Category: NHL

a57.foxnews.com photo: The Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch (89) looked for a sure fire goal, but the outstretched stick of Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) stopped the puck in front of the crease to save the game for the Caps in Game 2.

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len:

If  you had to ask if the shot that Vegas Golden Knights’ Alex Tuch took in Game 2 that was stopped with the goalie stick paddle of Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby that Holtby outstretched with the stick to save the puck from going into the mouth of the net that would have taken the first-year expansion team to a 2-0 series lead.

Now after three games played in these NHL Finals and the Capitals with home ice, it’s looking grim for the Knights, who are down 2-1 and desperately need to tie up the series in Game 4 on Monday night and bring it back to Vegas for Game 5.

The Knights goalie Marc Andre-Fleury, who has been superb throughout the playoffs with a low goals against, has been tamed through the first three games of these finals surrendering four goals in Game 1, three goals in a loss to Washington in Game 2 and another loss surrendering another three goals in Game 3.

Len takes a look at what to expect in tonight’s Game 4 at Capital One Center for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

photo from russianmachineneverbreaks.com: The Washington Capitals Evgeny Kuznetsov at the Saturday morning skate at the Capital One Centre in Washington preparing for their game 3 meeting for Saturday night

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Matt:

#1 Washington Capitals’ top scorer Evgeny Kuznetsov is expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday night in Washington for game three. With the series tied at 1-1, Kuznetsov in Game 2 in Vegas was hit into the boards by the Vegas Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb. The hit crumpled Kuznetsov to the ice holding his left wrist. Doctors and trainers have worked on Kuznetsov and say he good to go for Game 3. He was originally listed as day-to-day.

#2 Talk about the Capitals’ top players versus the Knights’ top players. For the Caps, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Tom Wilson. For the Golden Knights, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith

#3 Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has allowed more goals per game in the finals than he did in the playoffs. Matt talks about those allowed Fleury goals.

#4 For the playoffs the Knights have scored first in 13 of their 17 contests and took 11 of those games. The Knights are potent in getting the lead in the first period–they’ve won seven out of eight times.

#5 So it’s Game 3 tonight for Washington a win on home ice would give them a 2-1 lead and an advantage going into Game 4 on Monday night. For the Knights a win would not only give them the one-game lead, but also a shot at a two-game lead if they can win Game 4 and a leg up going back to Vegas.

Matt Harrington does the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Photo credit: @ScoresNStatsCom

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Joe Lami:

The Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is on a day-to-day basis nursing an injury that Caps head coach Barry Trotz wouldn’t say what it was. It was reported that Kuznetsov injured his left arm after being slammed into the boards by the Vegas Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb.

Kuznetsov was in the Knights zone with the puck when McNabb hit him into the boards and fell and hold his left hand. After the Knights took a 6-4 two-goal win over the Caps in Game 2, the Capitals kicked into high gear in tying the series 1-1, taking the series back to Washington.

For both games, there’s little doubt that Vegas goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury has seen his share of shots and allowing four goals in Game 1 and allowing three goals in Game 2. Caps goaltender Braden Holtby was amazing in Game 2 with stretching the goalie stick to make a save on the Knights’ Alex Tuch’s shot.

Joe Lami is doing analysis on the NHL Stanley Cup Finals for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Photo credit: @GoldenKnights

On the Vegas Golden Knights podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 How much of a threat is the Washington Caps Alex Ovechkin? Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc Andre-Fleury allowed more than his average amount of goals in the first game.

#2 The Caps opened these finals on the road. Is this a disadvantage or it doesn’t matter that they face the Knights on their home ice?

#3 The Caps are deep in players, a roster with a team that has players that have been together for awhile.

#4 The Knights have been getting goaltending during this postseason from Fleury and he’s been the crux of the playoffs for them.

#5 The Knights-Caps go at it for Game 1 tonight. Mary Lisa tells us how she sees game two going into tonight.

Mary Lisa does the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Photo credit: nhl.com/capitals

On the Washington Capitals podcast with Marko:

#1 Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s blindside hit on the Vegas Jonathan Marchessault that Wilson didn’t get suspended for. Wilson said he watched Marchessault finish his pass and Wilson said he went to finish his check.

#2 The hit laid him out in Game 1. He went to the locker room for concussion protocol tests at 14:15 in the third period.

#3 Wlson saying that after Marchessault when Marchessault was finished admiring his pass Wilson went to finish his check. Does that sound like there was some premeditated intent there?

#4 Marchessault said that he was confident that the league would take care of Wilson for the late hit, but Marchessault was not suspended.

#5 So with all that under consideration, what happens tonight? Will there be a rumble? Will the Caps create a physical environment and try to take Vegas out of their speed skating?

Marko Ukalovic does the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com