Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Live Blog: Golden Knights vs. Capitals

Welcome to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals.
NHL.com Director of Editorial Shawn P. Roarke was inside T-Mobile Arena where the Capitals won 3-2 to tie the best-of-7 series 1-1.

11:05 p.m. ET

The Capitals win 3-2
with the winning goal coming from the unlikeliest of sources: defenseman Brooks Orpik, who last scored a goal, of any kind, on Feb. 26, 2016.
Forwards Alex Ovechkin and Lars Eller also scored for the Capitals and goaltender Braden Holtby made 37 saves to help Washington even the best-of-7 series.
Holtby's save with the paddle portion of his stick on forward Alex Tuch prevented the potential tying goal with 1:59 remaining.

Game 3 is at Capital One Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS).

Forward James Neal and defenseman Shea Theodore scored for Vegas, which lost for the fourth time this postseason (13-4) and the second time at T-Mobile (7-2).
The loss is the second in 13 games in which Vegas scored first.
Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves. He has allowed seven goals in the first two games of the Final after allowing six in the final four games of the Western Conference Final against the Winnipeg Jets.
Washington was without the services of forward Evgeni Kuznetsov for the final two periods. He sustained an upper-body injury in the first period after a neutral-zone hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb. Kuznetsov leads the playoffs with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and had a point in 11 consecutive games, a team record.

10:39 p.m. ET

The Capitals lead 3-2 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Golden Knights had an excellent opportunity to tie the game, receiving an extended 5-on-3 with Tom Wilson and Lars Eller in the penalty box for defensive-zone penalties 52 seconds apart.
Vegas pressed, firing seven shots on goal and nine shot attempts, but could not find a way to solve Braden Holtby.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik has the deciding goal with his first goal, regular-season or playoffs, since Feb. 26, 2016. Alex Ovechkin, on the power play, and Eller have also scored.
Forward James Neal and defenseman Shea Theodore, on the power play, have the goals for Vegas.
Holtby has 32 saves. Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fluery has 19.

10:10 p.m. ET

The Capitals lead 3-2 after two periods, thanks to second-period goals by forward Alex Ovechkin and defensemen Brooks Orpik.
Ovechkin broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal at 5:38, one-timing a perfect pass from Lars Eller, who has three points.
Ovechkin has 13 goals, one less than Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele, who leads all playoff goal-scorers.
Orpik made is 3-1 with his first goal, regular-season or playoffs, since Feb. 26, 2016. His shot bounced off the glove of Vegas forward Alex Tuch and the post before it entered the net.

Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore made it 3-2 with a power-play goal at 17:47. It was Theodore's third goal of the postseason. Forwards Reilly Smith and William Karlsson had the assists.

Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has made 19 saves. He has allowed seven goals in the first five periods of the Final after allowing six goals in the final four games of the Western Conference Final against the Jets.

Washington goalie Braden Holtby has 22 saves.

9:45 p.m. ET

The Capitals scored twice in the first 9:41 of the second period to take a 3-1 lead.
At 5:38, Alex Ovechkin took a cross-crease pass from forward Lars Eller, who had the first goal, and banked it off the bottom of the blocker of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net on the power play.

It was Washington's first power-play goal of the series. Alex Tuch was in the penalty box for an offensive-zone cross-check on defenseman Brooks Orpik.
Then Orpik scored at 9:41 when his wrist shot bounced off the glove of Tuch, hit the short-side post and ricocheted into the net

Orpik had taken a penalty of his own, at 2:04, for an illegal check to the head of forward James Neal, who had scored the first goal for Vegas.

Washington forward Evgeni Kuznetsov, injured at 14:55 of the first period,

, according to the Capitals. He appeared to injure his arm after a neutral-zone hit by defenseman Brayden McNabb.
Kuznetsov leads the playoffs with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and has scored in 11 consecutive games, a team record.

9:05 p.m. ET

The Golden Knights and Capitals are tied 1-1 after the first period of Game 2.
Washington forward Lars Eller tied the game at 17:27 with a wrist shot into the open side of the net after a cross-ice pass from defenseman Michal Kempny.

Vegas took the lead on a beautiful wrist shot from James Neal at 7:58.
Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was injured at 14:55. He appeared to injure his arm after a neutral-zone hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb. Kuznetsov leads the playoffs with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and has a point in 11 straight games, which is a Capitals record.
The Golden Knights have scored the first goal in all nine home games this postseason, with each coming within 10:00 of the opening face-off. They are 11-2 when scoring first this postseason.

Washington goalie Braden Holtby finished the period with nine saves. Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had 10 saves.

8:45 p.m. ET

For the second straight game, the Vegas Golden Knights have taken the lead in the first period.
James Neal, steaming down the left wing, snapped off a wrist shot that beat goaltender Braden Holtby inside the post. It was Neal's fifth goal and 10th point of the postseason. Defensemen Luca Sbisa and Colin Miller had the assists.
It was a back-and-forth first 10 minutes with each team having quality chances.
Washington did not suffer from the slow start that hindered them in Game 1, generating three shots and the best chance in the early going when forward T.J. Oshie roofed a backhand that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury got a piece of.
Holtby has seven saves. Fleury has three.

8:15 p.m. ET

The start of Game 2 was as over the top as the start to Game 1.
While much of the intro was the same as on Monday, with the Golden Knight vanquishing the five villains from the East in the pregame program, Imagine Dragons, the Grammy Award-winning band, was an added wrinkle. They snuck onto the ice at the end of the battle scene while the crowd was focused on a collection of musicians playing in front of The Fortress. The band played a rocking version of its hit, "Whatever it Takes," with lead singer Dan Reynolds wearing a Marc-Andre Fleury T-shirt.

After the players took the ice, six-time UFC champ Randy Couture cranked the siren to get Game 2 started.
Each team dressed the same lineups as Game 1, but there may be one minor change for Game 2 for the Golden Knights. Forwards David Perron and Alex Tuch have switched lines. Perron has moved up to play with Erik Haula and James Neal and Tuch slides down to play with Ryan Carpenter and Cody Eakin. Perron has not scored a goal in 12 postseasons games, but has eight assists.

7 p.m. ET

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and Capitals is about an hour from starting, but things are already crazy in and around T-Mobile Arena.
Once again, fans have flocked to Toshiba Plaza in front of the arena for a pregame party. Some will find their way inside, but many will remain outside and watch the game on big-screen televisions.
Vegas won the first game 6-4
here on Monday. The Golden Knights are 7-1 at home this postseason.
Since the Stanley Cup Final went to a best-of-7 format in 1939, the team that wins Game 1 has won the series 78.2 percent of the time (61 of 78), including each of the past six seasons. The losing team in Game 1 has not won the Cup since the 2011 Boston Bruins.
Before Game 2 begins,
Imagine Dragons will add even more sizzle
to an unforgettable pregame ceremony. The Grammy Award-winning group is from Las Vegas.
Stick with us throughout the game for more updates.