The sight of Evgeny Kuznetsov clutching his left arm and leaving the ice after a hit from Brayden McNabb isn’t as big a threat to the Washington Capitals‘ title hopes as it might seem.
Not after the Capitals withstood three games without Nicklas Backstrom. Not after they missed Kuznetsov for most of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and still beat the Vegas Golden Knights to tie the series.
They’d love to have their leading scorer in the lineup Saturday night in Washington Orlando Brown Jr. Color Rush Jersey , but with superstar captain Alex Ovechkin and several top players producing and filling the void, the Capitals are built to handle life without Kuznetsov if it comes to that.
”We’ve had some guys been out here and there these playoffs,” Backstrom said. ”It’s hard to replace Kuznetsov the way he’s been playing, but if that’s the case it is what it is and we just have to have other guys step up.”
Coach Barry Trotz provided no update on Kuznetsov on Thursday other than to say the Russian center is day to day. The team practices again Friday.
It didn’t look very good for Kuznetsov when he went down the tunnel in the first period Wednesday night and didn’t return. But Ovechkin scored his first career Stanley Cup Final goal on the power play, and Lars Eller, bumped up the lineup to fill in for Kuznetsov, had a goal and two assists.
No one player can make up for the potential loss of Kuznetsov, who has 11 goals and 14 assists in 21 playoff games, though Washington’s depth down the middle looks solid with Backstrom, Eller http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dontae-johnson-jersey , Jay Beagle and, if need be, Chandler Stephenson. Eller played a key role in two big victories against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference final without Backstrom, and will once again be one of the most important players on the ice if Kuznetsov isn’t healthy.
”Nick has gone out or Kuzy has been out, Lars has elevated his game and comes up in a more prominent role,” Trotz said. ”I think he embraces the challenge. He takes the moments very seriously that he has to step up and try to find a way to produce, and he has. He’s a veteran player who has good hockey sense, and he’s strong on the puck, and I think his game translates well in the playoffs.”
It doesn’t hurt that the Capitals can lean on Ovechkin in times of need, and they have received strong performances from top-six wingers Tom Wilson Vinny Curry Color Rush Jersey , T.J. Oshie and Jakub Vrana and defenseman John Carlson.
It’s the kind of production Vegas is looking for from its top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Going on the road means coach Gerard Gallant can’t pick matchups, so he’s counting on his best players to play like it.
”I don’t care who they play against,” Gallant said. ”We’re going to play well and work hard and compete hard. (Wednesday) night they didn’t have the offensive outburst they usually have. You’re not going to be at your best every night. I expect them to be really good for us like they have all season long.”
Gallant tipped his hat to the Capitals, saying they deserved to win Game 2 based on how they performed after losing Kuznetsov. It would be more difficult to sustain that effort and adrenaline for an entire game without him, though it’s a test they passed without Backstrom earlier in the playoffs.
”It’ll be a big loss, but as you saw in the Pittsburgh series when Nick went down, sometimes that kind of energizes some other guys to get in there and be able to make some plays,” Oshie said. ”So we’ll roll with the punches.”
Rolling with the punches has become somewhat of the Capitals’ identity this season and into the playoffs. They got some more in the form of a ground stop at the airport after they landed on Thursday as lightning kept them from getting off the plane.
Trotz considers it just another roadblock for his team to get over.
”Our guys are fine,” he said. ”It’s another layer of adversity that we have to go through all the time.”
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More Stanley Cup coverage: The Tigers knew exactly what hit them – the daunting combination of a homer-friendly park and a free-swinging Reds offense starting to come around.
Scooter Gennett hit a tying two-run homer Avonte Maddox Color Rush Jersey , and Eugenio Suarez also connected on the next pitch – a hit originally ruled a double but changed to a homer on review – for a 5-3 victory and a two-game sweep on Wednesday.
The Reds moved ahead in the all-time series 13-11, with two games left at Comerica Park starting July 31.
After managing only a pair of singles through the first five innings, the Reds finally got to Michael Fulmer (3-6). Gennett connected with two outs for his 13th homer, tying it 2-2.
”The way we’re playing right now is how we expected to play all year,” Gennett said. ”It’s a lot of fun.”
Fulmer threw Gennett a slider that was headed for the dirt on a 1-2 count, only to see it sail out to right field aided by the wind.
”I thought it was a great pitch,” Fulmer said. ”I’m mad at the results, but I’m not mad at the way I pitched.”
Suarez hit Fulmer’s next pitch to left field, with the ball landing on the top of the wall and bouncing back into play. The Reds sounded their home run siren and shot off fireworks, but the umpires ruled the ball was in play and stopped Suarez at second base.
After a review of 1 minute http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , 12 seconds, the hit was ruled a homer – replays indicated the ball skipped off the top of the wall and deflected off a railing behind it.
Adam Duvall added a solo shot in the eighth as the Reds out-homered the Tigers 3-2.
”That’s the way it is here,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Tyler Mahle (6-6) overcame a pair of solo homers to remain unbeaten in four June starts. The rookie has allowed a total of four earned runs while going 3-0 in the month. He struck out eight in six innings of his team-high sixth quality start.
”I was more lucky than good today,” Mahle said . ”If I had to give myself a grade today, it would be a `D.”’
Raisel Iglesias gave up a hit in the ninth while earning his 11th save in 13 chances.
INTERLEAGUE
The Reds improved to 6-1 in interleague games. They’ve won five straight against the AL, tying their best all-time mark. The Tigers fell to 1-7.
SWING AND A MISS
Fulmer has little hitting experience in the majors, and it hurt the Tigers in the sixth. With runners on second and third and two outs, the Reds intentionally walked Dixon Machado to bring up Fulmer. He struck out on three pitches, the last one a high 94 mph fastball. Fulmer is 0 for 9 with six strikeouts for his career.
Gardenhire said that’s the big advantage for the NL, where pitchers take batting practice regularly.
”There’s your unfair advantage http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-lamar-jackson-jersey ,” he said.
HARDY APPEARANCE
Left-hander Blaine Hardy relieved in the seventh and gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Hardy has been a fill-in starter for the Tigers’ depleted rotation and pitched into the sixth inning Sunday for a 3-1 win over the White Sox.
VOTTO HONORED
Joey Votto received his 2017 Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s Athlete of the Year, the second time he’s won it. Ferguson Jenkins and Larry Walker are the other baseball players to win it.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Right-handed reliever Drew VerHagen was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a broken nose suffered Tuesday night when he was hit by a thrown ball while covering first base. Right-handed reliever Johnny Barbato was called up from Triple-A Toledo. He gave up Duvall’s homer in the eighth.
Reds: Manager Jim Riggleman and the training staff are developing a rehab plan for starter Homer Bailey, who has been sidelined since June 2 with a sore right knee. He’s 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA.
UP NEXT
Tigers: After a day off, the Tigers start a weekend series in Cleveland, where they’ve lost 20 of their past 26 games, including their past seven. Mike Fiers (5-3) is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts at Progressive Field.
Reds: Matt Harvey (1-5) makes his eighth start for the Reds, who open a four-game series against the Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Harvey has lost his past three decisions for the Reds, who got him from the Mets in a trade for catcher Devin Mesoraco on May 8.
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