The Washington Capitals are Stanley Cup champions for the first time in what had been a tortured 44-year history. They clinched it by beating the Vegas Golden Knights in a fifth game of the league final on Thursday night, on the road, 4-3. The Capitals’ win marks the first title for one of D.C.’s major professional teams since the 1991 season’s Super Bowl.
Lars Eller scored the winning goal 12:23 into the third period of Game 5:
The Capitals were not a postseason buzzsaw. They had to scrap for everything they got until the Final, when they blitzed their first-year expansion opponents in a show of dominance. They lost their first two games of the first round against Columbus before winning four in a row to advance. They lost the first game of their second-round series against Pittsburgh, which had historically owned them, before winning four of five. They lost three in a row after taking a 2-0 lead against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final, then came back. They scored two goals in the third period of Game 5 to come back there, too.
Five players in particular paced them along the way: centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom, winger Alex Ovechkin, defenseman John Carlson, and goalie Braden Holtby. Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, and Backstrom were the playoffs’ top three point-getters in that order. Carlson was a stalwart on the blue line in every situation. Holtby, after the worst regular season of his career and a benching for the first two games of the playoffs, reemerged to play some of his best hockey. He outdid Vegas backstop Marc-Andre Fleury in the Final.
It can’t be overstated what a big deal this has been in the District. Fans in this region hadn’t just gone without a championship for 26 years. They had gone without a Cup forever. They hadn’t even seen their team win a game in this round, as the Capitals got swept out of the Final the only other time they appeared in it, in 1998 against the Red Wings. Their football team is somewhere between a laughingstock and a pariah. The Wizards haven’t won the NBA Finals since they were the Bullets, beating the SuperSonics in 1978. The Nationals have fielded great teams that have always failed to get past the first round. This Capitals spring has given a generation of fans something they’ve never had: a deep, successful run.
Washington’s star forwards were the primary engines of this run.
Ovechkin is the best goal-scorer of his time and one of the greatest ever. He’s now shedded the designation as one of the best players in history not to win a Stanley Cup. He cast off that label with authority, with 15 goals and 27 points in 24 playoff games. He forged an unstoppable bond with Russian national teammate and first-line centerman Kuznetsov, who announced himself this spring as one of the best hockey talents on Earth. Kuznetsov totaled 32 postseason points. He had a record-tying four assists in a 6-2 Capitals’ romp in Game 4, the night Washington put a firm hold on the series.
Ovechkin and Kuznetsov were the headliners, but the silky, playmaking Backstrom was pivotal, too. He finished with 23 points as the team’s second-line center, taking a de-facto demotion this year after years as Ovechkin’s primary pivot. Backstrom worked between rookie winger Jakub Vrana and power forward T.J. Oshie, and the three were great together.
Backstrom played about half the playoffs with a hand injury that was serious enough to take him out of a few games between the end of the second and start of the third round. Third-line center Eller stepped up his play whenever Backstrom or Kuznetsov was out, and sometimes even when they weren’t.
Their goalie responded to a miserable season in the best way possible.
Holtby had never had a regular season as bad as this one. He finished in the top four in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the three years before this one, winning it in 2016. He had never posted a save percentage below .922 or a goals-against average worse than 2.23 as the Capitals’ full-time starter. This year, he was at .907 and 2.99, awful by any standard.
Coach Barry Trotz sat Holtby down at the start of the playoffs and started his longtime backup Philip Grubauer. When Grubauer sputtered in two starts, Holtby replaced him. Back in his net, Holtby looked like the guy he used to be, not the guy he was in his miserable regular season. His numbers returned to his normal range, which is to say they were great.
Team-wide, the Capitals got over whatever mental blocks might have been erected over years of postseason disappointment.
Maybe it happened when Kuznetsov scored in overtime in Game 6 against the Penguins, vanquishing the two-time defending champions and the team that had beaten the Capitals en route to three Cups in the last decade. Maybe it happened when they came back from 3-2 down to beat the top-seeded Lightning twice and punch their ticket to the Final.
The point is that, somewhere, the Capitals decided they weren’t going to do what the Capitals had always done. There would be no epic collapsing here.
“There’s been heartbreak here,” Oshie told reporters from a podium at Capital One Arena after the fourth game of the Final. “We know that. But I think that’s scarred us over and made us stronger for it. We’ll keep pressing on, keep working and try to do something cool.”
They’ve done something cool.
The team’s captain and longest-tenured player, Ovechkin, 32, endured more disappointment than anyone else on the Capitals. He has spent all 13 seasons of his transcendent career with the team, who drafted him first over all in 2004.
George McPhee — the general manager who selected Ovechkin and constructed Washington’s spine, from Nicklas Backstrom to John Carlson to Kuznetsov to Holtby — also assembled in Vegas the most successful first-year franchise in major North American sports history. Vegas romped to a Pacific Division title and burned through the Western Conference bracket, losing only three times in its first 16 playoff games.
Facing elimination, the Golden Knights confronted their predicament with defiance. Opening their pregame festivities, a video implored fans not to give up — if the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and the New England Patriots in 2017 could overcome imposing deficits, then so, they hoped, could Vegas.
In contrast to these Golden Knights, the expansion Capitals in 1974-75 compiled what is still regarded as the worst season in league history, an 8-67-5 record worth 21 points. The franchise matured into a perennial contender, and for more than a decade Washington has been one of the N.H.L.’s top teams, winning its division eight times in 11 seasons and making 10 postseason appearances over all in that span.
Each of those playoff forays had been defined, in one way or another, by calamitous defeat: to eighth-seeded Montreal in 2010; in seven games to the Rangers in 2012, 2013 and 2015; in consecutive series to Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, despite finishing with the most points in the league both seasons. In the Ovechkin era, the Capitals have twice bungled three-games-to-one leads, and before vanquishing Tampa Bay last month, they had lost seven of 10 Game 7s.
“We don’t really dwell on the game before, let alone the things that have happened in years past,” forward T.J. Oshie said after Game 4. “But there’s been heartbreak here, we know that. But I think that’s kind of scarred over and has made us a little stronger for it.”
Game 5 of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Finals tonight is a potential closeout contest for the Washington Capitals, who have a chance to win their first ever title with a victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. After stealing Game 2 on the road and coming through in Games 3 and 4 at home, the Caps just need to win one of the next three games to become the champions. The Golden Knights can’t afford to lose from here on out, but do have the benefit of playing tonight’s matchup—as well as a decisive Game 7 if they can force it—on their own ice.
Oddsmakers believe that Vegas can at least push this series to Game 6, opening the side as a -140 favorite for the upcoming contest. That means bettors would have to risk $1.40 to return $1 on a Golden Knights victory, while Washington has been installed as a +130 underdog, which would net bettors $1.30 for every $1 wagered. The Capitals are now an overwhelming favorite to win it all, however, moving to -800 chalk in the series. Vegas is getting +550 odds to overcome its current 1-3 predicament, needing to notch three wins in a row to improbably lift Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Game 5 total has once again been pegged at 5.5 goals with even, -110 action on both the over and under sides of the bet. The puck line indicates a close battle on Thursday evening, as the Golden Knights are more than a 2-1 (+205) underdog when laying 1.5 goals, while Washington is a heavy, -235 favorite.
Will the Caps finish off their foe with a third straight “W” tonight, or will Vegas finally find a way to get something going and stave off elimination with the home crowd on its side? Expect a great, back-and-forth bout between these powerhouse organizations, but only one can come out on top at T-Mobile Arena. Pro handicapper Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com has a lean on which side will claim victory in this 2018 Stanley Cup Finals matchup. Before getting to the expert’s prediction, take a peek at the full schedule, start time, TV channel coverage and live stream site for Game 5. You can also check out the updated series odds, scores, standings, NHL Playoffs bracket, quotes and tweets for this Golden Knights vs. Capitals showdown.
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Series Schedule And Viewing Guide
Game (Host) Date Time TV Stream Game 5 (VGK) Tuesday, June 7 8 p.m. NBC NBC Sports Game 6* (WSH) Sunday, June 10 8 p.m. NBC NBC Sports Game 7*(VGK) Wednesday, June 13 8 p.m. NBC NBC Sports
*If necessary
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Scores And Standings
Game Result Series Game 1 VGK 6 – WSH 4 VGK 1 – WSH 0 Game 2 WSH 3 – VGK 2 VGK 1 – WSH 1 Game 3 WSH 3 – VGK 1 WSH 2 – VGK 1 Game 4 WSH 6 – VGK 2 WSH 3 – VGK 1
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Odds
Bet Odds Moneyline VGK (-140), WSH (+130) Puck Line VGK -1.5 (+205), WSH +1.5 (-235) Total Over 5.5 (-110), Under 5.5 (-110) Series WSH (-800), VGK (+550)
Odds via BetDSI Sportsbook
2018 NHL Playoffs Bracket
NHL.com
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Tweets
ESPN Stats & Info noted it’s been quite a while since a D.C. sports team has been on the verge of a championship:
Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are 1 win away from the Stanley Cup. The last time a D.C. sports team was 1 win away from winning a championship playoff series was June 4th of 1978 - 14,611 days ago. pic.twitter.com/8ozdYtWGRP — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2018
The Golden Knights reminded everyone that crazier things have happened than a team coming back from a 3-1 deficit in a postseason series:
HAVE FAITH EVERYONE! Because let’s be honest, crazier things have happened than a team coming back from a 3-1 series deficit Like an expansion team advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for example — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 6, 2018
Daniel O’Connor posted the losses the Caps have suffered in the last three decades after going up 3-1 in a series:
wash. capitals 3-1 series leads:
'87 vs islanders. caps lost 4-3.
'92 vs penguins. caps lost 4-3.
'95 vs penguins. caps lost 4-3.
'10 vs canadiens. caps lost 4-3.
'15 vs rangers. caps lost 4-3.
see you thursday.@goldenknights #vegasborn #goknightsgo #cupin1 #vegasgoldenknights — Daniel O'Connor (@DanOVegas) June 5, 2018
Mark Potash looked back at Capitals checkered postseason history in the Alex Ovechkin era (2005-present):
In four playoff series with a 3-1 lead in the Ovechkin era, the Capitals are 2-2 — winning two games and losing seven. — Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) June 5, 2018
Arash Markazi found that Washington has blown more 3-1 leads in playoff history than any other franchise in not only the NHL, but also major North American sports history:
The Washington Capitals have blown more 3–1 leads than any other team in the history of major North American pro sports (five). I'm not saying it happens again, I'm just saying it's not over yet. https://t.co/ahWFqTJy6b — Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 5, 2018
NHL PR highlighted the Golden Knights’ strong home record and noted that they have never lost four games in a row since becoming a franchise, but have won three straight plenty of times:
The @GoldenKnights return home for Game 5 tomorrow at @TMobileArena, where they have won 36 of 50 games. Vegas has never lost four straight games and has won three straight on 10 occasions, including twice in the #StanleyCup Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/egIseR8hCs — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 6, 2018
NHL PR also unearthed a positive fact for Caps fans, revealing teams in Washington’s situation have historically only lost 3% of Stanley Cup Finals:
Teams to lead 3-1 in a best-of-seven series have won the series 90.8% of the time (276-28), with the success rate increasing to 97.0% in the Final (32-1). The 1942 Maple Leafs are the only team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the #StanleyCup Final (they trailed 3-0). #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/WrQSxMsbWp — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 6, 2018
RMNB tweeted that if the Golden Knights win tonight, tickets to witness a potential home closeout in Game 6 at Capital One Arena would be the most expensive the NHL has ever seen:
Tickets to a potential Game Six of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final are the most expensive in NHL history https://t.co/l0jWAgbkBC — RMNB (@russianmachine) June 6, 2018
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Quotes
Washington coach Barry Trotz talked about the Capitals process for closing out this series (via ASAP Sports):
We're going to talk about the process. The process is that we've got to win one game, plain and simple, and it starts with -- you know, just focus on the one game. The one game is in Vegas, Game 5, and you put your complete effort, your complete focus into that, and the result will be there. If it's not, you've got to move on. But you have to just focus on the one game, and it's the next one. It's not three games or whatever because we have a cushion. There's no cushion. I think Vegas is going to -- you saw they had a really strong game last night. I thought, especially early, we were able to sustain their sort of surge, and then we took the game over in the back half of the first. Then they started coming in the second a little bit. We mismanaged stuff. In Vegas, we're going to have to do the same thing. They're a quick start team. We're going to have to be ready for that, and if we're ready for that, and we're able to win the first period and worry about the next shift, the next shift, the next shift. So it's just a shift-to-shift mentality. This group is pretty grounded. I'm just going to talk to them about making sure we're not -- you know, obviously, we've got a lot of people trying to help us win the Cup now. You're getting a lot of calls. You're getting a lot of stuff like that. So just to make sure that we're focused on that, and our people here are doing a good job of keeping them -- all their distractions away from them.
Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said that the Golden Knights executed the way they wanted to start Game 4, but were unlucky with shots that hit the pipes and penalties (via ASAP Sports):
We went out and did what we wanted to do. We wanted to have a great start to the hockey game. First ten minutes, I thought we played well. We hit two goal posts. [Goalie Braden Holtby] made a couple of good saves. We missed an open net. That's hockey. I don't know what to tell you. We came out and accomplished what we tried to do. The only thing we didn't do was put the puck in the net, which is the important thing. I can't tell our guys we're not playing well. We played really well the first ten minutes. After that, unfortunately, we got a penalty, and they scored right away, and we were chasing the game again. I think we've got to come out and start the way we started last night. We've got to be ready to play. We're going to play in our building. The pressure's off us. We're going to work hard and have some fun. We'll see what happens.
Golden Knights forward James Neal revealed what his squad must do to avoid elimination on Thursday (via NBC Sports):
There’s nothing to focus on the big picture. Big picture’s not there if we don’t win Game 5. If you’re looking ahead then that’s not good. I think you’ve got focus on our first period, our first shift, take it a period at a time. I know that’s said, but that’s what you’ve got to do. You can’t overlook anything. We’re prepared. A lot of people were saying we wouldn’t win that many games this year, we wouldn’t make it to the playoffs, and we find ourselves here. For sure, we have the ability to prove people wrong and we’ve done that all year. We’ve got a solid group in here. We believe in each other. The first few games I don’t think we got to our game. We didn’t play how we wanted to play. For them, they did a good job of limiting our opportunities. I think we just need to play like we did last game.
Capitals Forward Lars Eller discussed the toll of a Stanley Cup Finals run (via SFGate.com):
The longer you play in this league, the more you realize how hard it is. The road to get here is so long. There's so many ups and downs during the way and so many things that have to go right that you don't really have any control over sometimes. I don't see any other sports where it's harder to reach this point. The emotional toll on your body is just way, way harder and higher. It swings back and forth so much. It feels like it takes years out of your life. Especially with the OTs. It's just like, sometimes you have to play almost a half game more. I don't know any other sports like that. Those games, you are physically just depleted after.
2018 Stanley Cup Finals Pro Picks
Game 5 Pick: Golden Knights ML (-140) or -1.5 (+205)
Game 5 Prediction: Golden Knights 4 – Capitals 2
Series Prediction: Golden Knights in seven
