Stanley Cup Final - Golden Knights (P1) vs Capitals (M1)

[Fire]

Originally Posted by AC

Gotta love that Sbisa is the player with brutal turnover for the Stanley Cup winning goal:

https://streamable.com/bjgpq

Wow, I'm not into conspiracy theories but if we found later a LV Sportbook sent some money into Sbisa's bank account I wouldn't be totally surprised. Sbisa took a look to the right and must have seen the Capitals player coming in and than he proceeds to tap the puck right to him. After that he didn't look too concern about doing anything in front of the net.

I'm 99% it's just Sbisa suckage but I can see how it looks suspicious.

[Weitz]

He totally just mishandles the puck. Wanted to go back the other way.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Can't help to think that Vegas is going to come down crashing and burning next year.



The way Washington exposed them in the finals, the Cinderella story is now over and it's should be almost impossible for all the guys who had career years to repeat their performance next year...

I don't know about "crashing and burning," but I am pretty strongly convinced that VGK will struggle to compete for the Division again next year. In sill think they are a playoff bubble team. Even with the likely roster changes to occur this summer they still have some really good players in their system who should make the team.

Cody Glass and Nick Suzuki ripped the CHL a new ###hole this year, and Nicolaus Hague is a massive defenseman who can score.

[CedarMeter]

Very cool watching how excited Ovechkin was lifting the cup. Wish I got to see Iggy do it as well.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't know about "crashing and burning," but I am pretty strongly convinced that VGK will struggle to compete for the Division again next year. In sill think they are a playoff bubble team. Even with the likely roster changes to occur this summer they still have some really good players in their system who should make the team.

Cody Glass and Nick Suzuki ripped the CHL a new ###hole this year, and Nicolaus Hague is a massive defenseman who can score.

I could see them missing the playoffs.



To me it looked like Washington used a lot of quick "triangle" passing in the D zone to avoid to the extremely well done forechecking and pressure that Vegas had going. I'm sure there's more to it but to it looked like all the teams in the west failed to take this pressure away from their defensemen which lead to turnovers and possession by Vegas.



Other teams will study hard what Washington did and try to repeat that.



Additionally I expect players to regress, especially Reilly Smith who's had an up and down career and Karlsson who suddenly became a 40 goal scorer after scoring 6 last year.



Too many things went right at the same time this year for them imo and it could go the other way just as well.

[GioforPM]

You also have to wonder how many years MAF has. Plus I think the Caps figured out how to play him (take advantage of his aggressive position). That won't go unnoticed. I agree that there will be at least a couple players who slide back from their career years.

That said, winning creates a pretty good team. Calgary came out of nowhere in 2004 and then after the lockout was a pretty darn good regular season team for a few years. 103 points the first year.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't know about "crashing and burning," but I am pretty strongly convinced that VGK will struggle to compete for the Division again next year. In sill think they are a playoff bubble team. Even with the likely roster changes to occur this summer they still have some really good players in their system who should make the team.

Cody Glass and Nick Suzuki ripped the CHL a new ###hole this year, and Nicolaus Hague is a massive defenseman who can score.

Vegas was also close to a deal for Eric Karlsson at the deadline, and I wouldn't be surprised if they take another run at acquiring him. They have the assets and the cap space.

Vegas will likely be a playoff team next year, but I doubt they'll finish top 3 in the conference.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Vegas was also close to a deal for Eric Karlsson at the deadline, and I wouldn't be surprised if they take another run at acquiring him. They have the assets and the cap space.

Vegas will likely be a playoff team next year, but I doubt they'll finish top 3 in the conference.

I agree about Karlsson, but with how much parity there is in the West I am sceptical to label many teams as sure-fire "playoff teams" apart from Nashville and Winnipeg. I think on the other end it is a good bet that Arizona and Vancouver will not make the playoffs, but every other team in between is on the bubble.

[Geeoff]

I wouldn't expect Vegas to go anywhere. They have one of the best coaches in the NHL and some great team depth. Also, guys like Tuch, Marchessault, Theodore and Schmidt could realistically get better next season.

[Toonage]

Vegas is bound to make personnel changes in the off season. This won't be the same team and thus becomes just as much a wildcard as any of the teams in the NHL next year.

They aren't guaranteed of anything.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I agree about Karlsson, but with how much parity there is in the West I am sceptical to label many teams as sure-fire "playoff teams" apart from Nashville and Winnipeg. I think on the other end it is a good bet that Arizona and Vancouver will not make the playoffs, but every other team in between is on the bubble.

I don’t even think you can fairly say that about Vancouver... even though they disgust me. The West is going to be a battle all season, more fun hockey ahead.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I wouldn't expect Vegas to go anywhere. They have one of the best coaches in the NHL and some great team depth. Also, guys like Tuch, Marchessault, Theodore and Schmidt could realistically get better next season.

Marchessault just blew past his career high by 25-points and will turn 28-years-old before the end of 2018. I think it is highly doubtful he will continue to get better. He and William Karlsson are more realistically poised to take a step back next season.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

That said, winning creates a pretty good team. Calgary came out of nowhere in 2004 and then after the lockout was a pretty darn good regular season team for a few years. 103 points the first year.

Same can be said for the 1986 Flames team that came out of nowhere.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by PugnaciousIntern

Terrible sequence - not just turnover, but then not following his man to the net.

I'll admit I didn't watch Vegas intensely this season until this playoffs, but the individual players that I was more familiar with looked exactly like the players from the past seasons. I never watched their new breakthrough stars play before this year, but I wonder if they were truly unappreciated on their prior teams, or if they actually changed their play. Because individually, the guys I know were exactly what I was expecting, just playing the game to their strengths.

Generally speaking, "just playing the game to their strengths" is I think the only probable answer. Tons of player don't just suddenly become better.

That said, I think Vegas also showed that "how good" a player is is not a straightforward question with one definite answer. Some players are very effective and useful in one system and terrible in others, and most of "how good" depends on the situation. (Obviously considering that NHL players in general are all ridiculously skilled athletes.)

It's why I think coaching is pretty much everything these days. There's just so much parity between rosters now.

[transplant99]

They didn't win it all but had a party for their incredible season none the less.

[Tsawwassen]

Game five final score
Washington wins the series 4-1
Capitals win their first Stanley Cup


4 at 3 in regulation time

http://sportsstats.cbc.ca/hockey/nhl-boxscores.aspx?page=/data/NHL/results/2017-2018/recap120223.html
https://scores.nbcsports.com/nhl/recap.asp?g=2018060758&home=58&vis=23&final=true
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ovechkin-capitals-overcome-final-hurdle-win-stanley-cup/

Three stars:
1. Eller
2. Smith-Pelley
3. Perron

[Tsawwassen]

The Capitals radio feed with John Walton to the end of the game with NBC video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAyxOoWlxs0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLGNiaLYeds

[dash_pinched]

Capitals congratulate Golden Knights on their season by taking out a full page ad in a Vegas paper.



https://www.ktnv.com/sports/golden-k...torical-season

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1006599209091358722

[hwy19man]

The voting tallies for the Conn Smythe trophy and other trophies will now be revealed.
https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/06/12/conn-smythe-voting-results-ovechkin-received-13-of-18-first-place-votes/