The Washington Capitals notched their first-ever Stanley Cup Final victory on Wednesday, thanks to the instincts and right paddle of goaltender Braden Holtby.
With Washington clinging to a one-goal lead in Vegas with two minutes left, Alex Tuch of the Golden Knights had the puck on his stick with nothing in front of him but the back of the Capitals’ net.
But as Tuch shot, Holtby thrust his paddle into the empty space and made a save, one of his 37, that has to be seen to be believed.
SAVE. OF. THE. YEAR! #ALLCAPS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/OCBBQoEPMI
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 31, 2018
YOU KIDDING ME, BRADEN HOLTBY?! ? #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/z89E7QnwUw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 31, 2018
Riding the momentum of that stop, Washington was able to hold off Vegas and take the 3-2 win.
“To me, it was the hockey gods,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. “They evened it up from the last game. Great save. You could see the emotion on our bench. Once he made that save, I knew we were going to win the game.”
Lars Eller, Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Orpik had the goals for the Caps, while James Neal and Shea Theodore scored for the Golden Knights.
The win may spur the Capitals on to bigger things, as they are now returning home with the series tied 1-1 and have the chance to go up by two games before heading back to Vegas.
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