Stanley Cup Final To Be Battle Between Past And Present Expansion Teams

There will be a new Stanley Cup winner this season following a fight between the team which recorded the NHL's best-ever expansion season and a franchise which struggled through one of the history's worst.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in their inaugural season and find themselves in the final after a 51-win regular season. The Washington Capitals joined the NHL in 1974 and endured an 8-67-5 mark. This is Washington's second trip to the final after making it for the first time in 1998.
There are all kinds of storylines heading into this series which will begin in Vegas on Monday night. The Capitals are led by Alex Ovechkin, the best goal scorer of his generation, while Vegas takes its lead from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Washington is a team known for its star power. The Golden Knights roster was assembled by GM George McPhee with players deemed expendable by 30 other NHL clubs.
McPhee, it should be noted, was GM of the Capitals for 17 years and took them to their only previous trip to the final. His fingerprints are all over the Capitals organization.
Here are some key storylines to follow:
Masked men
Marc-Andre Fleury is the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy with a 12-3 record, four shutouts and a .947 save percentage. Fleury has been brilliant and key to everything Vegas has accomplished this season.
In the Washington net, Braden Holtby has gotten hot at the right time posting back-to-back shutouts to close out the Eastern Conference Final.
Scoring
The Capitals have scored 66 goals in the playoffs which is tops in the NHL. Vegas sits fourth with 43. The Caps have high-end firepower from players such as Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and John Carlson.
Vegas relies on a more balanced team attack but does boast one of the best five-on-five lines in the NHL made up of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.
Washington's power play is clipping along at 28.8 percent and can be a difference maker. Vegas on the other hand has the best penalty killing unit in the series operating at 82.5 percent.
Blueline
Vegas relies on a mix of speed and strength. All three VGK pairings has a burner; Shea Theodore, Nate Schmidt and Colin Miller, paired with a heavier D; Deryk Engelland, Brayden McNabb and Luca Sbisa. The Capitals boast John Carlson, one of the best two-way D in the NHL, along with a top pairing of Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen.
X-factors
Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault has continued to up his game and was a difference maker in the Western Conference Final. For Washington, T.J. Oshie does it all from dig in the corners to scoring big moment goals.
Star power
Fleury vs. Ovechkin. Enough said.
Coaching
Golden Knights bench boss Gerard Gallant is taking part in his first final as is Caps coach Barry Trotz. Both have excellent staffs and are considered elite coaches.
Toughness
Vegas has Ryan Reaves - a big man with the reputation as being the best fighter in the NHL today. Washington counters with Tom Wilson who has already served a three-game suspension in this postseason.
Schedule:
2018 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
Subject to Change/All Times PT
Date Time (PT) Vegas vs. Washington Networks
Monday, May 28 5 p.m. Washington at Vegas NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
Wednesday, May 30 5 p.m. Washington at Vegas NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
Saturday, June 2 5 p.m. Vegas at Washington NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
Monday, June 4 5 p.m. Vegas at Washington NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
* Thursday, June 7 5 p.m. Washington at Vegas NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
* Sunday, June 10 5 p.m. Vegas at Washington NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
* Wednesday, June 13 5 p.m. Washington at Vegas NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports
* If necessary
TEAM STATS
Vegas: 21.4 PP% (11th), 81.4 PK% (10th), 268 GF (5th), 225 GA (8th)
Washington: 22.5 PP% (7th), 80.3 PK% (15th), 256 GF (9th), 238 GA (16th)
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Vegas: 2-0-0
Washington: 0-2-0
TEAM LEADERS (G-A-PTS)
Vegas:
William Karlsson
(43-35-78),
Jonathan Marchessault
(27-48-75),
David Perron
(16-50-66)
Washington: Alex Ovechkin (49-38-87), Evgeny Kuznetsov (27-56-83), Nicklas Backstrom (21-50-71)
Goals scored in season series combined - VGK 7 / WSH 3
WSH point leaders vs VGK: Matt Niskanen (1 G, 1 A), Multiple players tied with 1 PT
VGK point leaders vs WSH: Alex Tuch (2 G, 1 A), Jonathan Marchessault (3 A), Reilly Smith (2 G, 1 A)
Playoff Statistics
WSH playoff point leaders:Evgeny Kuznetzov (11-13-24), Alex Ovechkin (12-10-22), Nicklas Backstrom (4-12-16), John Carlson (3-13-16)
VGK playoff point leaders:Jonathan Marchessault (8-10-18), Reilly Smith (2-14-16), William Karlsson (6-7-13)
Washington Connections
- The Golden Knights acquired Nate Schmidt from the Washington Capitals during the Expansion Draft on June 21.
-Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee was the Capitals GM from 1997-2014.
-Cody Eakin was selected by Washington in the third round (85th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.