| LAS VEGAS (AP) Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant for months talked about his team’s hard work Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys , ability to battle and their devotion to playing a full ”200 feet of hockey.”In pockets of Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, the Golden Knights were surprisingly outworked, outbattled and outhustled in losing 3-2 to the Washington Capitals. Game 3 is Saturday night in Washington and Vegas is going to need to up the energy level even further in a frantic series with scoring chances galore.Vegas outshot the Capitals 39-26, but the hustle stats in Game 2 went to Washington, which handed the expansion club just its second home loss of the postseason. Washington had 18 blocked shots to eight for Vegas, helping goaltender Braden Holtby turn things around. He allowed five goals in the opener but was sublime in Game 2 as he made 37 saves – none bigger than stopping Alex Tuch with the paddle of his stick in a sprawling move with just 1:59 left.Washington also showed its mettle on the penalty kill, limiting the Golden Knights to a single goal in four attempts – including a 5-on-3 on the third period.”You’ve got to try and capitalize on those,” Vegas defenseman Luca Sbisa said. ”It’s just one of those games, even at the end, with Tuchy having that chance. Most of times it goes in. It’s just one of those games.”And while Washington outhit the Golden Knights, 46-39 www.officialcoyotes.com , it was some of Vegas’ bigger hits that ignited the Capitals in the second period.Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb hammered Washington’s first-line forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, sending him to the dressing room with a little more than five minutes left in the first period. He didn’t return.Washington coach Barry Trotz didn’t provide an update on his star afterward, but said it was the key moment in the game for his team.”It galvanized us as a group, I think it might be a turning point for us,” Trotz said.With Kuznetsov out, Trotz added Nicklas Backstrom to his top line with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. And 5:38 into the second period, with the game tied at 1-all and the Capitals on a power play, Ovechkin scored his first career Stanley Cup Final goal to give the Capitals the lead.”I think they got energy from that, I think they were pissed off, that’s how sports go,” Vegas forward Erik Haula said. ”You see one of your best players go down and you’re pissed off Arizona Coyotes T-Shirts Authentic , that’s part of it. It’s no excuse for us. Bottom line is we were right in that game I think, it was right there for us to grab, we just came short.”Vegas unraveled and gave up more uncharacteristic chances in front of Marc-Andre Fleury, who has yet to lose consecutive games this postseason. The Golden Knights also had 12 turnovers compared to Washington’s four.”We shot ourselves in the foot a few times with some turnovers,” Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said. ”At the end of the day you really have got to see where your game is at. If you look at it as a whole, we played really well for parts of the first period and we got caught up in the transition game in the second period – and that’s not the game we want to play.”Instead, Washington fed off the momentum and dictated the tempo, and a little less than four minutes after Ovechkin scored, Brooks Orpik broke a 220-game goal drought with the eventual game winner. It was his first goal since Feb. 26, 2016.”I haven’t yelled that loud for someone to score a goal since Ovi scored one of his milestones,” Washington forward T.J. Oshie said.Though the Golden Knights outshot Washington 15-6 in the third period Arizona Coyotes Hoodies Authentic , the Capitals skated faster, competed better, worked harder and played smarter to steal home-ice advantage with their first-ever Final win. The Capitals return to Capital One Arena, where they have just a 4-5 record in the postseason. Vegas is 6-2 on the road in the playoffs.—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) His postgame TV interview complete, Antti Raanta raised both fists and smiled as he made his way back into a triumphant Arizona Coyotes locker room.Raanta had plenty to be happy about. He made 23 saves to help Arizona beat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 Saturday night. He’s won five of his last six starts, and the Coyotes – despite the NHL’s worst record – completed a seven-game homestand with a 5-2 mark.”I saw lots of shots. When you see shots from the point or when there’s not that much traffic on you, it makes it a little bit easier,” Raanta said. ”I pretty much saw all the shots and I was able to track the puck pretty good.”Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jordan Martinook scored to help Arizona improve to 8-2-1 in its last 11 games.Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his second goal in two nights for Ottawa, and Mike Condon made 25 saves. The Senators have lost six of their last seven games.Condon came off the ice twice in the final moments for an extra attacker, but the Senators couldn’t force overtime.”I don’t really care about the statistics Arizona Coyotes Hats Authentic , but it’s something people measure you on,” said Condon, who is 4-12-5 in goal this season. ”I’m playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy.”The Senators took an early lead but never scored again. Pageau passed to linemate Bobby Ryan and took off for the net. He was in the right spot to redirect Ryan’s shot past Raanta at 3:24 of the first period.Pageau raised his goals total to 10, and Mark Stone picked up his 40th assist and 60th point, both team highs for Ottawa.Condon stopped Jordan Martinook’s breakaway attempt at 14:40 of the first, but the Coyotes made good on another shot later.The Coyotes sent it to the first intermission tied at 1 when Brendan Perlini screened Condon at the same time as Ekman-Larsson’s shot zipped toward the net, and Ekman-Larsson scored his ninth of the season with 1:14 to play. The All-Star defenseman ended a streak of 16 games without a goal.”It’s always fun to score goals, but at the same time, I’m a defenseman,” Ekman-Larsson said. ”Everybody’s doing the little things, and that’s why we’re winning hockey games now.”Ottawa got the game’s first power play in the second period Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys , and Raanta reached out to catch Alexandre Burrows‘ shot headed to the far post to help kill the penalty.Raanta’s 12 second-period stops kept Ottawa from taking the lead, and the Coyotes went in front 2-1 at the 14:08 mark when Martinook put in Brad Richardson’s backhand pass from behind the net.Martinook registered his sixth goal of the season.The Senators’ Matt Duchene served four penalty minutes in the third period on two tripping penalties, but Ottawa did not allow a goal on any power play.”We didn’t take those guys lightly at all,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. ”The disappointing part was the third period. We sabotaged ourselves.”Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said he is pleased with the improvement he’s seeing from his young team, which he saw in the players’ effort during the stretch of home games.”When you play at home, you’ve got to be hard to play against, and I think we’ve established a work ethic here,” Tocchet said.NOTES: Senators F Marian Gaborik was scratched with an undisclosed injury for the second straight game. … Coyotes C Zac Rinaldo was scratched due to an upper body injury. … C Derek Stepan was credited with an assist on Arizona’s first goal, and reached 400 career points. … The Coyotes are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games when holding opponents to two goals or less. … Several former WWE superstars attended the game, including The Godfather and Jimmy Hart.UP NEXTSenators: At Dallas on Monday night.Coyotes: At Edmonton on Monday night. |
