Washington Capitals Vs. Vegas Golden Knights In 2018 Stanley Cup Final
By: Tori Hartshorn May. 24, 2018
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will face the Washington Capitals in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 begins Monday, May 28, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pre-game coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a two-hour edition of NHL Live. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will live stream all Stanley Cup Final games.
The Washington Capitals advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1998 following a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on NBCSN. Alex Ovechkin scored his 12th goal of the postseason less than a minute into the first period, teammate Andre Burakovsky scored twice in the second period and goaltender Braden Holtby made 29 saves to record his second consecutive shutout.
Following are quotes from tonight's Game 7:
Mike 'Doc' Emrick on Ovechkin following Game 7: "As you see Ovechkin go through the line, there is a respect that has come to him league-wide this year, not just from athletes, but for the performance that he has put on from the very beginning."
Added analyst Eddie Olczyk: "Alexander Ovechkin was outstanding from start to finish."
Emrick on the Capitals advancing to the Stanley Cup Final: "What a great night this is for D.C. Crossing all of those bridges thus far, and now just one more to go."
Olczyk on the intrigue of the Washington-Vegas matchup: "Styles of play, the quickness, the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Washington Capitals are a lot quicker than people realize. The size, the heaviness and facing adversity a lot in these playoffs."
Mike Milbury on Alex Ovechkin's postseason: "Never seen him play better. There's no DOUBT he has refined his game, but still kept that same sort of energy and that same sort of passion."
Keith Jones on Ovechkin's performance in Game 7: "I thought (Ovechkin) set the tone in this game, scoring the goal, reacting with great emotion as he has done throughout the playoffs. The captain has been a very determined athlete."
This marks the Capitals' second Stanley Cup Final berth overall and the first during the Ovechkin era. The 13-year veteran is tied for the 10th-most postseason games played prior to making an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. In its only Stanley Cup Final appearance, Washington lost three games by one goal in a four-game sweep by the Detroit Red Wings in 1998.
With a series-clinching win against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 on Sunday, the Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Vegas is led by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who recorded his 74th career postseason victory on Sunday, and Jonathan Marchessault, who leads the team in both goals (eight) and points (18) this postseason.
Vegas defeated Washington in both meetings during the regular season, including a narrow 4-3 victory over the Capitals on Feb. 4 in Capital One Arena. Fleury combined for 46 saves on 49 shots in the two contests and recorded one shutout.
Following is the full telecast schedule for the 2018 Stanley Cup Final with networks and start times. Pre-game coverage will begin each night with NHL LIVE at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Mon., May 28 | Game 1 - Washington at Vegas | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Wed., May 30 | Game 2 - Washington at Vegas | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Sat., June 2 | Game 3 - Vegas at Washington | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Mon., June 4 | Game 4 - Vegas at Washington | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Thur., June 7 | Game 5 - Washington at Vegas* | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., June 10 | Game 6 - Vegas at Washington* | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Wed., June 13 | Game 7 - Washington at Vegas* | NBC | 8 p.m. |
*if necessary
2018 STANLEY CUP FINAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL - THURSDAY, MAY 24, AT 4 P.M. ET
NBC Sports Group's NHL broadcast team of Mike 'Doc' Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), Pierre McGuire ('Inside the Glass' Analyst) and Mike Milbury (analyst), as well as executive producer Sam Flood will preview the upcoming 2018 Stanley Cup Final on a media conference call Thursday, May 24, at 4 p.m. ET.
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