Leading up to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC), Pro Hockey Talk will be looking at every aspect of the matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Can the Capitals figure out Marc-Andre Fleury?
The Golden Knights netminder is sporting one of the best postseason save percentages of all-time among qualified goaltenders. His .947 has helped Vegas breeze through three rounds and continue their magical inaugural season. His low, medium and higher danger save percentages (per Corsica Hockey) are top two among goalies in these playoffs. Regression has to arrive at some point, right?
Historically, Fleury’s numbers aren’t even close to what his put up this spring. But between the four fewer games Vegas has played than Washington and the extra rest built in between the Golden Knights’ series, he only needs to keep this up at for at most seven more games.
We’ve all been waiting for Vegas to fall back to earth all season and it hasn’t happened. We’ve been waiting for Fleury to do the same in these playoffs. What’s another two weeks of playing out of this world?
Will Vegas’ depth step up when needed?
Of their 30 goals by forwards over the course of 15 playoff games, only six have come their bottom six, with Cody Eakin accounting for three of them. Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson have led the way on the top line while Alex Tuch, James Neal and Erik Haula are right behind them on line No. 2.
[How Golden Knights were built | How Capitals were built]
Each series brings a new set of challenges and you Barry Trotz and his staff are looking for ways at slowing down that top line. If they cannot produce on a given night, someone else will need to contribute. Vegas’ top six has had their fingerprints all over their success this spring, and while their bottom six has had a knack of scoring some big, timely goals when they do, Washington could use this to their advantage. The Capitals have been aided by their depth throughout this entire run. Vegas hasn’t needed it. Only four more wins to go.
Who gets to lift the Stanley Cup second?
If the Capitals win, Alex Ovechkin will take the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Should the Golden Knights be victorious, de-facto captain and Vegas resident Deryk Engelland will likely be the guy. But who will they pass it to after taking a twirl and giving the Cup a smooch?
Brooks Orpik is the “old guy” on the team and is also the only Capital with experience playing in the Final. He has a ring, so he’s out. The logical choice for Ovechkin is his running mate who’s been through all the ups and downs the franchise has experienced since the 2005-06 season: Nicklas Backstrom.
Like the Capitals, it’s a pretty easy choice for the Golden Knights. He owns three Cup rings already and he’s been a huge reason for their success this season, which is why Marc-Andre Fleury will get the Cup from his former Penguins teammate. Fleury had to watch the last two Penguins titles from the bench as Matt Murray led them to glory. Now he gets a shot at winning his third straight title and could be be the goaltender who gets mobbed after the final buzzer in the clinching game.
2018 STANLEY CUP FINAL PREVIEW
• Who has better forwards?
• Who has better defense?
• Who has better goaltending?
• Who has better special teams?
• Who has better coaching?
MORE:
• NBC’s Stanley Cup Playoff Hub
• Stanley Cup Final Schedule
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.