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Round 4: Stanley Cup finals: Game 1
Series Start: 0-0
Monday May 28 Washington Capitals vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights
Place: T-Mobile Arena
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM (https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/2017030411) for Live Box Score
Last Game: May 23 Capitals Smoked the Lightning 4-0 in regulation in Tampa Bay Game 7.
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
13-Vrana 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
65-Burakovsky 20-Eller 10-Connolly
18-Stephenson 83-Beagle 25-Smith-Pelly
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
39-Chiasson
79-Walker
72-Boyd
63-Gersich
64-Pinho
28-Jerabek
22-Bowey
1-Copley
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Wes McCauley (#4), Marc Joannette (#25)
Linesmen: Matt MacPherson (#83), Jonny Murray (#95)
Standby Referee: Chris Rooney (#5)
Standby Linesman: Greg Devorski (#54)
Series Supervisor: Don Van Massenhoven
Las Vegas' Expected Lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith
Alex Tuch - Erik Haula - James Neal
David Perron - Cody Eakin - Ryan Carpenter
Ryan Reaves - Pierre - Edouard Bellemare - Tomas Nosek
Defensemen
Brayden McNabb - Nate Schmidt
Deryk Engelland - Shea Theodore
Luca Sbisa - Colin Miller
Goaltenders
Marc - Andre Fleury (starter)
Maxime Lagace
Malcolm Subban, the Golden Knights’ usual backup goaltender, remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Golden Knights Coach Gerard Gallant said he expects Subban to return at some point during the Stanley Cup series, but he did not specify when that may be.
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1st Period
07:15 VGK PP GOAL Miller, assist Haula 1-0 VGK
14:41 GOAL 10-Connolly, assists 6-Kempny & 65-Burakovsky 1-1 TIE
15:23 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 77-Oshie & 13-Vrana 2-1 WSH
18:19 VGK GOAL Karlsson, assists Smith & Engelland 2-2 TIE
2nd Period
03:21 VGK GOAL Smith, , assists Engelland & Marchessault 3-2 VGK
08:29 GOAL 74-Carlson, assists 77-Oshie & 19-Bäckström 3-3 TIE
3rd Period
01:10 GOAL 42-Wislosn, assists 8-Ovechkin & 92-Kuznetsov 4-3 WSH
02:41 VGK GOAL Reaves, unassisted 4-4 TIE
09:44 VGK GOAL Nosek, assist Theodore 5-4 VGK
19:57 VGK EN GOAL Nosek, assist Perron 6-4 VGK
FINAL: 6-4 VGK
(https://galactichub.com/caps/The Washington Post.gif)
by Isabelle Khurshudyan, Roman Stubbs, Jesse Dougherty, Scott Allen, Neil Greenberg and Dan Steinberg May 28 at 3:45 PM
2018 NHL Stanley Cup finals: Capitals-Golden Knights Game 1
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Braden Holtby and the Capitals resume their quest for the Stanley Cup Monday night. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
Stanley Cup finals: Game 1
Washington Capitals vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights
Series: Start 0-0
Monday May 28, 8:00 p.m. ET, T-Mobile Arena
TV: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS
Remaining schedule
Game 2: at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. Wednesday May 30
Game 3: at Washington, 8 p.m. Saturday June 2
Game 4: at Washington, 8 p.m. Monday June 4
Game 5 (if necessary): at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. Thursday June 7
Game 6 (if necessary): at Washington, 8 p.m. Sunday June 10
Game 7 (if necessary): at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. Wednesday June 13
- The Capitals have been great on the road this postseason, but the Golden Knight’s are one of the league’s best home teams. (Read more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/28/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-1/#story))
- Washington didn’t have a morning skate because of a 5 p.m. local start, but don’t expect any lineup changes. (Read more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/28/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-1/#news))
- Evgeny Kuznetsov is the postseason’s leading scorer with 24 points in 19 games. (Read more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/28/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-1/#players))
- Trace how the Capitals got to this point with a timeline of the season. (Read more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/28/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-1/#links))
Top story lines
Home sweet home: The Golden Knights had one of the NHL’s best home records during the regular season (29-10-2), and they’ve taken that to a new level during their run to the Stanley Cup finals. Vegas has lost just one playoff game at T-Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, the Capitals have occasionally struggled on their home ice, but they’re an impressive 8-2 on the road. Washington even has a road superstition where a member of the team does a hot lap before the game, and because Coach Barry Trotz took the solo skate in Tampa Bay before a victorious Game 7, he did so again in Vegas on Sunday.
The team that wins Game 1 goes on to win the series — and the Stanley Cup — 78 percent of the time, but if Washington can just return to Capital One Arena with a series split after the two games in the desert, then the team is in good shape.
As for the “Vegas Flu,” don’t expect the Capitals to get caught up in that.
“We’re going [to Vegas] to play hockey, not to pool party and play in casino,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “We’re going there to play hockey and do our thing, and then we’re going to have all the summer and whatever we want to do, we can do it.”
• Goaltending: The Capitals have faced some impressive goaltenders to this point: Columbus’s Sergei Bobrovsky, Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. Now Washington has to contend with Marc-Andre Fleury, who the team is well-acquainted with. Fleury ousted the Capitals a year ago when he started for the Penguins in the second round.
He’s been on a tear this postseason: .947 save percentage and a 1.68 goals-against average with four shutouts. In Washington’s net, Braden Holtby has been stout since he reclaimed the starting job two games into the playoffs, and he’s just posted back-to-back shutouts. Holtby has a .924 save percentage with a 2.04 goals-against average in 18 playoff games.
“Obviously he’s playing well, he’s always been a good goalie,” Holtby said of Fleury. “I think for us it’s more to focus on how to create those chances because they’re not giving up much, they’re pretty stingy. If you’ve watched their playoff run, they’re pretty stingy on defense and if we’re gonna have success, it’s gonna be irrelevant of a goaltender. It’s creating those chances that no goaltender can stop. That’s how we’ve had success throughout these playoffs and we’ll have to continue that.”
• Defending Ovechkin: The Golden Knights’ defensemen have a number of tough assignments in this series — Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, bottom-six scorers, and so on — but none will be as dire as trying to slow Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin has 22 points this postseason (12 goals, 10 assists) and scored in three of the Capitals’ four wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern conference finals. His slap shot from the left faceoff circle is lethal from anywhere in the zone, and the Golden Knights, like all teams, will be focused on crowding Ovechkin to keep him from unleashing it. That will be especially important on the power play, where Ovechkin sets up in the left faceoff circle and often punishes opposing teams.
The Golden Knights penalty kill ranked 10th in the NHL during the regular season, and killed seven of the Winnipeg Jets’ eight power-play opportunities in the last two games of the Western conference finals. That unit will need to pay close mind to Ovechkin in order to have similar success, but there is also a danger in giving him too much attention.
“He’s played great hockey, but again we’re more worried about the Washington Capitals than one player,” Golden Knights Coach Gerard Gallant said after his team’s optional morning skate on Monday. “He’s going to be a key player for them, we have to pay special attention when he is on the ice, but they’ve got some really good players.”
Players to watch
Evgeny Kuznetsov: The postseason was disastrous for Kuznetsov two years ago: one goal and one assist through 12 games. He’s since shown that was a fluke and he quite enjoys the big stage. Last playoffs, he scored five goals with five assists in 12 games. In this run, he has 11 goals and 13 assists through 24 games, not just the Capitals’ leading scorer but the NHL’s top point-producer in the postseason. All but three goals have been at even strength, and especially as center Nicklas Backstrom has been nursing an injury to his right index finger, Kuznetsov has asserted himself as a top center and a top player for Washington. He and Ovechkin will likely have to contend with Vegas’s top defensive pairing of Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt, a former teammate.
Jonathan Marchessault: The Golden Knights have relied on fast starts all season, and the speedy Marchessault has been a major factor in their offensive outbursts at the start of games. The top-line winger had four goals in the Golden Knights’ series win over the Jets in the Western conference finals, including a score just 35 seconds into a 4-2 victory in Game 3. There will be a ton of energy in T-Mobile Arena on Monday — with the Golden Knights playing in their first Stanley Cup finals after a remarkable inaugural season — and Marchessault (as well as line mates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith) have a chance to sustain a raucous atmosphere if they can net an early goal.
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
The Washington Capitals’ path to the 2018 Stanley Cup finals (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/05/28/feature/the-washington-capitals-path-to-the-2018-stanley-cup-finals/?utm_term=.55d4b6b12c9b)
The Stanley Cup in sight, Alex Ovechkin is all in as Capitals head to Vegas (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/the-stanley-cup-in-sight-alex-ovechkin-is-all-in-as-capitals-head-to-vegas/2018/05/27/ec5b6f76-61f4-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html?utm_term=.36407466c79c)
George McPhee and Brian MacLellan go back decades. Now their teams are playing for the Stanley Cup. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/george-mcphee-and-brian-maclellan-go-back-decades-now-their-teams-will-meet-in-the-stanley-cup-finals/2018/05/27/e3c7ee90-61fc-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html?utm_term=.081a24fce4f2)
The Capitals had a way to keep Nate Schmidt; Backstrom health update (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/27/the-capitals-had-a-way-to-keep-nate-schmidt-backstrom-health-update/?utm_term=.ceb0b23bfd68)
In Stanley Cup finals, Capitals face down yet another familiar foe: Marc-Andre Fleury (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/in-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-face-down-yet-another-familiar-foe-marc-andre-fleury/2018/05/27/6037a732-61fc-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html?utm_term=.b8161dcffa10)
Las Vegas, shaken by tragedy, finds an unlikely rallying point: Its first-year NHL team (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/las-vegas-shaken-by-tragedy-finds-an-unlikely-rallying-point-its-first-year-nhl-team/2018/05/27/a01b08b4-61be-11e8-a69c-b944de66d9e7_story.html?utm_term=.9e91c394e75c)
Capitals’ depth a huge advantage over the Golden Knights in Stanley Cup finals (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2018/05/27/capitals-depth-a-huge-advantage-over-the-golden-knights-in-stanley-cup-finals/?utm_term=.17a8dae58c94)
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, the voice of the Stanley Cup finals, delivers hockey poetry (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/27/mike-doc-emrick-the-voice-of-the-stanley-cup-finals-offers-hockey-poetry/?utm_term=.951a834b9753)
In this year’s Stanley Cup finals matchup, perseverance meets precociousness (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/in-this-years-stanley-cup-finals-matchup-perseverance-meets-precociousness/2018/05/26/2c6e5570-6091-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html?utm_term=.e4d4aaf490d5)
Brooks Orpik is only Capital with Stanley Cup finals experience: ‘A big role model’ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/26/brooks-orpik-is-only-capitals-player-with-stanley-cup-experience-hes-a-big-role-model/?utm_term=.3f3ef45058c0)
Remembering the Caps’ run to the 1998 Stanley Cup finals: ‘Nobody wanted to play against us’ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/05/26/remembering-the-caps-run-to-the-1998-stanley-cup-finals-nobody-wanted-to-play-against-us/?utm_term=.c49361b01641)
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s transition to borderline NHL superstar (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/evgeny-kuznetsovs-transition-to-borderline-nhl-superstar/2018/05/25/92a21ff6-6051-11e8-b2b8-08a538d9dbd6_story.html?utm_term=.036c986f04a5)
Capitals Coach Barry Trotz is a pending unrestricted free agent. His value is soaring. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/25/capitals-coach-barry-trotz-is-a-pending-unrestricted-free-agent-his-value-is-soaring/?utm_term=.7fa9e3d85fa0)
Look at Nicklas Backstrom’s gross, giant finger. It might be injured. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/05/25/look-at-nicklas-backstroms-gross-giant-finger-it-might-be-injured/?utm_term=.6a6699426899)
Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom’s long journey together reaches Stanley Cup finals at last (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/05/24/alex-ovechkin-and-nicklas-backstroms-long-journey-together-reaches-stanley-cup-finals-at-last/?utm_term=.938d5ae49e4a)
Experts split on Stanley Cup finals matchup, but one very good dog picks the Caps (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/05/28/experts-split-on-stanley-cup-finals-matchup-but-one-very-good-dog-picks-the-caps/?utm_term=.9d33b5ddb706)
The Capitals’ Stanley Cup appearance feels personally validating. That’s dumb. Oh well. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/05/28/the-capitals-stanley-cup-appearance-feels-personally-vindicating-thats-dumb-oh-well/?utm_term=.a2ac3bd545cb)
Who are these guys in the Capitals sweaters? Surely not those of so many playoff heartbreaks. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/the-capitals-a-franchise-steeped-in-heartbreak-finally-revel-in-a-game-7-victory/2018/05/24/5a68c728-5ef5-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html)
Capitals fans unleash the joy: ‘I want to high-five everyone in here right now’ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/05/23/capitals-fans-unleash-the-joy-i-want-to-high-five-everyone-in-here-right-now/)
(https://galactichub.com/caps/one-goal-stanley-cup.gif)
AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAPITALS GOAL BY FLEURY !!!