WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals are one win away from the first Stanley Cup in franchise history after a 6-2 blowout of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 on Monday night gave them a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will get their first chance to hoist the Cup in Game 5 on Thursday night in Las Vegas. No team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1942 has blown a 3-1 lead in the Cup Final.
Evgeny Kuznetsov dished out four assists, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson, Devante Smith-Pelly, John Carlson, Michal Kempny and Brett Connolly scored and Braden Holtby stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced.
The desperate Golden Knights outchanced the Capitals by a wide margin but fell apart after James Neal clanked a shot off the post instead of hitting a wide-open net early in the first period. The expansion team’s Cinderella run is in danger of coming to a quick end.
Marc-Andre Fleury allowed six goals on 23 shots, and by the time Neal and Reilly Smith scored in the third period, it was too late.