Capitals eager to veto Vegas’ quest for history

Nine reasons why Washington could be poised to hoist the Cup for the first time

The house always wins.

It’s starting to feel that way after watching the Vegas Golden Knights steamroller through the playoffs en route to the Stanley Cup final. With only one team standing in their way, it seems almost inevitable the first-year expansion team will achieve historic glory. But don’t bet against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals just yet.

Here are nine reasons why they might buck the odds:

THE RUSSIAN MACHINE

It all begins with Alex Ovechkin. He is the heartbeat of this Capitals team. As he goes, so does Washington. And with 12 goals and 22 points, he’s been pretty much unstoppable in these playoffs. As Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, “I think he’s taken years of frustration out in one playoffs.”

HOLTBY IS HONED IN

When the playoffs began, Braden Holtby was wearing a baseball cap and backing up Philipp Grubauer. But since coming in as relief in Game 2 against Columbus, he’s gone 12-5 with a .924 save percentage. It’s not as dominant a performance as his Vegas counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury (.947 save percentage), but after posting back-to-back shutouts in the conference final, Holtby’s gone seven straight periods without giving up a goal.

KUZNETSOV ON FIRE

While Ovechkin is Washington’s de facto leader, Evgeny Kuznetsov is the one who is actually leading the offence. It was Kuznetsov who eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round with an overtime goal in Game 6 and who had a team-best 10 points in the conference final. He heads into the final on a 10-game point streak and is leading all scorers in the playoffs with 24 points.

TEAM OF DESTINY

The Capitals might be the underdogs — Bodog has Vegas as slight favourites — but they also have the most to lose. Yet there is an air of invincibility around Washington. Maybe it’s because the hard work has already been done. In advancing past the twotime defending champion Penguins in the second round, the Capitals exorcised some demons and at the same time removed a gorilla from their back.

IN TROTZ THEY TRUST

Win or lose, there is the sense this might be Barry Trotz’s last season with the Capitals (he’s in the final year of a contract). But for now, he has the players’ attention. The Capitals are still a team that can outscore the opposition, but Trotz also has them defending better than ever before and playing an uptempo style predicated on taking the body. He’s also pushing the right buttons, even if it means making himself the butt of jokes, like when the 55-year-old took a turn performing a “hot lap” around the ice on the morning of Game 7 of the Eastern final.

SCORING DEPTH

After scoring 23 goals against the Lightning, the Capitals are averaging 3.47 goals per game. Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, who have combined for 23 goals, are leading the way. But Washington has nine players with three or more goals.

POWERFUL PLAY

Thanks to Fleury, Vegas’ penalty kill is operating at an 82.5 per cent success rate in the playoffs. Still, it would be wise for the Golden Knights to stay out of the penalty box against a Capitals team that has a 28.8 per cent success rate on the power play. For Washington, the options are many. But the main threat is T.J. Oshie, who has five goals and four assists on the power play.

CENTRES OF ATTENTION

Not that they totally missed him while he was gone, but getting Nicklas Backstrom back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final was a huge relief. First off, Backstrom is important to the offence, which included a goal and two assists in the last two games. But more importantly, his return gives the Capitals a one-twothree punch down the middle (Kuznetsov, Backstrom and Lars Eller) that should make it hard for Vegas to defend against.

YOUNG LEGS

Playing seven tough games against the Lightning might have taken its toll on the Capitals, especially considering the Golden Knights will have had seven days off before Game 1 of the final, but don’t expect Jakub Vrana to be tired. After all, he’s only 22. That’s one of the differences between Washington’s playoff run this year compared to the past. The team has relied on as many as five rookies in the post-season with Vrana and Chandler Stephenson combining for four goals and 13 points.