NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2018

by | May 31, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2018

Capitals win Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Details and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby backstopped his club to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final (Photo via NHL Images).

 NHL.COM: Braden Holtby made 37 saves, including an amazing stick save late in the third period, as the Washington Capitals edged the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Lars Eller had a goal and two assists, Andre Burakovsky had two assists and Alex Ovechkin tallied his first Stanley Cup Final goal. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

It was a costly victory for the Capitals, as first-line center Evgeny Kuznetsov let the game in the first period with what appeared to be an injured left wrist following a hit by Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. 

The series shifts to Washington for Game 3 on Saturday at 8 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals will miss Kuznetsov if he’s sidelined or hampered by that suspected wrist injury. In this game, however, his absence due to what the Capitals considered a questionable hit seemed to rally his teammates, who overcame a 1-0 deficit to take a lead the Golden Knights narrowed but couldn’t overcome. 

NATIONAL POST: If the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, casinos in Las Vegas could lose between $5 million to $7 million because so many locals made long-shot bets on the home town team before the start of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Entering the season, one bookmaker had the Golden Knights at 500-1 to win the Stanley Cup. I briefly entertained the thought of putting down $20 just for a laugh but decided I didn’t want to waste my money.