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Home , Brayden McNabb, Brooks Orpik, Cody Eakin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith

APBA Plays the 2018 Finals

Steven Skoff June 2018

Reilly Smith Nets Pair of Goals as Vegas Takes the Opener

May 28 LAS VEGAS-- scored two goals on Capitals backup netminder to lead the expansion to a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals before a frenzied crowd at T-Mobile Arena. Grubauer entered the game midway through the opening period after starter was forced from the game with an undisclosed injury. After the game, Washington announced that Holtby is day-to-day with an “upper body injury.” The eventful 1st period saw Holtby’s injury as well as a major slashing against Erik Haula for the two-hander he laid on Capitals’ defenseman Matt Niskanen, sending Niskanen to the dressing room for most of the period. Vegas was able to kill the ensuing 5-minute power play. With just sixteen seconds left to play in the frame, Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin broke a scoreless deadlock, beating Marc-Andre Fleury short-side with an unassisted tally. Vegas pulled even six and a half minutes into the 2nd when defenseman Brayden McNabb redirected an Alex Tuch behind Grubauer, with also assisting. The Golden Knights dominated the middle period, outshooting Washington 10- 6, and took a 2-1 lead on Smith’s first tally, off of a nice rush up the left side after Fleury found him with a heads-up outlet pass. Midway through the 3rd, Smith again beat Grubauer, this time with the man advantage to give the Knights a two- lead. Vegas made the lead stand up down the stretch, as Ovechkin’s second goal with just two ticks remaining on the clock was simply too little, too late for the visitors. Game 2 is back here in two nights.

Reilly Smith celebrates his second goal of the game

Game 1 Washington 1 0 1 - 2 Vegas 0 2 1 - 3

1st Period Summary Ovechkin, Was. 13 (unassisted) at 19:44. Penalty: Haula, Vgs. (major-slashing) at 6:55. 2nd Period Summary McNabb, Veg. 3 (Tuch, Eakin) at 6:27; Smith, Veg. 4 (Fleury, Miller) at 13:00. No penalties. 3rd Period Summary Smith, Veg. 5 (PP) (unassisted) at 10:12; Ovechkin, Was. 14 (unassisted) at 19:58. Penalty: Eller, Was. (minor) at 9:53.

Shots on goal: Washington 10-6-12--28; Vegas 9-10-7--28. Goaltending: Holtby, Was. (11:30; 4 shots, 4 saves); Grubauer, Was. (46:30; 24 shots, 21 saves); Fleury, Veg. (28 shots, 26 saves). Power plays: Washington 0-for-1; Vegas 1-for-1.

(Vegas leads series 1-0)

Kuznetsov, Grubauer Key as Washington Gets Even

May 30 LAS VEGAS- - Philipp Grubauer, getting the start in place of the injured Braden Holtby, turned aside thirty Vegas shots, and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a pair of goals to lead the visiting to a 5- 3 victory, evening this best-of-7 Stanley Cup final at a game apiece. Grubauer overcame his own injury scare, shaking off a goal mouth collision in the 2nd to lead the Caps to the Game 2 victory. Knights’ center got the crowd involved early, drilling home the rebound of a Shea Theodore drive for a power play goal just under five minutes in. Andre Burakovski got the Caps even a few minutes later, with the teams skating four-on-four after Brooks Orpik tussled with Vegas’ Cody Eakin, beating Knights’ goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with the Caps first shot of the game. Late in the period, Kuznetsov scored his first of the night, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Matt Niskanen, to give Washington the lead heading into the first intermission despite the Capitals being able to muster a mere four shots on goal. Just four minutes into the 2nd, tied the game for Vegas, beating Grubauer with a short-handed goal. Ryan Carpenter then gave the Golden Knights the 3-2 lead when he flipped the rebound of an Eakin offering over a sprawling Grubauer. Just over a minute later, however, tied the game before defenseman Michal Kempny’s late goal gave Washington the 4-3 lead headed into the 3rd. Four minutes into the final period, Kuznetsov struck again, taking a nice feed from Ovechkin and depositing the puck behind Fleury to give the Caps a lead that they would not relinquish as the series now moves to D.C. for games 3 and 4, all knotted at a game apiece.

Evgeny Kuzetsov celebrates his second goal of the game

Game 2 Washington 2 2 1 - 5 Vegas 1 2 0 - 3

1st Period Summary Karlsson, Veg. 8 (PP) (Theodore, Tuch) at 4:55; Burakovski, Was. 3 (Carlson, Djoos) at 9:30; Kuznetsov, Was. 12 (Ovechkin, Niskanen) at 17:21. Penalties: Bench minor, Was. (served by Ovechkin) at 2:56; Wilson, Was. (minor) at 3:40; Kuznetsov, Was. (minor) at 5:54; Eakin, Veg. (minor) at 8:21; Orpik, Was. (minor) at 8:21; Orpik, Was. (minor) at 11:41. 2nd Period Summary Marchessault, Veg. 9 (SH) (Theodore, Neal) at 3:54; Carpenter, Veg. 1 (Eakin, Theodore) at 6:40; Eller, Was. 6 (Connelly, Djoos) at 7:48; Kempny, Was. 2 (Vrana, Oshie) at 19:52. Penalty: Sbisa, Veg. (minor) at 2:54. 3rd Period Summary Kuznetsov, Was. 13 (Ovechkin, Wilson) at 3:57. Penalties: Oshie, Was. (minor) at 15:18; Perron, Veg. (minor) at 15:18; Marchessault, Veg. (minor) at 16:25; Wilson, Was. (minor) at 19:14. Shots on goal: Washington 4-7-9--20; Vegas 9-10-14--33. Goaltending: Grubauer, Was. (33 shots, 30 saves); Fleury, Veg. (58 mins; 20 shots, 15 saves). Power plays: Washington 0-for-1; Vegas 1-for-4.

(Series tied 1-1)

Backstrom Provides Heroics as Holtby Stellar in Game 3 Victory

June 2 WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Niklas Backstrom scored two goals just over a minute apart late in the 3rd period to break a 2-2 deadlock and lead the Capitals to a 5-2 home victory in game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. Braden Holtby was spectacular in his return from a game 1 injury, turning aside 37 Vegas shots as Washington takes a two-games-to-one lead. Brett Connolly kept the raucous crowd going by putting the rebound of a Brooks Orpik drive behind Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury just past the midway of the opening period, for his sixth goal of the . Both Fleury and Holtby were impenetrable for for the remainder of the 1st and half of the 2nd, until Caps’ defenseman Matt Niskanen intercepted an ill-advised clearing attempt by Brayden McNabb and beat Fleury to the stick side for the 2-0 lead. Five minutes later, Jonathan Marchessault cut the lead in half, converting a Reilly Smith pass for his tenth playoff goal, a power play tally. Off of the ensuing center-ice faceoff, defenseman Colin Miller’s slap shot from just inside the blue line eluded Holtby for a goal just nine seconds after Marchessault’s and the game was suddenly knotted at two. Again, Fleury and Holtby kept their opponents off of the scoreboard for nearly a full period until Backstrom took charge of the contest, first beating Fleury short side from the near circle and then putting one through the five-hole from the slot. Linemate TJ Oshie assisted on both goals. With the crowd serenading Fleury down the stretch, Evgeny Kuznetsov found the empty net with a minute to play, sealing this one for Washington. Game 4 is Monday night in D.C.

Niklas Backstrom celebrates the first of his back-to-back 3rd period goals

Game 3 Vegas 0 2 0 - 2 Washington 1 1 3 - 5

1st Period Summary Connolly, Was. 6 (Orpik) at 11:42. Penalties: Kuznetsov, Was. (minor) at 1:45; Bench minor, Was. (served by Wilson) at 16:17. 2nd Period Summary Niskanen, Was. 2 (unassisted) at 9:54; Marchessault, Veg. 10 (PP) (Smith, Karlsson) at 14:55; Miller, Veg. 4 (Marchessault, Sbisa) at 15:04. Penalties: Orpik, Was. (minor) at 0:42; Kuznetsov, Was. (minor) at 14:30; Perron, Veg. (minor) 17:02. 3rd Period Summary Backstrom, Was. 6 (Vrana, Oshie) at 14:39; Backstrom, Was. 7 (Oshie) at 15:57; Kuznetsov, Was. 14 (EN) (Carlson, Ovechkin) at 19:00. Penalties: Wilson, Was. (minor) at 0:14; Miller, Veg. (minor) at 10:33; Burakovski, Was. (minor) at 10:33. Shots on goal: Vegas 16-15-8--39; Washington 12-13-11--36. Goaltending: Fleury, Veg. (59 mins; 35 shots, 31 saves); Holtby, Was. (39 shots, 37 saves). Power plays: Vegas 0-for-5; Washington 0-for-1.

(Washington leads series 2-1)

Marchessault Scores Twice as Vegas Pulls Even

June 4 WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and set up another as the Vegas Golden Knights took game 4 in Washington by a 5-2 margin, evening this best-of-7 series at two games apiece. Marchessault set the tone early, beating Capitals’ goalie Braden Holtby from the slot just over three minutes in to give Vegas the early lead. James Neal extended the lead when he redirected a Shea Theodore shot and it was 2-0 before eight minutes had been played. Late in the 1st, Alex Ovechkin lit the lamp to cut the lead in half before the break. The 2nd period, however, was all Vegas, as the visitors peppered Holtby with fourteen shots, getting a power play goal from Marchessault six minutes into the period, before made it 4-1 late in the frame. Early in the 3rd, William Karlsson put back the rebound of a Marchessault attempt on the power play to pretty much seal the deal in this game 4. was able to beat Marc-Andre Fleury late, but this one belonged to Vegas throughout as their high-tempo play evens the series as we head back to Las Vegas for game 5 on Monday.

Jonathan Marchessault scored a pair of goals in Game 4

Game 4 Vegas 2 2 1 - 5 Washington 1 0 1 - 2

1st Period Summary Marchessault, Veg. 11 (unassisted) at 3:16; Neal, Veg. 6 (Theodore, Haula) at 7:27; Ovechkin, Was. 15 (Kuznetsov, Wilson) at 18:24. No penalties. 2nd Period Summary Marchessault, Veg. 12 (PP) (Theodore, Tuch) at 5:58; Perron, Veg. 1 (Neal, Schmidt) at 17:44. Penalty: Carlson, Was. (minor) at 4:06. 3rd Period Summary Karlsson, Veg. 9 (PP) (Marchessault) at 3:46; Wilson, Was. 5 (Carlson) at 17:52. Penalty: Ovechkin, Was. (minor) at 2:23. Shots on goal: Vegas 13-14-11--38; Washington 12-7-7--26. Goaltending: Fleury, Veg. (26 shots, 24 saves); Holtby, Was. (38 shots, 33 saves). Power plays: Vegas 0-for-2; Washington none.

(Series tied 2-2)