Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Golden Knights, Jets set to start West Final

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the 2018 NHL postseason. The conference finals began on Friday with the Washington Capitals defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in Game 1 in the East at Amalie Arena. Game 1 of the Western Conference Final between the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights will be played at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS).

What's on Tap

The Western Conference Final begins Saturday in Winnipeg:
Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS) -- Few would have predicted at the start of the season that Game 1 of the Western Conference Final would have the expansion Golden Knights playing a Jets team that missed the playoffs last season, but here they are. The Jets, who had the second-most points (114) in the West, knocked off the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators in seven games in the second round. The Golden Knights, who won the Pacific Division and were third in the West with 109 points, defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games to advance. It should be another loud night at Bell MTS Place.
NHL.com Director of Editorial Shawn P. Roarke
takes an overall look at the series
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NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen
examines the biggest storylines in the series
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RELATED: [Complete Jets vs. Golden Knights series coverage]

Ovechkin, Carlson, Holtby leading way for Capitals

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is on pace for the best postseason of his NHL career.
Ovechkin had a goal and an assist Friday in a 4-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. It was his 55th career goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, passing Nicklas Lidstrom, Rick MacLeish and Steve Thomas (all with 54) for sole possession of 44th place on the NHL's all-time list. Ovechkin also had an assist, giving him nine goals and 17 points in 13 playoff games this year; his NHL career-bests are 11 goals and 21 points, accomplished in 14 games in 2009.
Ovechkin is also five shy of the team record for most goals in a single postseason set by forward John Druce, who had 14 in 1990.
Washington's John Carlson had an assist in Game 1, tying him for second with Torey Krug of the Boston Bruins in playoff scoring among defensemen this year with 12 points (three goals, nine assists). Carlson tied the Capitals record for points by a defenseman in one playoff year, set by Kevin Hatcher and Scott Stevens in 1988 and matched by Carlson in 2016.
Dustin Byfuglien of the Winnipeg Jets (13 points; four goals, nine assists) is the scoring leader among defensemen in this year's playoffs.
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby continues to excel. He made 19 saves in the win against the Lightning and is 9-3 in this year's playoffs with a 2.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of .925. His nine wins are three shy of the franchise record for most by a goaltender in one postseason; Olaf Kolzig had 12 victories in 1998, when the Capitals reached the Stanley Cup Final for the only time since entering the NHL in 1974.
The Capitals went 2-for-4 on the power play in Game 1 and lead all teams in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 15 power-play goals. That's a team record for a single playoff year and four more that the next-closest team in the conference finals -- the Lightning have 11. But the Capitals are a long way from the record for one playoff year (since 1933-34). The Minnesota North Stars had 35 (in 23 games) in 1991.

About Last Night

Washington Capitals 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 -- Ovechkin had one goal and one assist for the Capitals in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final. It was the third straight win for the Capitals, who won Games 5 and 6 to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. Michal Kempny, Jay Beagle and Lars Eller also scored for the Capitals, Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie each had two assists, and Braden Holtby made 19 saves. It's the second straight series the Lightning have lost Game 1 at home. Tampa Bay opened the second round by losing 6-2 to the Boston Bruins but rebounded to win four straight games and the series.
The game turned during a wild sequence in the final seconds of the first period.
Amalie Benjamin has the story
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It was another big game for Ovechkin, who
said all of the Capitals came to play in Game 1
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RELATED: [Complete Lightning vs. Capitals series coverage]

What we learned

Here are some takeaways from Day 31 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Capitals aren't satisfied

Any concern that Washington would be happy simply to reach the conference final for the first time in 20 years was erased by its complete effort Friday. The Capitals jumped on the Lightning, outshooting them 9-2 on the way to grabbing a 2-0 lead after the first period. The Capitals continued to play the suffocating team defense that helped them get past the Penguins in six games in the second round, limiting the Lightning to 10 shots on goals during the first two periods.

Lightning weren't ready

The Lightning said Game 1 of the conference final against the Capitals was going to be different than Game 1 of the second round, a 6-2 loss to Boston. They talked about how they would not let the same thing happen again. They didn't listen to themselves; if anything, they were worse this time. The Lightning let the Capitals dictate the pace and the play. When they had the puck, they didn't shoot; when they didn't, they let the Capitals have relatively easy zone entries that led to pressure, chances and goals. The Lightning won four straight against the Bruins after losing Game 1 by playing fast, dominating the neutral zone and forcing Boston to commit turnovers that led to goals. They didn't do any of that Friday.

Washington's power play keeps rolling

The Capitals power play, which clicked at 31 percent against the Penguins, was strong again in Game 1, scoring on its first two opportunities. Washington has scored at least one power-play goal in 11 of its 13 playoff games and leads the NHL with 15 power-play goals.

Lightning not deterred by Game 1 loss

It was a forgettable game and effort on the part of the Lightning, but there's no sense of panic. Maybe it's because they've been in this position before, or maybe it's because they have a lot of players with extensive playoff experience. Either way, the Lightning were honest with themselves and how they played in the series opener, but they were not worried about it or concerned that something similar would happen in Game 2 on Sunday. Coach Jon Cooper stressed that the good news is they now know what they can't do and what they have to do against Washington.