Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals to Play Historic Series

There’s a bit of history that will be made on the ice in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final series when the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals meet. The series, which starts on Monday, May 28 at 8 p.m. E.T., features two teams that have never won the Stanley Cup. The Caps, who have been around since 1974, have never made it this far. At the same time, there are the Knights, brand-new in the league. They may become the first expansion team to win the Cup in their first season.

How Washington Got Here

The Washington Capitals topped the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference with 105 points. They finished five points ahead of the Stanley Cup-defending Pittsburgh Penguins. It took them six games to beat the Columbus Bluejackets in the conference quarterfinals. The Caps lost the first two and then ran off four straight wins. In the conference semifinals, they then beat the Penguins in six games, notching the series with a 2-1 OT victory.

Their conference series against the Tampa Bay Lighting went seven games. Washington won the first two and then made it very interesting by losing the next three. The team rebounded and took the final two games to get to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final series. Of the 21 possible games they could play, the Caps have played 19. Five have gone into overtime. Their record is 3-2 in OT playoff contests.

The Knights Journey

The Golden Knights surprised everyone in their conference by finishing in first place with 109 points. The Anaheim Ducks were second with 101. Vegas first met the Los Angeles Kings, defeating them in four-straight games in the conference quarterfinals. Vegas held the Kings to three goals total, while they scored just seven goals total. Every game was won by one goal and game two was a 2-1 OT win.

In the semifinals, they beat the San Jose in six games. Two of those meetings went to overtime and resulted in each team taking one. The conference finals marked the first time in the playoffs that the Knights would not have a home ice advantage as they had to play the Winnipeg Jets who had finished with 115 points. After losing the first game, the Knights reeled off four wins to take series and earn some extra rest before meeting Tampa Bay in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final series.

Series Calendar

The series starts on Monday, May 28 in Las Vegas. They then play again on Wednesday, May 30 in Sin City before moving the series to Washington. Games three and four are scheduled for Saturday, June 2 and Monday, June 4. If necessary, they will play at Vegas on Thursday, June 7, Washington on Sunday, June 10, and at Vegas on Wednesday, June 13. All games are scheduled to start at 8 p.m. E.T.

Our 2018 Stanley Cup Final Series Pick

There is nothing as exciting a Stanley Cup hockey and this series should be a great one. See our 2018 Stanley Cup Final series pick to get the scoop on how these historic games may play out. What will be the factors that determine which of these fine teams gets to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup? For our game one pick, click here!