It seems as if the adrenaline was pumping for the Washington Capitals, even after they lost one of their star players in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. But now that they are facing the reality of their situation, the Caps have to figure out how they are going forward, as the Vegas Golden Knights  will be prepared. Game 3 begins at 8:05 PM ET at the Capital One Arena, and remember that if you are a BetAnySports customer, you will have a chance to get reduced juice for better value in the odds, and then after the puck gets dropped, you'll get to keep pace with the action when you access Live Betting Ultra.

The Capitals are not all that happy about the hit that Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb laid on Evgeny Kutzenov in the first period of Game 2, because they thought it was questionable, and put Kutzenov, the leading point-scorer in the playoffs, out of that game with a wrist injury and made him questionable for this one. At the same time, coach Barry Trotz felt that the incident had a "galvanizing" effect and could be a "turning point" in favor of his team in the series.

It could be that Trotz will have to once again move centers up to fill the void. The #1 line would be centered by Nicklas Backstrom, the wily veteran who was himself a question mark before the series began. Lars Eller, who was a star in Game 2 with a goal and two assists, would be anchoring the second line. It's not so much that these guys are not capable; indeed they are, and even when Backstrom was sidelined for a few games, Eller did a good job picking up the slack.

But there is no question that Kutzenov's absence will be felt, because he was a great producer, not only in the regular season, where he had 27 goals and 56 assists, many of those going to superstar Alex Ovechkin, but also the top overall scorer in the playoffs (eleven goals and 14 assists). That would seem something that could catch up to these guys.

For example, how many times can they get that kind of effort out of Eller? They certainly can't expect another goal out of Brooks Orpik, who connected for the first time since February of 2016. Just as the Caps say they are fully prepared to go without Kutzenov, the Golden Knights will be ready to go up against any new configuration.

In the NHL odds at BetAnySports on which we will make our Stanley Cup picks for Game 2, the Capitals are the favorites:

Washington Capitals -130
Vegas Golden Knights +110

Caps -1.5 Goals +220
Golden Knights +1.5 Goals -260

Under 5.5 Goals -120
Over 5.5 Goals +100

While Marc-Andre Fleury has been less than inspiring in goal for Vegas, Washington got a scintillating performance out of former Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby, who made a magnificent save in the final moments of Game 2 that might have involved a lot of luck, but also required a great recovery by Holtby after he had left the net almost completely open. Holtby had relinquished his starting job during the season to Philipp Grubauer, as he compiled a so-so .907 save percentage. And Grubauer started the first two games of the team's first playoff series, losing twice at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Holtby was a dominant figure in the conference finals against Tampa Bay, scoring shutouts in the final two games. So there is very little doubt that he is on his game, at least most of the time. Fleury had been even better through the entirety of the post-season, with a 1.68 goals-against coming into the Finals. But his save percentage here has been just .870 in two games.

Interestingly enough, the Caps are just 4-5 at home in the playoffs. Where they have been especially dangerous is on enemy ice, where they are 9-3. Are the Golden Knights any good on the road? Well, you can't roll through the playoffs with a record of 13-4 without being a good road team, and they have won six of eight. If you believe Fleury can do a bounceback, then you have to place some more faith in this Vegas crew.

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