By Tommy Kane
Published: May 24th, 2018
Volume II: Issue XXVIII
It all starts Monday, May 28th, as the Washington Capitals travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights for the chance to lift the Cup. Both of these franchises have never won the Stanley Cup, making things interesting. This is a change, because the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Cup the past two seasons. Vegas is in their first season as a franchise and if they win they will accomplish a feat that many franchises have never been able to accomplish. They have one chance to win it in their first year. Will they CAPITALize?
Washington Capitals:
The last time the Washington Capitals made it to the Stanley Cup Final was in 1998, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. This year, Alexander Ovechkin and company look to change that narrative. The contemporary Capitals look better than any other Capitals team to exist. They have firepower on all sides of the puck, including in net. Braden Holtby has gone two straight games without allowing a goal. Holtby’s save percentage is .924 and he is allowing an average of 2.04 goals a game. On the offensive side of the puck, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ovechkin have 24 and 22 total points respectively in the playoffs. They are the leaders of the NHL currently. Ovechkin has scored 12 goals, placing him second behind Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets. Offense is not a problem when you have TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom to back you up. A final but important stat to mention is the plus-minus. Defenseman, Brooks Orpik, has a plus-minus score of +15, and is leading the NHL. Orpik has been out on the ice 15 times more for a Capitals goal than an opponent’s goal. This is real important, especially on defense. It shows that the Caps have a player who is able to create plays on the defensive side of things, as well as limit the amount of goals the opponent scores in a game. Defense is an underrated attribute in sports today, but it is known to help win championships.
Vegas Golden Knights:
The Vegas Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season, a feat that is rare to accomplish in the NHL. Led by star Goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, the Golden Knights will be a very difficult opponent to stop. The Knights beat the Kings, Sharks, and now the Jets in six games or less. What is really astonishing with this team is that they have not slowed down, despite being a first-year franchise. Fleury, the ex Pittsburgh Penguin, has a save percentage of .945 and is only allowing an average of 1.72 goals a game (3rd in NHL Playoffs). He has shut-out opponents a total of four times in the postseason, leading the NHL. On the offensive side, Jonathan Marchessault is leading the team with eight goals, and is in third in that category (with the remaining teams left). He is passing the puck as well, totaling 11 assists, behind Brooks Orpik’s 13. The help of Alex Tuch and James Neal is pushing the Knights to their full potential. There isn’t much left to say about the Golden Knights; they have shocked every NHL fan and deserve all the respect possible. The bottom line: it is going to be very hard to beat the Knights (strictly reiterating). They have the best Goalie in the league, one of the most fire-power offenses currently, and the will to blast the doubters. If the Knights can continue playing like they have for the past season, they should be able to lift up Lord Stanley in June.
Who Will Lift the Cup?:
This is a very difficult question to answer for a plethora of reasons. For one, the game of hockey is very unpredictable; no one knows who will be having an on-night or an off-night. If the right player is affected, the outcome of the series could be changed. In this series, I look at the Goalies and the past results of previous series. The Capitals have won their past series in either six or seven games, while the Knights have been able to dominate the duration of the series. That doesn’t mean the Knights are going to dominate the Caps, but it shows that the Knights have figured out their opponents quickly and effectively. When it comes to Goaltending, no doubt Fleury is the better Goalie. He has shocked the hockey world and should continue in the Finals. What makes this especially tough is that Ovechkin is playing at a level that has not been seen before. It is very difficult to pick against this, as it is difficult to pick against the Golden Knights’s huge Playoff runs. In seven games, the Vegas Golden Knights will outlast the Washington Capitals and lift Lord Stanley in their inaugural season! Knights win the series 4-3.
Who do you think will win the Stanley Cup? Do you believe that these predictions will hold true? I hope everyone has enjoyed watching some great postseason play and is looking forward to this series. This will be a crazy one! Happy Hockey!
Stats: http://www.nhl.com/stats/leaders
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Would love to see it go 7 games but I think Knights will take it in 6.
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