NHL

Capitals Defeat Golden Knights 5-2 In Washington

The Washington Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 in a Stanley Cup Final rematch that neither team considered that. Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant said Tuesday, “We want to win because we want two points, it has nothing to do with what happened last year in the playoffs.” The Capitals made it clear from the initial puck drop that they weren’t going to make it easy.

Seeing the Capitals speed from the very beginning was surprising for a team well-known for their slow starts. After being off for a week, let alone the summer cup celebrations, there should have been some rust to shake off. Regarding the apparent lack of a cup hanger, veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik said, “I was amazed. Everyone came back in really, really good shape. I know everybody made a big deal out of how we were showcasing (partying with the Cup) over the summer.”

The first period was predicted to remain scoreless as the final minute ticked off the clock, but the Capitals top power-play unit struck. Evgeny Kuznetsov deflected a shot from Nicklas Bäckström with 34.5 seconds left that let the Capitals leave for intermission with the ice tilted in their favor.

Brooks Orpik took a hit from William Carrier that toppled him. As he left down the tunnel with over three minutes remaining in the first period, it was unclear whether he would return. That looked even more unlikely when he did not join the team on the bench following intermission. However, after two minutes in, he returned to the game and didn’t look worse for wear the rest of the time.

Momentum Shift

The Golden Knights didn’t let the Capitals keep control of the game for very long after starting the second period. Stuck in the defensive zone, the Caps ended up giving a goal to Cody Eakin – a wraparound that pulled Braden Holtby just far enough out of position.

No fewer than five shots rang off the pipes of Washington’s net, saving Holtby some work. That’s not to say the Capital’s didn’t also get robbed of a few, but shot conversion was less of an issue.

But the Caps were still able to do what the Golden Knights couldn’t – scoring on the power play. The Golden Knights didn’t score on any of their three chances, while the Capitals stayed consistent. Throughout the first three games of the season, they’ve been scoring on half of their power play opportunities. Kuznetsov and Bäckström combined for both power-play goals of the night.

Up Next

What are breaks? With the second back-to-back looming in the week since the season started, the Capitals take on the New Jersey Devils Thursday night at the Prudential Center. Pheonix Copley is projected to make his debut as the Capitals’ new backup goaltender.

The Devils top line of Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, and Kyle Palmieri are going to be a challenge for Copley. Palmieri scored twice during their last game and Taylor Hall won the Hart Trophy last season. Hischier is looking to prove that he won’t experience a sophomore slump.

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Photo Credit

Photo Courtesy of Review-Journal