LAS VEGAS (AP) Alex Ovechkin finally got to hoist the Stanley Cup. And then he raised the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Final.Fellow Russian linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov and goaltender Braden Holtby certainly did some heavy lifting of their own.In helping deliver a championship Washington had wanted for more than 40 years Devan Dubnyk Jersey , Kuznetsov was arguably the Capitals‘ most instrumental player. The 26-year-old, fifth-year pro finished with a playoff-leading 32 points, including his 20th assist in Thursday night’s series-clinching 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5.”He was unbelievable,” Ovechkin said of Kuznetsov. ”He makes the magic over there.”Holtby, overshadowed coming into the Final, bested three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. He not only allowed the Golden Knights just eight goals over the last four games, but won in Vegas twice.Holtby is now 45-37 in 82 career playoff appearances – all with the Capitals – while compiling a 2.04 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and six shutouts. That is the second-highest save percentage and fifth-best GAA in NHL postseason history among goaltenders with at least 50 outings.Washington coach Barry Trotz said it took losing the No. 1 role to Philipp Grubauer late in the regular season and the start of the postseason for Holtby to rediscover the foundation of his game he developed in Saskatchewan.”Just like all great goaltenders, you go through some dry spells in your game where you lose your way a little bit and your foundation,” Trotz said. ”We had a conversation and he was very respectful. He understood that he wasn’t going to start in the playoffs. And he said, `If I get a chance to go back in, I’m gonna be really good for you.’ And he was.”His unbelievable stick save on Alex Tuch to lock up a win in Game 2 will ring forever in Caps history.”I think any big play is going to be a turning point,” Holtby said humbly. ”It was a big play in the game Womens Eric Staal Jersey , but the credit really goes to our guys because we didn’t get complacent. We knew we could do something special and we did.”With Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and Holtby leading the charge, Washington wasn’t about to blow another 3-1 lead, an unwelcome feature of its postseason past. Prior to this season, the Capitals had lost five series when leading 3-1, the most in the NHL.After losing Game 1, the Capitals won four straight to win the Cup, outscoring the Golden Knights 16-8 along the way. For the series, Kuznetsov scored one goal and assisted on seven others, including Jakub Vrana’s goal that opened the scoring for the Capitals in Game 5.”Kuz is a great player, he’s a really, really talented player,” Vrana said. ”He can be the difference every game. He’s just unbelievable.”While Trotz acknowledged Ovechkin’s play and how much he’s meant to the franchise http://www.minnesotawildteamshops.com/authentic-jared-spurgeon-jersey , he said Kuznetsov single-handedly took over games for the Capitals and proved to be just as valuable during their championship run.So much so, he wasn’t sure who was going to be named MVP of the Final.”That was a toss-up for me, I thought they were neck and neck if you ask me who gets the Conn Smythe, I thought that’s gonna be a tough choice,” Trotz said. ”You probably have to split that in half for me.”Trotz said Kuznetsov is just scratching the surface, and the rest of the league is starting to find just how good he is.Kuznetsov, who finished the regular season with 27 goals and 56 assists, scored 12 goals and had 20 assists in the postseason. He was instrumental in Washington’s 6-2 demolition of the Golden Knights in Game 4, when he registered four assists to tie a single-game Stanley Cup Final record.”Since Day 1 of training camp, we really play for each other, we work for each other and we really try to help the young guys, older guys – it doesn’t matter,” Kuznetsov said. ”We just play for your partner and we compete every day.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals The San Jose Sharks haven’t gotten off to a good start on their latest homestand and will next face a team that’s been playing with confidence and has a chance to make history.San Jose looks to avoid its third straight loss at SAP Center on Saturday night when they meet the Philadelphia Flyers for the last time in 2018-19.Coach Peter DeBoer noted that the Sharks didn’t have a lot of jump in the first of four straight on home ice during Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Rangers. He saw some improvement — but not enough — in a 4-1 setback to the Columbus Blue Jackets.Article continues below ...“We’re just doing enough to hope to win Jason Zucker Jersey ,” DeBoer said Thursday. “You’re not going to win many games in this league scoring one goal.”Logan Couture outlined what went wrong for San Jose (6-4-3).“We didn’t pass well, we didn’t play hard enough,” the Sharks center told the team’s official website. “We didn’t spend enough time in their end, we didn’t forecheck, we turned too many pucks over. When you go down the list, we did a lot of things wrong tonight and got what we deserved.”One positive was that Couture extended his points streak to eight games with an assist, giving him five goals with eight helpers during his run. He’s also posted two goals and two assists in a three-game streak versus the Flyers.Philadelphia (6-7-0) started its annual visit in the Golden State with a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday followed by a 5-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.It marked the first time the Flyers have won back-to-back games this season — and put coach Dave Hakstol’s club in position for the first road sweep of California teams in franchise history, according to STATS LLC.“We’ve played pretty good hockey at different times. We haven’t been consistent enough. What we’ve been able to do the last two nights is put consistent play together for 60 minutes,” Hakstol said Thursday.Philadelphia was handed its worst loss of the season when it faced San Jose on Oct. 9. Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane each scored twice to power the Sharks in an 8-2 rout.In nine games since then, Kane has managed only six assists. Pavelski, meanwhile, has two goals and two assists in a three-game points streak at home versus Philadelphia.That game also marked the most goals allowed in one game by the Flyers’ Brian Elliott (4-5-0, 3.10 goals-against average). The 12-year veteran has surrendered two goals in each of his last three starts on the road and says teamwork is the key to the club’s West Coast success so far.“We’re just playing as a group of five on the ice. We always say the cliches Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey , but that’s what it is. It’s everybody working hard for each other,” said Elliott, who is 4-3-1 with a 2.55 GAA and one shutout over eight career games in San Jose.After getting the night off against Columbus, Martin Jones (5-3-1, 2.66 GAA) is expected start for the Sharks. He’s 2-1-1 at SAP Center this season, stopping 92 of 101 shots.One player to watch for Philadelphia is winger Wayne Simmonds. The 11-year veteran registered his second career hat trick in the Flyers’ 5-3 win on Oct. 4, 2017, in San Jose.Simmonds scored his team-high seventh goal in the victory over Los Angeles.