WASHINGTON — If fans in Las Vegas seem a bit spoiled by the rapid success of the Golden Knights Seth Jones Jersey , rest assured that the Washington, D.C. area has paid its dues.

The Capitals, who host Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night, are carrying the hopes of a city that hasn’t seen a Big Four sports team play for a championship since, well, the Capitals way back in 1998 when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

“I think everybody (is) excited in Washington,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin told NHL.com. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be hard. That’s why we worked so hard to be in this spot and be in this moment.”

With the series tied 1-1, Washington carries the momentum into Game 3 and got a boost Friday when center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who left Game 2 with an upper-body injury in the first period, took part in an optional practice.

“He wanted to come back out there in the game, I think Dustin Brown Jersey , but it just wasn’t in the best interest, and I think him and the medical staff made the right call,” Washington’s Jay Beagle told The Washington Post on Friday. “He says he’s feeling better today, and that’s a great sign.”

Kuznetsov, who regularly centers a line with Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, is the NHL’s top postseason scorer with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 21 games.

Washington is 4-5 at home in the playoffs but did win a huge Game 6 at Capital One Arena against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I love playing at home,” Capitals center Lars Eller told NHL.com. “There’s no reason we can’t play our best game (Saturday) night.”

Vegas enters Game 3 looking to overcome the frustration of “The Save” as it’s being referred to. Goaltender Braden Holtby’s amazing stick save on Alex Tuch’s potential game-tying one-timer with two minutes remaining in Game 2 is already being compared locally to Washington’s greatest sports moments.

Holtby, who also stoned Vegas during a five-on-three advantage in Game 2, is 13-7 with a 2.19 GAA and .921 save percentage since replacing Philipp Grubauer in the second game of the first round, but the save on Tuch dominated the conversation after Game 2.

“We know it’s never going to be easy to win a Stanley Cup,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant told the team’s website. “So you’ve just got to focus on the next game. You don’t worry about the last game … “

Vegas is 3-0 after a loss in the playoffs and 3-0 in Game 3s. They bring an 8-2 road playoff record into Washington.

“I think we try to play the same game no matter what building we’re playing in Ryan Johansen Jersey ,” Gallant said. “It worked very well in the postseason. Try to play the same game, play a quick, fast game, an up-tempo game.”

Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has a 3.56 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage in the two games. He posted a 1.68 GAA and .947 save percentage in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

“There were maybe a few unfortunate goals throughout this series,” Fleury told NHl.com. “I don’t think I’ve sweat it too much so far.”

Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said his team needs to be more aware of Washington’s physicality, which helped it swing the Tampa Bay series and has carried over into the Finals.

“They’re a fast group and their physical,” Theodore told the team’s website. “They finish all their checks and I think that’s something we have to be a bit more aware of. We have to use our speed and we have to turn over less pucks definitely.”

When Derrick Favors can find ways to impose his will, good things happen for the Utah Jazz.

Favors has been quietly, albeit effectively, getting it done against the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in the shadows of Utah rookie of the year candidate Donovan Mitchell and Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

But a healthy Favors is making an impact.

The Jazz have returned to Utah with the series tied 1-1 Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , thanks in no small part to Favors. He tallied career playoff highs of 20 points and 16 rebounds in Utah’s 102-95 road win on Wednesday.

Jazz coach Quin Snyder will start Favors at power forward alongside Gobert beginning with Game 3 on Saturday. But he will also utilize him as a backup center to spell Gobert. Favors has done his part to make playing alongside Gobert work by extending his shooting range to improve offensive spacing. He has also made himself an effective roller.

”He’s always been a good pick-and-roll player, regardless of `position,”’ Snyder said. ”We’ve never really thought of him as one position or the other. We’ve thought of him as a basketball player and tried to have him understand his strengths and then play to his strengths.”

Indeed. In the first two playoff games against the Thunder, Favors is averaging 13.5 points on 52 percent shooting and 10.5 rebounds.

It is exactly the type of impact Favors envisioned making when fighting to reclaim his body from knee and back injuries that afflicted him for the better part of two seasons.

”I’m back to being 100 percent,” Favors said. ”Back healthy. Back moving the way I know I can move and playing the way I know I can play. It’s a big advantage for us.”

There’s no question having Favors at full strength has improved Utah’s ability to counter a Thunder team featuring the potent trio of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. The veteran forward/center offers versatility on both ends of the court honed through playing multiple positions as circumstances dictate.

Crashing the boards definitely tops the list when checking off Favors’ strengths. He ranks second on the Jazz roster in rebounding behind Gobert with 7.2 rebounds per game.

When Favors is active on the glass, it can change the direction of a game for Utah. In Game 2 against Oklahoma City, he grabbed eight offensive rebounds through the first 2 1/2 quarters. By contrast, the Thunder totaled six offensive boards as a team in the same stretch.

”His length and his strength allow him to get his hands on balls,” Snyder said. ”He’s got such good hands that even when he keeps the ball alive, usually something good happens.”

Favors’ willingness to go full throttle around the basket has turned him into a reliable complimentary player on offense. He rolls to the basket with consistency and Richard Panik Jersey , more often than not, it pays off for him.

It has turned Favors into a legitimate offensive presence again. He averaged 9.5 points on 48.7 percent shooting while limited to 50 games a year ago. This season, Favors is scoring 12.3 points per game while shooting 56.3 percent from the floor.

”Other teams and other opponents, they look and see I’m 6-foot-10 and think I’m a 5 man or whatever, so they try to take advantage of it,” Favors said. ”It just feels good to be able to go out there and move the way that I know that I can move and be able to play the way I know that I can play and teams can’t take advantage of it.”

Favors is focused on staying aggressive as the series with the Thunder shifts to Utah. He is having fun playing basketball again and wants to make sure Oklahoma City continues to feel his presence on both ends of the court.

His teammates certainly do and they understand what a difference it can potentially make as the Jazz battle to keep going in the postseason.

”He’s been like that all year,” Mitchell said, ”but he’s definitely turned it up with what he can do.”

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