2018 Stanley Cup Final

Did You Know?

• In the U.S., the series averaged 4.918 million viewers, the highest-rated Stanley Cup Final without an Original Six team since 1994.
• Game 5 drew 6.714 million viewers, the most-watched game 5 since 2002.
• In Canada, the series was broadcast by Sportsnet and CBC Television in English, and TVA Sports in French.

Path to the Finals

Washington entered the postseason as the Metropolitan Division winner with 105 points. The Capitals had been swept in their only prior Finals appearance, in 1998 by the Detroit Red Wings. During the offseason, Washington signed forward Devante Smith-Pelly and re-signed T. J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, and goalie Philipp Grubauer; Lars Eller was re-signed during the season. At the trade deadline, the team acquired defencemen Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek.

Alexander Ovechkin led the league with 49 regular-season goals, winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, and Kuznetsov led the team in assists with 56. In the first playoff round, the Capitals overcame a 2–0 series deficit to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games. They then defeated the two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, winning a playoff series against that rival for only the second time since 1994 and ending a seven-series losing streak to them.

Washington advanced by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning game seven on the road for only the second time in franchise history. Vegas became the first expansion team since the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues to reach the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, though that earlier expansion guaranteed a finalist. The Golden Knights were widely predicted to finish among the league's worst teams but instead produced one of the strongest debut seasons for an expansion team in North American professional sports.

Game summaries

In game one, both teams scored twice in the first period. Colin Miller opened the scoring for Vegas, but Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom replied 42 seconds apart for Washington. William Karlsson tied the game, and Reilly Smith put Vegas ahead in the second period. John Carlson tied the score, and Tom Wilson gave Washington the lead in the third period.

Ryan Reaves tied the game 1:41 later on a controversial goal after an illegal cross-check on Carlson. Tomas Nosek scored for Vegas, and an empty-net goal sealed a 6–4 Golden Knights win. In game two, James Neal gave Vegas a first-period lead. Lars Eller tied the game during a four-on-four.

Alexander Ovechkin scored on a power-play in the second period, and Brooks Orpik extended the lead to two goals. Shea Theodore cut the deficit to one on a power-play. In the third period, Braden Holtby made a diving stick save known as "The Save" and stopped the final fifteen Vegas shots, securing a 3–2 Capitals victory.

Stanley Cup engraving

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented the Stanley Cup to Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin after Washington's 4–3 win in game five. The names engraved on the Cup included players and staff from the 2017–18 Washington Capitals. Devante Smith-Pelly became the second player with a hyphenated surname engraved on the trophy. Lars Eller was the first Danish-born and trained player to win the Stanley Cup.

Because the Cup was full, a new ring was added; the top ring bearing winners from 1953–54 to 1964–65 was removed and placed on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Patrick family now had seven members who have won the Stanley Cup: Frank (1915), Lester (1906, 1907, 1925, 1928, 1933, 1940), Lynn and Murray (1940), Craig (1991, 1992), and Dick and Christopher (2018). Six players on the expanded playoff roster—Jakub Jerabek, Travis Boyd, Nathan Walker, Shane Gersich, Pheonix Copley, and Brian Pinho—had their names engraved; Washington did not request an exemption for any of them.