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| Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92). Photo by Alex Edelman/UPI | License Photo |
By Alex Butler, UPI
The Washington Capitals are just one win from hosting the Stanley Cup after beating the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 in Game 4.
Evgeny Kuznetsov continued his strong postseason run, tallying four assists in the triumph Monday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Capitals piled on early and never looked back. T.J. Oshie lit the lamp first. Nicklas Backstrom skated down the left flank before slipping a pass to Kuznetsov between two defenders. Kuznetsov then fired a shot, which bounced off of Marc-Andre Fleury and fell to Oshie in front of the net. Oshie kicked the puck and flicked it over Fleury's leg 9:54 into the first period.
Kuznetsov got his second assist of the night 16:26 into the period. That time, he got the puck off of a face-off and dropped it to a trailing Tom Wilson. Wilson beat Fleury glove side with a one-timer.
Devante Smith-Pelly scored with 21 seconds remaining in the first period, giving the Capitals a 3-0 edge entering the second frame.
Then Kuznetsov returned for another helper. He found the puck on the right side and ripped a pass to John Carlson in the left circle. Carslon ripped another one-timer by Fleury 15:23 into the bridge period.
James Neal and Riley Smith cut the Capitals lead in half to start the third period, but Michal Kempny lit the lamp 13:39 into the frame, giving Washington a 5-2 edge. Brett Connolly got the final score of the game with 1:09 remaining, beating Fleury on a power play.
The Capitals have a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 5, which is set for 8 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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