To keep their foot firmly on the gas pedal in the Stanley Cup Final, the Capitals must do the following, starting tonight in Game 4 and for however long the series lasts.
1 – Continue To Limit The Vegas' Shots On Goal: In
Saturday’s Game 3 loss in Washington, Vegas only had 22 shots on Braden Holtby. In their Game 2 loss at home, the Golden Knights had plenty of shots (39) and five in the final 3:38, but went an astonishing 10:20 in the third period – after
failing on a 5-on-3 – without one single shot on goal.
In the last 73:58 of play in the Stanley Cup Final, Vegas only has a total of 27 shots.
2 – Choke 'Em Out: Why have the Caps been so good in that area? They’ve controlled the Golden Knights' speed, odd-man rushes and have done a much better job around their net and with rebound control than they did in Game 1. They were
awful in that area to open the series.
"They do a good job in the neutral zone," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant told reporters Sunday at Kettler Iceplex. "They work hard. They compete hard."
Washington hasn't been perfect, but they've become better as the series has gone along and frustration is starting to set in for the expansion Golden Knights.
"I thought they defended well," Vegas forward James Neal said on Sunday. "We were getting clogged up a bit. They sit back. We didn't have enough shots. We didn't have enough bodies going to the net. They out-battled us."
3 – "Draw" A Line In The Ice: The Caps were dominant in Game 3's one-sided affair by winning 63 percent of the "draws" or face-offs in the game. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Even Evgeny Kuznetsov won 5-of-7, and T.J. Oshie was a perfect 5-of-5. Winning 60-plus percent of draws establishes possession in either zone and allows you to dictate.
4 – Block Out The Noise (And The Shots): The Caps must not fall prey to
the excitement surrounding the DMV while realizing they are halfway towards the goal. The next two wins are going to be much harder than the first two, and might be more difficult than the previous 12 combined.
One way to reach the top of the mountain? Keep blocking shots. The Caps had a 26-9 edge in this area in Game 3. Alex Ovechkin had two more blocks and that was after an 18-8 edge Game 2. Oshie had four blocks that night to lead the way, and when two top forwards and your team captain are sacrificing, everybody is going to do it.
5 – Get The Power Play Warmed Up: The most disappointing aspect of the Caps' Game 3 win? The lack of energy with the extra-man. They were 0-4 in 7:04 of power-play time, and only had four shots on goal during that span. That must improve. Overall, they are only 1-of-7 on the power play in the series.
