Alex Ovechkin, Capitals Hold Off Golden Knights to Even 2018 Stanley Cup Final

The comeback Capitals are at it again.   

The Washington Capitals trailed in each of their first three playoff series this year before battling back to win. And after losing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, they evened the series with a 3-2 victory Wednesday in Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena.

Washington moved a step closer to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history thanks to goals from Lars Eller, Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Orpik. Goaltender Braden Holtby was also brilliant while nursing a one-goal lead throughout the third period.

Each goaltender was more effective than in Vegas' 6-4 win in Game 1, but Holtby shone after allowing a first-period goal to James Neal and a second-period goal to Shea Theodore. He stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced and stood strong against an onslaught during a five-on-three power play in the third.

He also made a jaw-dropping stick save to preserve the win in the final two minutes on what appeared to be a wide-open net for Alex Tuch.

It was the type of save and performance Capitals fans will look back on if they wind up lifting the coveted trophy. It may also define Holtby's legacy considering his effectiveness throughout the playoffs.

His counterpart, Marc-Andre Fleury, knocked the Capitals out of the playoffs last season as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he couldn't match Holtby on Wednesday, stopping 23 of 26 shots despite not allowing a goal in the third.

The goaltenders stood out, but Game 2 was a battle of strengths coming in. The Golden Knights were 7-1 at home in these playoffs, while the Capitals were 8-3 on the road. Vegas appeared to be the stronger side at the start, as it created the majority of the initial opportunities and tested Holtby from the get-go.

It was only a matter of time before Vegas found the net, and Neal got on the board first by knocking a high puck to himself in the neutral zone and sniping it into the top corner past Holtby's glove side.

That was the last time Vegas enjoyed sustained momentum, as the Capitals bounced back just like Ovechkin predicted following his team's Game 1 loss.

"I think next game is going to be different and all the nervousness, all the bad things go away in this game," Ovechkin said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "We just have to forget about it and bounce back in the next one."

Washington scored the next three goals, with the equalizer coming when Michal Kempny drew the defense to his side and unleashed a cross-ice pass to the wide-open Eller. Ovechkin put the Capitals ahead for good in the second period when he found himself open near the crease following stellar puck movement.

Orpik made it 3-1 in the same period, picking an incredible time for his first goal in more than two years:

It wasn't all good news for the visitors, though, as Evgeny Kuznetsov left the game with an injury in the first period after Brayden McNabb plastered him against the boards with a high hit. The playmaking center grabbed his arm area immediately after the hit and never returned.

T.J. Oshie also nearly cost his team when he retaliated to a hit and drew an interference penalty to create the power play that lead to Theodore's goal.

Fortunately for the right-winger, Holtby bailed him out in the third period and gave the Capitals plenty of momentum heading back home.

The series now shifts to Washington for Saturday's Game 3, and the Capitals have the opportunity to seize control of the Stanley Cup Final if they take advantage of their home-ice advantage in the next two contests.