In what could shape up to be a timeless Stanley Cup final, the Vegas Golden Knights will satisfy the Washington Capitals and settle once and for all which group is the best in the NHL this season.
The upstart expansion Knights have been a +20000 long chance to win the Stanley Cup before the season started while the Capitals were near the peak of the oddsboard at +1000. While some may see this as a David vs Goliath kind of matchup, I am here to clarify why Vegas should be seen as the Goliath in this metaphor and crush the Capitals. Here are 3 reasons why the Stanley Cup will be won by the Vegas Golden Knights:
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Home-ice Edge Playing at T-Mobile Arena has been characterized as a rock concert by NHL columnists and for an expansion team such as the Golden Knights, residence ice hockey has given them a supreme advantage in this series.
The Knights finished with the second-best home record in the league during the regular year and once the postseason arrived, they continued to shine in their own barn as Vegas is 6-1 SU in seven games at home in the playoffs, outscoring their contest 25-12 in those games. It’s also worth noting that their sole loss came via an overtime goal by the San Jose Sharks.
The Golden Knights are holding teams to an average of 1.71 goals per game in the home whilst scoring 3.57 goals per game and the stellar play in their barn will be one of the key reasons why the Knights win this series.
Superior Goaltending
Vegas’s first pick in the expansion draft last June was easily the best choice the team created. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had the pedigree of a Stanley Cup winner and was a luxury that Pittsburgh could not afford after netminder Matt Murray emerged to guide the Penguins within their back-to-back championships.
But GM George McPhee was pleased to take him off the Penguins’ palms and Fleury has done nothing but post spectacular numbers and give a calming presence between the pipes. Flower finished the year with 29 wins in 46 starts, a 2.56 goals-against moderate along with a .927 save percent, which put him at the top five in those categories in the NHL. But at the playoffs, Fleury has upped his game, making dramatic game-changing saves and posting a 1.68 goals-against average to go with a .947 save percent.
While timely goal scoring and a stout defense have been the Knights’ winning recipe during the movie, neither of those factors would issue if it were not for outstanding goaltending from the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Quick-Strike Offense and Penalty Kill
One of the downsides of having a elite celebrity like an Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby is that it becomes more of a”scoring by committee” to get goals on the board for groups such as the Knights. And that is exactly what Vegas has done because it had six players who scored 20 or more goals this season, such as William Karlsson, who notched 43 markers. The”sharing the load” type of strategy led the Knights to a astounding 34-7 SU record when scoring first this year and carried over to the postseason since they’re now 10-1 SU in 11 playoff games when they strike first.
Vegas has also done most of its damage in five-on-five play, scoring 32 of its 43 goals in the playoffs in even strength, which leads the NHL at 74 percent. Since playoff hockey could be gritty with groups trying to manufacture some kind of scoring, the Knights have a definite edge in this category by not having to rely on special teams to find the job done.
Despite these persuasive points, Stephen Campbell disagrees and believes the Washington Capitals will win the Stanley Cup. You may take a look at his argument here.
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