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LAS VEGAS (AP) When Braden Holtby took some time off in February Tage Thompson Jersey Womens , playing in only nine of the Washington Capitals‘ 14 games, he finally had a chance to reflect on aspects of his game.It might seem easy to say being benched in favor of Philipp Grubauer for the first two games of the postseason ignited Holtby’s standout playoff run. But he credits his midseason reprieve for a revival that pushed him and Washington into the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Game 1 in Monday night.”It was great to just have a break in February where I could really analyze myself in a game, go to work, kind of get back to those roots and just working as hard as I possibly can to figure out different things of myself and the game,” Holtby said. ”This year I think is one of those years where I’ve learned more and soaked in more knowledge than previous years.”The 28-year-old veteran enters the Final with a 12-6 playoff mark, a 2.04 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. The Capitals haven’t allowed a goal in 159 minutes, 27 seconds, since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay – including 157:13 with Holtby on the ice.Several key members of the Golden Knights are no strangers to Holtby, including general manager George McPhee, goalie coach Dave Prior and defenseman Nate Schmidt Dalton Prout Jersey Womens , a trio that have been a part of the Capitals organization during their careers. It was Prior who recommended McPhee and company draft Holtby in 2008, when the Capitals made him the second pick of the fourth round (and the 10th goalie taken in the draft).Holtby said Prior, who has helped Vegas goalie and three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury improve aspects of his game this season, taught him ways to analyze his game he would have never thought of.”He’s obviously one of the best, he helped me a ton,” Holtby said. ”He taught me how to practice correctly, how to really analyze my game honestly and grow in different ways. Before, as a young kid, I just thought if you could just work as hard as you can, that’s how you get better. But there’s strategic ways and he was awesome Elias Lindholm Jersey Womens , very calm, very unbiased watching games.”Schmidt said a common comparison between Holtby and Fleury is easy to see.”Both guys are very athletic,” Schmidt said. ”That’s something I knew about Fleury a little bit, and it’s caused a lot of heartache to me over the years. You see that kind of thing with guys who are never out of a save. That’s what makes both of them special players.”Holtby’s regular-season numbers (2.99 GAA, .907 save percentage) are a career worst. He said taking time to focus on things he never was able to do during a regular season has helped ease his mind and relieve certain pressures he was putting on himself during games.”Obviously throughout my career of hockey playing, you know that putting too much pressure on yourself and doing too much is never that good,” Holtby said. ”And I got caught up trying to do too much, and it never works too well, and it ended up snowballing.”Snowballing to the tune of him allowing four or more goals in eight of the 16 games he played during January and February. But over his last eight regular-season appearances in March, he finished 6-2 and never allowed more than three goals. He’s allowed three or fewer goals in 17 of the 18 playoff games he’s played in.”I’ve learned a lot of valuable things about myself Alan Quine Jersey Womens , about the way hockey is now, it’s changed,” Holtby said. ”You have to play a little different than in the past with the speed and the way the game is mostly all about offense now. It’s different that way and I think that was one thing I had to learn.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks and Jonathan Toews executed their plan – and didn’t waste any time in overtime.Toews scored nine seconds into the extra period and had an assist in regulation to lead Chicago past the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1 on Tuesday night.The winner was generated directly from the faceoff at center ice. Toews pulled the draw to Duncan Keith, who passed to Patrick Kane on the right side. Kane fed Toews on a 2-on-1 and the Chicago captain chipped his 18th goal past Semyon Varlamov from the low edge of the circle.The Blackhawks’ signature puck possession game has disappeared for much of their disappointing season. But in overtime, Chicago was the only team to touch the puck on a play Toews said came almost off the drawing board.”It was nice to get that chance right away and bury it,” Toews said. ”Overtime can go either way, and it’s usually one great scoring chance to the next.””That was a pretty good play,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”A great pass and a great shot. Good ending there.”Chicago’s Jean-Francois Berube stopped 33 shots and Erik Gustafsson connected in the first as the fading Blackhawks won for the second time in five games.Berube was sharp in his fourth game since being called up from Rockford of the AHL. The Blackhawks have been without injured No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford since Dec. 23.”Every time you go in the net you try to showcase yourself,” Berube said. ”For me Petr Mrazek Jersey Womens , it’s `Take it one game at a time and play the game I can play and let the result unfold.”’Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon extended his points streak to six games with his team-leading 32nd goal in the second period. MacKinnon has seven goals and six assists during the run and eight goals and nine assists in his last eight games.Varlamov stopped 25 shots as the Avalanche lost their second straight in overtime, but earned a point to pull even with the idle Los Angeles Kings, who are in the second Western Conference wild-card spot.Coach Jared Bednar was disappointed his team didn’t buckle down in overtime for a chance to leapfrog Los Angeles.”Wish we had two (points),” Bednar said. ”I didn’t think we played a complete game tonight.”And then, not happy with the overtime goal at all. We made a mistake on that easy coverage and we let a guy get in behind us, and it cost us the second point.”The Avalanche lost 4-3 at home to Nashville on Sunday.Gustafsson was credited with opening the scoring 5:08 into the game.The defenseman whipped a crisp pass from the top of the left circle toward Kane at the right side of the crease. Kane was covered by Colorado’s Patrik Nemeth, but the puck deflected off Nemeth’s left skate and into the net.MacKinnon’s power-play goal with 3:42 left in the second tied it. After taking a cross-ice feed from Tyson Barrie, MacKinnon fired in a high shot from the left circle, beating Berube on the stick side as the goalie slid across the crease.An apparent goal by Chicago’s Brandon Saad with 1:17 left in the period was disallowed after a video review determined Saad kicked the puck into the net with his right skate.Capping a spinning move, Kane fed the puck across the crease to Saad on the left side of the net. The puck struck Saad and a replay showed him sweeping it just over the goal line.Varlamov stopped Chicago rookie Alex DeBrincat on a point-blank deflection two minutes into the scoreless third. He made a close-in glove save on Toews minutes later.Colorado’s J.T. Compher fired a rebound wide of a partly open net with 5:40 left in regulation.Each team failed to convert a power play late in the third.NOTES: Avalanche C Colin Wilson missed his second game after suffering a head injury against Minnesota last Friday. … Earlier on Tuesday Jordan Schroeder Jersey Womens , the Blackhawks signed Gustafsson to a two-year contract extension and F Tyler Sikura to a one-year contract for 2018-19. The 25-year-old Gustafsson played his 20th game this season with Chicago on Tuesday night. Sikura, also 25, has skated with AHL Rockford, where he leads the farm team with 16 goals in his first season there. He’s the older brother of Blackhawks prospect Dylan Sikura, who’s finishing his senior year at Northeastern University. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has said he wants to sign Dylan after the NCAA season ends.UP NEXTAvalanche: Visit Columbus on Thursday night.Blackhawks: Host Carolina on Thursday night.—