WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nighty Knight?
The Capitals have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 6-2 Game Four victory.
Already up 3-0, the John Carlson power play strike would prove to be the dagger.
This swap is eye-catching because Ovechkin had made a name -- and it's named the Ovie Spot -- setting up for the one-timer at the left circle on the power play.
"It was something the coaches wanted," revealed Barry Trotz. "We've done that in the past. Sometimes you want some movement. It forces the other team to make some coverage changes."
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, however, was firm that such a switch would not create confusion for the Vegas penalty kill -- Bellemare, by the way, was not on the ice.
"We knew at one point they were going to change something."
Nonetheless, T.J. Oshie takes over:
Oshie just mugs Deryk Engelland behind the net. Then, Oshie braces for a hit from Cody Eakin and hands off to Evgeny Kuznetsov. Predictably, Oshie brick walls Eakin. Eakin is down and out. The expressway from Kuznetsov to Carlson is wide-open.
"We tried to check at that time, which was the right play," said Bellemare of, I believe, Eakin, "[Oshie] looked like he didn't have the puck, but actually, he had full control. He made a good play and it opened up."
Pluses
"For 101 games, this team has shocked the world. What's three more?"
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) June 7, 2018
Check out my blueprint for a #VegasBorn comeback: https://t.co/CWBjqQAIbw pic.twitter.com/AodWUTy8Bo
According to Gerard Gallant, Colin Miller had his nose broken by Oshie's elbow in the third period. However, the replay indicates that Miller actually ran into Oshie's helmet.
Regardless, it was a painful final frame for Miller; on his next shift after breaking his nose, he took this high stick to the face from Oshie.
The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Las Vegas this Thursday, as the Golden Knights embark on a quest to recapture their magic.
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