At long last, the NHL Stanley Cup Finals are finally upon us. This series is between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights. After losing the first game of the series, the Capitals responded by winning the next two games to take a 2-1 lead in the series. This is a must-win game for the Golden Knights who cannot afford to fall behind three games to one in the series if the franchise plans on winning the Stanley Cup in its first official season. Expect the Golden Knights to lay it all on the line as a result.
Washington’s postseason success is due to its elite scoring depth which consists of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. During the regular season, Ovechkin led the team in points with 87 and had an astonishing 49 goals in 82 games. During the playoffs, Ovechkin has continued to score regularly and has 14 goals in just 22 playoff games. Backstrom missed part of the playoffs due to injuries but has managed to average over one point per game in 18 playoff games. Kuznetsov has been phenomenal this postseason and leads the team in points with 27. If the Capitals plan on winning this game, all three of them will need to be at their best.
In game three, Ovechkin and Kuznetsov each had a goal in the second period which gave the Capitals a commanding two goal lead approximately halfway through the contest. Kuznetsov was questionable to play due to some health issues but looked fantastic once he hit the ice. Vegas currently has no answers for this duo as both were able to create multiple chances throughout the entirety of game three. Expect both of them to continue where they left off and play extremely well in game four.
Vegas’ success has been due to its star goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Since it is Vegas’ first official season in the NHL, the organization partook in an expansion draft during the offseason. In the draft, Vegas decided to take goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins as the team hoped that he would carry it to a potential playoff berth. Since joining Vegas, Fleury has been godly. This season, Fleury went 29-13-4 with a 2.24 goals against average. However, he has been even better in the playoffs. In 18 starts, Fleury is 13-5 with a 1.95 goals against average. Fleury also has had four shutouts already this postseason and will look to play a lot better on Monday night.
Fleury has struggled so far this series as he has given up at least three goals in each of the team’s three Stanley Cup games this season. Fleury’s goals against average through those three games is 3.42 which is unacceptable for a goalie of his caliber. Fleury also possesses a save percentage of 87.5% in this series which is absolutely abysmal. However, due to his talent, one can expect Fleury to play significantly better moving forward in this series as the three-time Stanley Cup champion will be hungry for his fourth. Expect Fleury to play extremely well if the Golden Knights plan on tying the series up at two games apiece.
As for my prediction, I have to side with the Knights. Although Washington has been the better team throughout this series, the Golden Knights have responded to adversity extremely well this postseason and I think that the team will come out more focused tonight. I expect Fleury to play really well as Vegas ties the series up in a low scoring contest.
Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Date: Monday, June 4, 2018
Start Time: 8:00 P.M. EST
Location: Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
Broadcast: NBC
How to Watch Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the NBC Sports app.
You can download the NBC Sports App on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The NBC Sports app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, Android TV, Fire TV, and Xbox One.
How To Live Stream Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the football game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with NBC along with many other sports channels.