This year’s best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals move to Capital One Arena for Game 3 of this showdown between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals. Saturday night’s clash is set to start at 8 p.m. (ET) with NBC Sports Network carrying the game nationally.
Vegas at Washington Game Overview
Vegas started this series on a strong note with a 6-4 victory as a -152 home favorite in a game where it was not at its best. Game 2 resulted in a 3-2 loss as -138 favorites in a game that served notice that the Golden Knights are in for a battle in this best-of-seven tilt. This was their first loss in their last six games with the total staying UNDER in four of those contests. Vegas has gone 6-2 in its first eight road games in this year’s playoffs.
The Golden Knights had their chances for the sweep at home starting with the early 1-0 lead on a James Neal’s goal in the first period on Wednesday night. Going down 3-1, Shea Theodore cut that lead in half on a power-play goal late in the second period. That ended the scoring for the night with Vegas unable to get anything to click in the third. Marc-Andre Fleury faced 26 shots on goal, letting three get by. He has now allowed seven goals in his last two games after giving up a total of six goals in his previous four starts.
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Washington has played its best hockey in this run to the NHL Finals on the road with a 9-3 record over the 12-game span. When it comes to the Capitals’ postseason record at home, they are 4-5 in nine games. They lost the first two games at home in the opening-round series against Columbus, and they dropped two of three games at home against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in five of Washington’s last six home games.
The biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s win was the elevated play of left winger Alex Ovechkin. He posted his 13th goal of the playoffs on a second-period power play to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead they never relinquished. Even more important was the play of Braden Holtby in goal. After getting tagged for five goals in Game 1, he turned away 37 of the 39 shots he faced in Game 2 behind some spectacular saves. One injury note for Game 3 is center Evgeny Kuznetsov after hurting his forearm in Game 2.
Get more details: Vegas Knights at Washington Capitals NHL Match-Up
Vegas at Washington Betting Trends
- The Golden Knights are 25-7 in their last 32 games after scoring two goals or less in their previous outing, but they are just 1-4 in their last five Saturday games. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last eight games against the Eastern Conference.
- The Capitals have gone 19-7 in their last 26 games played on a Saturday and they have won five of their previous seven games against the Western Conference. The total has stayed UNDER in 13 of their last 16 games against the Pacific Division.
- Vegas is still 3-1 in four meetings this season including a 4-3 road victory in early February as a slight +102 underdog. The total has been evenly split 2-2 over the four games.
Search for the best odds: Live NHL Hockey Lines
