Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded a goal and an assist in his return from injury, and the Capitals skated off with a 3-1 victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night.
It was the first Final win on home ice in Washington’s franchise history. The Caps now own a 2-1 series lead, with Game 4 looming Monday night.
Tarik’s three stars of the game:
1-Evgeny Kuznetsov, Capitals
Four days after being forced from Game 2 with a serious-looking injury, Kuzy didn’t just return to the lineup, he produced a dominant performance. No. 92 nearly set up Alex Ovechkin on a 2-on-1 in the opening minutes. Then, in the second period, he recorded a secondary assist on Alex Ovechkin’s tally and sniped a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury’s blocker.
2-Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
Making his long-awaited Stanley Cup Final debut in D.C., Ovechkin delivered a classic performance. After a scoreless first period, Ovi opened the scoring 1:10 into the middle frame by chipping a rebound over Fleury during a scramble in front.
Ovechkin also finished with five shots on net and a couple of blocked shots, including one off the stick of former teammate Nate Schmidt.
3-Jay Beagle, Capitals
A fourth center more known for his faceoff prowess, Beagle was a point-producing machine in his franchise’s biggest game in a couple of decades. Beagle set up Kuznetsov's second period tally and made a slick pass to Devante Smith-Pelly for DSP’s third period tally.
The goal was Smith-Pelly’s fifth in 22 playoff games; the fourth line winger managed seven goals in 75 regular season contests.
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