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
Stanley Cup finals: Game 3
Las Vegas Golden Knights at Washington Capitals
Series: Tied 1-1
Saturday June 2, 8:00 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Remaining schedule
Game 4: at Washington, 8 p.m. Monday June 4
Game 5: at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. Thursday June 7
Game 6 (if necessary): at Washington, 8 p.m. Sunday June 10
Game 7 (if necessary): at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. Wednesday June 13
- Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is expected to play after an injury scare in Game 2. ()
- With Kuznetsov back in the lineup, Washington is unlikely to make any changes after the team’s 3-2 win Wednesday. ()
- Defenseman Michal Kempny continues to show why he was such a valuable trade-deadline addition for the Capitals. (Read more)
- For Washington Capitals fans, the moment they have been waiting for: A Stanley Cup finals home game. ()
Top story lines
Kuznetsov to play: After missing most of Game 2 with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury, Washington’s top center and leading scorer was a full participant in Saturday’s morning skate, resuming his place on a top line between wingers Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. Coach Barry Trotz said Kuznetsov is a “game-time decision” — and Kuznetsov didn’t commit to playing — but all signs point to him being good to go for Game 3. Kuznetsov has scored 11 goals with 14 assists through 21 playoff games.
“In these type of games you always want to play, but you have to do better for your team, and you have to understand it doesn’t matter who you are, what kind of player. You have to understand, can you help the team or no?” Kuznetsov said. “That’s the biggest part. You have to understand it and you have to communicate with the coaches, doctors and everybody, can you help the team? It doesn’t mean what you want. Sometimes it’s just emotional. You want to play every game, but you have to do what’s best for the team.”
• Getting off to a quick start: Returning home from the theatrics in Vegas, the Capitals will aim to get off to fast start in Game 3 on their home ice, where they are 4-5 in the postseason. The Golden Knights have been good at striking first throughout the playoffs, and it was a point of emphasis from Vegas players on Friday to kill the home crowd momentum early.
“I imagine we are going to come out pretty fired up,” said Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, who is looking forward to seeing how the team feeds off the energy in Washington. “I’ve never seen the fans like this. They are always good, but I’ve never seen them like this, so we are excited to get out there and play in front of our home crowd.”
In the postseason, Vegas has scored first in 13 of its 17 games and has won 11 of those. It has also led after the first period eight times with seven wins. For the Capitals, they are 10-4 when scoring first in the playoffs. They have led after the first period in nine of 21 games and won six.
“I think early in the game, the more shots you get, the more the other team kind of gets back on their heels and they have to collapse a little more,” Oshie said. “It can feel like wave after wave coming at you with all those shots, and we will try to do that tonight and see how it works out for us.”
Ice conditions at Capital One Arena also will factor into both teams’ first-period play. In Vegas, the ice was a point of criticism, and the Capitals have yet to practice on their home ice before Game 3, while Vegas has had two practices before pregame warm-ups.
“One thing I’ve learned over my years is it’s not necessarily the heat but the humidity,” Trotz said about the ice. “If you get the combination of both, you could have a tough night. We’ll just see how it is. Early, let’s get the adrenaline going and the nerves down. Let everybody get involved, and let’s play. Get our fans into it, give us some energy, and we’ll go.”
Vegas takes a hot lap: Before the Golden Knights’ morning skate at Capital One Arena on Saturday, forward Jonathan Marchessault added his own artistic touch to a brewing Capitals’ tradition.
It has become known as a “hot lap,” as the Capitals have started road morning skates with a lap around the ice by one player (or, as was the case before Game 7 of the Eastern conference finals, Coach Barry Trotz). So Marchessault did his own hot lap on the Capitals’ home ice ahead of Game 3, and he skated it very, very slowly.
“I’ve done it Game 2 in Winnipeg, Game 5 in Winnipeg and I’ve done it yesterday,” Marchessault said, insisting he didn’t nab the Capitals’ tradition ahead of the biggest game of their modern history. “You can check it out in Winnipeg, it’s the same thing. I saw Ovi doing it against Tampa and the next day I did it in Winnipeg, Game 2. Guys liked it. So we’ll keep it going on the road.”
The Capitals’ hot lap participants have included Jay Beagle, Alex Ovechkin, Trotz and, mostly recently, Lars Eller ahead of Game 2 in Vegas on Wednesday. Now Marchessault starts the list for the Golden Knights.
“What hot lap? I wasn’t even watching. I was sitting there talking with [Colin Miller]. I didn’t even see it,” said Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt, a former member of the Capitals. “Was it good? I don’t pay attention to a lot of Marchy’s antics.”
Players to watch
Michal Kempny: The Capitals dealt a third-round pick to Chicago in late February to acquire Kempny, an under-the-radar move at the time. It’s paid dividends for Washington. Kempny has played beside right-shot John Carlson and averaged 17:43 per game in the postseason. He’s tallied a primary assist on the Capitals’ first goal of the game in each of the past two Stanley Cup finals contests, and before the playoffs started, General Manager Brian MacLellan said re-signing Kempny, a 27-year-old pending unrestricted free agent, is a consideration. Kempny’s slick skating ability has him often going back for pucks during games, which takes some pressure off Carlson, Washington’s highest-minute defenseman.
“He moves the puck, and he’s such a strong skater,” Trotz said. “He’s one of those guys that really works at his craft. We play certain situations a lot different than Chicago does, and he’s had to adjust to that. I think the way we play and his diligence in learning how we play, I think it’s given him some freedom in some areas and some tightening up in other areas.”
Brayden McNabb: McNabb has been a critical player for the Golden Knights in this series, and that has nothing to do with his hit on Kutznetsov in the first period of Game 2. McNabb skates alongside Nate Schmidt on the Golden Knights’ top defensive pair, which has been responsible for slowing the Capitals’ top line of Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and Wilson. While Schmidt is a speedy skater who can jump into the offensive rush, McNabb provides size and strength that helps the pair match the physicality of Ovechkin and Wilson on the wings. Ovechkin has yet to score an even-strength goal in this series and keeping him in check falls almost entirely on the shoulders of Schmidt and McNabb. Schmidt’s contributions throughout a given game are a bit louder, with him rush the puck into the zone and also contributing on the Golden Knights’ second power-play unit. McNabb’s, though subtler, are just as important to their current task.
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
In the District, this Stanley Cup finals game is as big as it getsFor Washington Capitals fans, the moment they have all been waiting forWashington’s answer to Vegas: Sting, Shaggy, Fall Out Boy and Pat SajakWhat made Braden Holtby’s save so good? Let Olie Kolzig explain.Golden Knights ready to throw some hits, ‘dumb down the game’ in D.C.Capitals rookie Jakub Vrana is due for a big game in the Stanley Cup finalsFormer Capitals prospect Cody Eakin not exactly the sentimental typeOne Caps fan’s new tradition: Celebrating playoff wins by dousing herself with beerThis good hockey dog traveled thousands of miles to stand outside the Caps’ arenaCaps fans have adopted the National Portrait Gallery steps, and the museum loves itWith iconic save, Braden Holtby joins John Riggins and Jayson Werth in D.C. sports loreHere is every conceivable angle of Braden Holtby’s jaw-dropping saveBrooks Orpik scores unlikeliest goal, and the Capitals go crazy: ‘My ears are still ringing.’Braden Holtby’s must-see Stanley Cup finals save had a goalie calling it the ‘greatest’ he’d ever witnessedAt Capital One Arena, a rowdy, joyful Game 2 celebration for Capitals fansTurns out Marc-Andre Fleury is human, and the Stanley Cup finals are even‘A little bit bittersweet’: Former Capital Nate Schmidt thriving in VegasThe house doesn’t always win: Las Vegas may lose millions on the Golden KnightsThe Capitals and Golden Knights share a road-trip tradition: Mario KartThe Capitals can’t afford to play wide-open games against VegasAfter a Las Vegas show, a hockey game broke out at the Stanley Cup finalsA casual fan’s bandwagon guide to the Stanley Cup finalsThe best photos from the Capitals’ run to their first Stanley Cup finals in 20 yearsThe Washington Capitals’ path to the 2018 Stanley Cup finalsThe Stanley Cup in sight, Alex Ovechkin is all in as Capitals head to VegasGeorge McPhee and Brian MacLellan go back decades. Now their teams are playing for the Stanley Cup.In Stanley Cup finals, Capitals face down yet another familiar foe: Marc-Andre FleuryLas Vegas, shaken by tragedy, finds an unlikely rallying point: Its first-year NHL teamRemembering the Caps’ run to the 1998 Stanley Cup finals: ‘Nobody wanted to play against us’Evgeny Kuznetsov’s transition to borderline NHL superstarCapitals Coach Barry Trotz is a pending unrestricted free agent. His value is soaring.Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom’s long journey together reaches Stanley Cup finals at last
