Sunday 3 June 2018 08:31, UK
Alexander Ovechkin was among the scorers as the Washington Capitals moved into a 2-1 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup finals.
Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Devante Smith-Pelly were on target for the Capitals in a 3-1 win at the Capital One Arena and they can move within a game of a first title on home ice on Monday night.
After a goalless first period, Ovechkin got Washington on the board 70 seconds into the second when he chipped a pass from John Carlson past Marc-Andre Fleury in the Golden Knights goal.
Kuznetsov, whose participation had been in doubt after a hard hit in Game Two, quickly doubled their lead with a snapshot past Fleury.
Tomas Nosek gave the Knights some hope early in the third period when he made the most of Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby's sole error, a misplaced pass giving the forward an easy scoring chance.
But Holtby, whose brilliant save helped Washington level the series on Thursday, would not be beaten again and Smith-Pelly sealed victory with a third goal with just over six minutes left on the clock.
"The city is excited, fans are excited, but it's only two [wins]," Ovechkin said. "We just have to move forward and don't think about it too much.
Holtby added: "It's obviously fun for us to see the city like this and bring that kind of energy and enjoyment.
"The fans have been phenomenal. But in saying that, our group as professionals, you get more out of making that sacrifice so everyone can enjoy it. So we're just putting our head down, focusing on Game 4 to keep working toward that big goal."
