First Cup will be a charm

Golden Knights, Capitals on target for historic final

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin had to wait 13 NHL seasons to make his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights had to wait about 13 minutes.

A first-time Stanley Cup champion will be crowned in June. Ovechkin’s Capitals return to the Cup final for the first time since they were swept by the Red Wings in 1998, and the Golden Knights go for hockey’s biggest prize in their first season.

The Capitals retooled after another early playoff exit last spring. They overcame a slow start against the Blue Jackets and slayed their nemesis, the Penguins.

The Golden Knights, projected to be a bottom-ofthe-barrel expansion team, harnessed their speed and work ethic and the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury to win the Pacific Division. They then prevailed CUP SCHEDULE | Capitals vs. Golden Knights Monday in Las Vegas 8 p.m. NBC Wednesday in Las Vegas 8 p.m. NBCSN Saturday in Washington 8 p.m. NBCSN June 4 in Washington 8 p.m. NBC June 7 in Las Vegas 8 p.m. NBC June 10 in Washington 8 p.m. NBC June 13 in Las Vegas 8 p.m. NBC against the different styles they faced from the Kings, Sharks and Jets.

Unburdened by the pressure of the No. 1 ranking, the Capitals have been focused and purposeful. Ovechkin (12 goals, 22 points) carried them against the Lightning, supported by playoff scoring leader Evgeny Kuznetsov. Goaltender Braden Holtby wasn’t the first-round starter but seized the job and shut out the Lightning over the last 159 minutes and 27 seconds of the East final. John Carlson leads defensemen in playoff scoring with three goals and 16 points, including 10 points on their fearsome power play, and he leads the Caps with an average ice time of 25:59. Fleury’s calmness under duress and sunny personality set the tone for a team that likes to see itself as a merry band of misfits but is much better than that. He’s pursuing his third straight Cup title and fourth of his career, and his 1.68 goalsagainst average and .947 save percentage put him atop Conn Smythe (MVP) lists. The Golden Knights’ top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith is fast and skillful, second-line winger James Neal brings Cup final experience from last season with the Predators, and their fourth line brings energy. in seven. Golden Knights

JONATHAN NEWTON/WASHINGTON POST Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin has 12 goals and 22 points in 18 playoff games this season.