Capitals power play 'big difference' in Game 4 win vs. Golden Knights

WASHINGTON -- Barry Trotz doesn't know which he likes more: the euphoria his Washington Capitals show after scoring yet another power-play goal, or the dejection etched on the face of whichever Vegas Golden Knights player is in the penalty box at the time.

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Either way, it's a win-win for the coach and the Capitals.

It happened three times in Washington's 6-2 victory in Game 4 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final at Capital One Arena on Monday. The Capitals went 3-for-5 on the power play and took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series heading into Game 5 at Vegas on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Washington is one win from its first Stanley Cup championship.
"Our power play was good," Trotz said. "They took penalties and we're OK with that if they want to take penalties."
Especially considering how the Capitals are producing with the man-advantage, thanks in part to being flexible in their power-play structure.
Washington's typical power-play setup has two players down low, one at each face-off circle and one quarterback at the point. The objective is to get the puck to captain Alex Ovechkin, who usually is positioned at the left dot with his stick cocked in the air, waiting to shoot.
When the Golden Knights penalty kill started shifting toward Ovechkin's side of the ice, the Capitals compensated by using him as a decoy, opening up other options and freeing up ice.

"It's always good to have options," said Washington center Nicklas Backstrom, who had three assists Monday, including two on the power play.
"We're moving around, we're trying different stuff. We're trying to make it harder on them and we know the power play can be a big difference. That's obviously what we're trying to do."
The Capitals power play is 4-for-12 in the series. They have 21 power-play goals in 23 games this postseason, the most by any team since the Pittsburgh Penguins had 21 in 20 games in 2008.
Washington's 29.6 conversion rate (21-for-71) is the third-best in NHL history among playoff teams who have played at least 15 games. The New York Islanders converted on 37.8 percent (31-for-82, 18 games) in 1981; the Toronto Maple Leafs scored on 29.7 percent of their chances (22-for-74, 18 games) in 1994.
"Special teams are huge," said Ovechkin, who had one assist, at even strength. "It proved to be a big difference."