Cnotes53 2017 NHL Best Bets-News-Trends-Thru The Stanley Cup ! !

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Capitals (49-26) at Lightning (54-23)
Date: May 23, 2018 8:00 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. -- The up-and-down, roller-coaster ride of the Eastern Conference finals comes to its final crescendo on Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Washington Capitals at Amalie Arena in Game 7 with the winner advancing to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, which starts on Monday.

A Lightning victory sees the Cup Final start in Tampa while a Washington win means Vegas will host the first game.

But the way in which the series between Tampa Bay and the Capitals has played out to date, determining the outcome of Game 7 might prove to be a futile effort.

"Lots of people say we're going to lose to Columbus," Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said. "Lots of people say we're going to lose to Pittsburgh. Lots of people said we're going to lose to Tampa. Tomorrow is the biggest probably game in my life."

It's been that sort of a playoff season for the Capitals, who fell behind 0-2 to Columbus in the opening round, finally defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round and jumped on top of Tampa Bay 2-0 to start the conference finals. But the Lightning won the next three games before Washington won Game 6 on home ice to force the decisive game.

"I don't think anybody thought we're going to be fighting against (the) Tampa Bay Lightning for the Stanley Cup final in Game 7," Ovechkin said. "I don't think you guys (reporters) felt like you were going to be here. Probably thought you're going to be on vacation somewhere."

Whichever team does fall short on Wednesday will be starting their vacation one stop short of playing for the ultimate prize.

For Tampa Bay, this is familiar territory.

For the third time in the past four years, the Lightning will play Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, and the script has pretty much played out the same way.

In 2015, Tampa Bay had a 3-2 series lead against the New York Rangers but fell in Game 6. In 2016, the Lightning were up 3-2 in the series to Pittsburgh but failed to close out the series in six games.

Against the Rangers, the Lightning won Game 7. Against the Penguins, Tampa Bay lost the decisive game.

But both of those Game 7s took place on the road. This time around, home-ice advantage belongs to the Lightning as they seek a third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.

"I do like the fact that there will be 19,000 people helping us, willing us to victory," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "I want our guys to enjoy the game. It's a phenomenal experience. This will be my third one in four years. You just have to remember, don't let the game become really much bigger than it is. Go out, execute, leave everything out there, see what happens."

That's where some experience can come in to play.

For many of the Lightning players, they have been in this situation before as the core of Tampa Bay has been pretty much intact for the past four years. Many have been through the experience, this deep in to the playoffs, together.

"I think Game 7 is something that everybody looks forward to, at least I do. I take pleasure in playing a Game 7. I think it's one of the most exciting moments in sports," said Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, who has a 7-1 career record playing in Game 7. "I think you just have to embrace it, really just have fun with it. I think what it's all about. Usually if you have an open mindset, follow the game plan you set up, you are going to enjoy it. You will most of the time also have a good result."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Capitals at Lightning
Fri, May 11 Final 4 to 2
GAME 2

Capitals at Lightning
Sun, May 13 Final 6 to 2
GAME 3
Lightning at Capitals
Tue, May 15 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 4
Lightning at Capitals
Thu, May 17 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 5
Capitals at Lightning
Sat, May 19 Final 2 to 3
Recaps

GAME 6
Lightning at Capitals
Mon, May 21 Final 0 to 3
Recaps

GAME 7
Capitals at Lightning
Wed, May 23 - 8:00PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at TB 08:00 PM

TB -130

U 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Ovechkin, Caps heading to Stanley Cup
May 23, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Alex Ovechkin lifted the Prince of Wales Trophy, spun around and set it back down on a table.

The rest of the Capitals joined him for a team photo after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 on Wednesday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, a victory that sent Washington to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years.

A decade of playoff frustration is fading fast.

''I think Ovie has been on a mission,'' Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. ''They wanted this game, no question.''

Ovechkin scored early and Andre Burakovsky added two second-period goals as the Caps continued to shed a label as postseason underachievers.

Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots for his second straight shutout and the Lightning, who led the NHL in goals during the regular season, failed to score in the last 159 minutes, 27 seconds of the series - a stretch of nearly eight periods.

Ovechkin, who had never advanced beyond the second round, scored 1:02 into the winner-take-all showdown he had described as probably the ''biggest game in my life.''

''The first goal was very important,'' Ovechkin said. ''After that you could see we have all the momentum on our side. Holts was unstoppable today. He was special. Everybody was all in. Everybody was sacrificing their bodies. I think we all deserve the win.''

To earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Final, where they'll play the Vegas Golden Knights, the Capitals beat the top-seeded Lightning three times on the road, improving to 8-2 away from home this postseason.

It's Washington's first Cup Final appearance since 1998, and the first during Ovechkin's 13-year career.

''We played a great game,'' defenseman John Carlson said. ''We deserved to win this.''

Two games after being a healthy scratch for Game 5, Burakovsky became the 17th player to score a goal for Washington in the playoffs this year - four shy of the NHL record - when he beat Andrei Vasilevskiy on a breakaway at 8:59 of the second period.

The winger, who played two games in the first round against Columbus before sitting out 10 straight with an upper-body injury, added a breakaway goal to make it 3-0 heading into the last period.

Nicklas Backstrom had an empty-netter to complete the rout.

''What a game. What an experience. We had a lot of guys pitching in,'' winger T.J. Oshie said. ''The biggest guy of all had to be Holts. He played fantastic, back to back shutouts.''

Tampa Bay, which rebounded from losing the first two games at home to win three straight for a 3-2 series lead, had plenty of chances. A couple of shots clanged off the post, Yanni Gourde was unable to get his stick on a loose puck in front on an empty net and the game gradually slipped away.

Washington was the more physical team in evening the series with a bruising 3-0 victory in Game 6. They played with urgency from the start again Wednesday night and never let up.

Tampa Bay's last goal in the series came 33 seconds into the second period of Game 5, which the Lightning went on to win 3-2.

''We're here to win as team, no matter who gets the credit,'' said Holtby, the fifth goalie to deliver a Game 7 shutout to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

''I felt we could have won every game,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. ''We ran into a tough Washington team that was probably feeling the same thing, and once you get this far you've probably done some magical things on the way.''

It was the 33rd time in league history that a Game 7 was required to determine a Stanley Cup finalist. Home teams are 21-12 in those games.

Tampa Bay also played Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final in 2015, when they blanked the New York Rangers, and again two years ago, when they lost 2-1 to Pittsburgh.

Both of those deciding games were on the road. The Lightning had never lost a Game 7 at home before Wednesday night.

''It's going to take a few days to digest this. It's tough to sit here right now and think of positive things and how it was a pretty great season,'' Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. ''It doesn't seem that way when you have this group - and we've been to this position before - and you can't find a way to give yourself a chance a win. We thought we had that group. It's just an empty feeling right now.''

Notes: Ovechkin and Backstrom made their 11th career Game 7 appearance, one shy of Boston's Zdeno Chara for the most among active NHL players. In addition to Chara, only five other players in NHL history have appeared in more Game 7s: Patrick Roy (13), Scott Stevens (13), Glenn Anderson (12), Ken Daneyko (12) and Stephane Yelle (12). ... Evgeny Kuznetsov's assist on Ovechkin's early goal extended his points streak to 10 games. ... Vasilevskiy made 19 saves. The Lightning outshot the Capitals (29-23) for the first time in the series.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Capitals Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 30, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Capitals Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena


***********************


May NHL Record:

05/23/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/21/2018 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
05/20/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +12.00
05/19/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/18/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
05/16/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2018 0-1-1 0.00% -6.00
05/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -12.75
05/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -4.00
05/03/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -0.25
05/02/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -10.50
05/01/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -12.75

Totals...........11-19-1........36.66%.....-52.75


May Best Bets:

DATE................................ATS........... UNITS..................O/U..........UNITS..............TOTAL

05/23/2018.....................0 - 1............-6.50..................1 - 0 - 0......+5.00.............-1.50
05/21/2018.....................0 - 1............-5.00..................1 - 0 - 0 .....+5.00............+0.00
05/20/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.00.................1 - 0 - 0.....+5.00............+10.00
05/19/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.00.................0 - 1 - 0......-5.50.............-10.50
05/18/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.50.................0 - 1 - 0......-5.50..............-11.00
05/17/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.00.................0 - 0- 1......+0.00,,,,,,,,,,,,+5.00
05/16/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.00.................0 - 1..........-5.50..............-0.50
05/15/2018.....................0 - 1.............-6.00..................0 - 0 - 1.....-0.00..............-6.00
05/14/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00..................0 - 1..........-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00.................1 - 0...........+5.00............+5.00
05/03/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.75................0 - 2...........-11.00.............-5.25
05/02/2018.....................1 - 1............+0.50.................0 - 2..........-11.00.............-10.50
05/01/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.00.................1 - 1...........-0.50..............-5.50

Totals.............................5 - 7.............-11.40................5 - 9 - 2.........-24.00.........-35.40

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

SouthPoint released college over/under win totals for football season:

? Colorado 4

? Georgia 10.5, over -$115

? Houston 7.5, over -$115

? Utah 7

? Washington 10.5, under -$120

? West Virginia 7, under -$120

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend??.

13) Indians 10, Astros 9 (14)- Emotions ran high in this game; Houston manager AJ Hinch got tossed by the home plate ump while there was a 3-0 count on his batter at the plate in the 6th inning.

Previous batter had been called out on a close pitch.

Jose Altuve drilled the first pitch after the ejection for a triple. It was Altuve?s 9th consecutive hit- he later added his 10th consecutive hit, but the Cleveland CF made a sliding catch to end the streak in the ninth inning.

12) Walt Dropo holds the MLB record with 12 consecutive hits, in 1952. Dropo knocked in 144 runs as a Boston rookie in 1950, but in his 13-year career, he never knocked in 100+ runs again.

11) Cleveland bullpen has struggled; Terry Francona left Trevor Bauer in to throw 127 pitches in a game they led 3-2 in 8th inning. the reliever came in, threw eight pitches, and it became 5-3, and later 8-3, which made it obvious why Francona is reluctant to change pitchers.

Astros then blew an 8-3 lead in 9th inning and lost it on a walk-off homer in 14th inning.

10) Over is 15-1 in the Indians? last 16 home games.

9) There is a race car driver named Will Power; he won the Indianapolis 500 Sunday. Feel free to make your own jokes.

8) Not to say the Padres are hurting for pitching, but they traded for Phil Hughes, who the Twins had DFA?d earlier this week. Hughes? ERA?s the last three years: 5.95, 5.87, 6.75.

7) Ronald Acuna left Sunday?s game with knee/lower back pain after he ran out an infield single in Boston. It looked really bad, but the initial reports weren?t as bad; he hyperextended the knee.

6) Oakland A?s have only 18 home runs in the Coliseum this year, but 47 on the road.

5) The guy that founded ESPN over 40 years ago did so after he was fired as Communications Director of the NHL?s Hartford Whalers. One door closes, another opens.

4) Colorado Rockies are 15-7 when backup catcher Tony Walters starts.

3) Zach Greinke has thrown 151 innings since the last time he allowed a stolen base.

2) Rays? pitcher Austin Pruitt got a rare 5-inning save for Tampa Bay Sunday; the last pitcher to throw 5+ innings and get a regular season save was Joaquin Benoit in September 2002- he threw seven innings in his save.

1) Cavaliers 87, Celtics 79? Pretty solid day in Cleveland Sunday; Indians rally back from down five runs in 9th to win, then Cavaliers win a Game 7 in Boston.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 1 betting preview and odds: Capitals at Golden Knights

Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights (-145, 5.5)

Series tied 0-0.

The Vegas Golden Knights started their inaugural season looking to be competitive and could end it with a championship as they host the Washington Capitals on Monday night for Game 1 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals. The Golden Knights needed only 15 games to dispatch Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg in the Western Conference playoffs to give themselves seven days off before facing the Alex Ovechkin-led Capitals.

Veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a .947 save percentage in the playoffs, leads the way for Vegas while Jonathan Marchessault boasts eight goals to along with 18 points in the postseason and told NHL.com: ?We?re on a mission. Nobody is going to stand in front of us.? Washington, which dropped both meetings with the Golden Knights in the regular season, is the last obstacle as the Capitals make their first appearance in the finals since 1998 while seeking their first Cup after losing in the second round of the playoffs as the Presidents? Trophy winners in 2016 and 2017. Washington lost the first two games of the playoffs at home before beating Columbus in six contests, eliminated its nemesis Pittsburgh and won at Tampa Bay in Game 7 on Wednesday to reach the finals in the 13th season for seven-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Ovechkin (607 goals). ?I think our group here really understands what it means to be a team and how to win,? Capitals goalie Braden Holtby told reporters. ?Maybe in the past we?ve had more skill or been better on paper or whatever. But this team, everyone knows their role and everyone wants to pitch in and everyone is comfortable with each other. I haven?t been on a team like this where, in any situation, we?re confident.?

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA

SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):

LINE HISTORY: The Golden Knights opened as -145 home favorites for Game 1 and as of Sunday night that moneyline has not moved. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has been steady.

CONSENSUS: Bettors are taking the home favorites with 66 percent of wagers coming on the Knights. Users are also expecting a high scoring Game 1 with 60 percent of totals selections coming on the Over.

GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Braden Holtby 34 16 4 2.99 .907 0
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 13 4 2.24 .927 4


INJURY REPORT:

Capitals - RW Devante Smith-Pelly (Probable, Neck), D Brooks Orpik (Questionable, Upper Body).

Golden Knights - G Marc-Andre Fleury (Probable, Lower Body), LW William Carrier (Questionable, Upper Body), G Malcolm Subban (Questionable, Illness), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (61-31-8-1, 53-43 O/U): Ovechkin boasts career highs of 12 goals and 22 points in the playoffs after scoring the winner in Game 7 on Wednesday and Washington general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters: ?This is the most systematic he?s played throughout his career.? The 32-year-old gets plenty of help from fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov, who has a franchise-record 24 playoff points this season and owns at least one in 10 straight contests (six goals). Defenseman Brooks Orpik is the only Washington player with Stanley Cup finals experience and the 37-year-old is having his best career postseason with three assists and an NHL-best, plus-15 rating.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (63-26-5-3, 47-46 O/U): Fleury won three Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, including the last two seasons, and veteran forward James Neal reached the finals with Nashville in 2017 to give Vegas two players with plenty of knowledge on this big stage. ?I think they?re just, with their experience and presence, they stay calm,? Golden Knights center William Karlsson, who has 13 points in the playoffs after scoring 43 goals in the regular season, told reporters. ?I don?t really ask them too much. Just having them around has a calming feeling. That?s enough for me.? Forward Reilly Smith is tied for second in the league during the playoffs with 14 assists.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Capitals are 15-3 in their last 18 road games.
* Golden Knights are 15-1 in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 12-2 in Capitals' last 14 vs. Pacific.
* Under is 5-1 in Golden Knights' last 6 vs. Eastern Conference.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, May 28

Washington @ Vegas

Game 1-2
May 28, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
13.672
Vegas
13.758
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-145); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, May 28

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON (61-31-0-9, 131 pts.) at VEGAS (63-27-0-7, 133 pts.) - 5/28/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 195-225 ATS (-73.7 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
VEGAS is 64-34 ATS (+30.0 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 37-18 ATS (+16.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VEGAS is 23-12 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 62-40 ATS (+12.9 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 22-13 ATS (+8.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
WASHINGTON is 38-24 ATS (+8.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-9 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 28-13 ATS (+10.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 38-22 ATS (+14.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 23-14 ATS (+9.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 2-0-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NHL

Monday, May 28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washington Capitals
Washington is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Washington is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Vegas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vegas's last 6 games
Vegas is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games at home

 

[Cnotes53]

Stanley Cup Cheat Sheet
May 26, 2018

How they got here: One year ago, the Vegas Golden Knights were getting ready for their expansion draft and looking to build their first team. Now, the Golden Knights are playing for the Stanley Cup. Yes, the expansion Golden Knights are four wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup after not only winning the Pacific Division championship with 109 points, but also posting a terrific 12-3 postseason record by knocking out the Kings, Sharks, and Jets.

In the opening round sweep of Los Angeles, the Golden Knights allowed a total three goals, while all four victories came by one goal apiece. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury pitched a pair of shutouts, including a 1-0 triumph at Staples Center to help Vegas advance to the second round. The Golden Knights needed six games to eliminate San Jose in the semifinals, as Vegas won the final two games after the series was tied at 2-2.

Vegas hit the road for the first two games of the conference finals against upstart Winnipeg, as the Jets captured the opener, 4-2. However, the Golden Knights rebounded with four consecutive wins, while allowing a total of six goals in those victories. Center Jonathan Marchessault has paced the Knights in the postseason with 8 goals and 10 assists, while right wing Reilly Smith has dished out 14 assists in 15 games.

The Capitals are fresh off their third consecutive Metropolitan Division title, but failed to pick up the President?s Trophy for the first time since 2015. Alexander Ovechkin rebounded from a 33-goal campaign in 2017 to lead the NHL in goals this season by netting 49 tallies, while winning the goal-scoring title for the fifth time in six seasons.

Washington fell into a 2-0 hole against Columbus in the opening round after dropping a pair of overtime contests at home. The Capitals saved their season by winning four straight against the Blue Jackets, with two of those victories coming in overtime. Washington faced its mortal nemesis in the second round, trying to get over the hump against the two-time defending champion Penguins.

Pittsburgh knocked out Washington in each of the past two postseasons and were off to a good start after rallying from a 2-0 deficit to shock the Capitals in Game 1 by a 3-2 score. The Capitals bounced back to win four of the next five games and slay the Penguins and their title run, 4-2.

Washington faced Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals in an odd series as the road team won the first four games. The Lightning were on the verge of eliminating the Capitals after winning Game 5, but Washington stepped up with consecutive shutouts in Game 6 and Game 7 to grab the Eastern Conference title.

Head-to-Head Matchups: The Golden Knights have never lost to the Capitals in franchise history. Granted, it?s only two meetings, but Vegas pulled off the season sweep of Washington this season.

On December 23, the Knights netted three goals in the opening period to shut out the Capitals, 3-0 to cash as -130 home favorites. Alex Tuch, Oscar Lindberg, and William Karlsson each scored for Vegas, while Fleury stopped all 26 shots in the win. Washington was in the midst of a dreadful 1-1-2 road swing, which included post-regulation losses to the Coyotes and Rangers.

When the two teams hooked up again in D.C. on February 4, the Golden Knights edged the Capitals, 4-3 as short underdogs. Vegas rallied from a 3-2 third period deficit thanks to goals from Smith and Tuch, while Fleury picked up his second win in net against the Capitals after making 20 saves.

Stanley Cup History: One of these two franchises will hoist their first-ever Stanley Cup in June. Needless to say with Vegas in their first season, but Washington is playing in its second Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Capitals have never won a Stanley Cup game as they were swept in four games by the Red Wings in 1998. Five of the last six Stanley Cup series have gone to six games, as Detroit?s sweep of Washington in 1998 was the last time the Stanley Cup hasn?t reached at least five games.

 

[Cnotes53]

Stanley Cup Capsule
May 26, 2018

WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS


CONFERENCE FINALS: Capitals beat Tampa Bay Lightning in 7. Golden Knights beat Winnipeg Jets in 5.

SEASON SERIES: Vegas 2-0.

STORY LINE: The Capitals finally made the Stanley Cup Final with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom after losing in the first or second round in their past nine playoff appearances. This team was considered weaker on paper than the past two years when Washington won the Presidents' Trophy and lost to the eventual Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin has a career-high 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists after leading the NHL with 49 goals during the regular season. Linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov has a franchise-record 24 playoff points through 19 games, including the overtime series winner against Pittsburgh. Goaltender Braden Holtby did not start the first two games of the playoffs but is 12-6 with a 2.04 goals-against average and .924 save percentage since replacing Philipp Grubauer. Coach Barry Trotz does not have a contract for next season but has arguably done the best job of his 19-year career. Trotz had not made it past the second round until this year. ... Vegas general manager George McPhee spent 17 years in that job with the Capitals from 1997-2014. He was GM when they last made the final in 1998 but is also responsible for acquiring 14 players on the current roster and was succeeded by long-time friend and colleague Brian MacLellan. Vegas in the Cup Final in its inaugural season, the first to do it since the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues when all six expansion teams were in the same division. The expansion Golden Knights have lost only three games through three rounds thanks to the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Fleury has a 1.68 GAA and .947 save percentage a year after helping the Penguins win the Cup. Former Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt leads Vegas in ice time at almost 25 minutes a game.

WASHINGTON'S KEY PLAYER: Ovechkin. This is the chance to shed the label as hockey's greatest player who has never won the Cup. He has looked like a man on a mission all playoffs, throwing his body around and producing at a level that has lifted the Capitals to new heights. MacLellan believes this is the most within the system Ovechkin has ever played a season after scoring just 33 goals with the benefit being a long playoff run.

VEGAS' KEY PLAYER: Fleury. The 33-year-old first face of the new franchise has been as advertised and then some, especially in the playoffs. Fleury frustrated Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg on the way to the final and is having some of the best success of his career. He already eliminated the Capitals in 2009 and 2017 on the way to winning the Cup and will have to be at his best to do it again.

GAME 1: Monday, 8 p.m. Eastern.

PREDICTION: Capitals in 7.

 

[Cnotes53]

Column: A golden marriage between team and city in Las Vegas
May 26, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) Gerard Gallant took time out from preparing for the Stanley Cup finals to watch a Little League game this week, something that might be surprising to those who think there is little in Las Vegas besides showgirls, craps tables and nightclubs.

There is a real city beyond the Las Vegas Strip, though, and that isn't a surprise to the Vegas Golden Knights coach or the rest of a team that has embraced a city that has eagerly embraced them back.

They play here, and they also live here. Turns out hockey works in the desert - even for real hockey guys.

''It's been, for all of us, one of the neatest experiences of our lifetime,'' general manager George McPhee said. ''Maybe the neatest, most unique experience. Las Vegas has been a wonderful place to live and work.''

The love affair between a city and its new team wasn't totally unexpected. Las Vegas was, after all, a town starved for major league sports.

But no one could have expected a hockey team would also help a city deal with its grief after a gunman killed 58 people on the Las Vegas strip just days before the team's home opener.

They've done that and more, thrilling a town that's hard to impress on a remarkable run to the finals in their first year of existence.

''We knew we couldn't heal everyone,'' goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ''But we wanted to give (the city) something to cheer for, to be proud of their team.''

They call themselves the ''Golden Misfits'' because they all ended up in Las Vegas after being discarded by other teams. Even Gallant was unceremoniously dumped from his last job, kicked off the team bus after being fired by the Florida Panthers.

They came to this gambling city wanting to be wanted again. And a city that waited 112 years for a major sports franchise to call its own responded with open arms.

The games are all sellouts, of course. But the practices have also become events to see and be seen, with hundreds of fans crowding the team's practice rink in the planned community of Summerlin where most players live.

And everywhere people wear Golden Knights hats and shirts and talk about strange things like icing and forechecking.

''I see it every day of practice when you got 800 people watching our practices,'' Gallant said. ''It's definitely not one on one with people, but you see the fan support that we get is unbelievable. They love our players, they love our team, and they love what's going on, and I know our players appreciate the things they do for us.''

One of those players showed that Thursday night at another Little League game. Alex Tuch was watching the son of an assistant coach play, but a lot of other people at the ballpark were watching him.

As word spread that a Golden Knights player was in the stands, kids of all ages surrounded Tuch, who graciously obliged one picture request after another.

For some, the bond between city and team started developing when billionaire Bill Foley plunked down $500 million and Las Vegas was awarded an expansion franchise. For others, it began when Foley announced the team would be called the Golden Knights and started selling season tickets.

For many, though, it came when Deryk Engelland - a Las Vegas resident for more than a decade - stood on the ice before the first home game with hardly a dry eye in the crowd. It was nine days after the massacre of fans at a country music concert just down the street from the T-Mobile Arena where the Knights play, and emotions were raw.

England's speech was short, his message poignant.

''I know how special this city is,'' he told the crowd. ''To the families and friends of the victims, know we will do everything we can to help you and our city heal.

''We are Vegas Strong.''

Engelland, a defenseman, had scored only 22 goals in eight years in the NHL prior to that game. But he scored one that night and, for a brief moment at least, gave a grieving city something to cheer about.

And it was Engelland who was chosen on a team with no captains to accept the trophy for winning the Western Conference finals from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

''After Oct. 1, those first games ... you want to play for the city, the people that were affected by it,'' Engelland said. ''To make this run, it's awesome for us, but it all comes back to the city and the people affected by that.''

In a city that values winners, it helps that the team McPhee put together is a big winner. That was unexpected by most in hockey, who figured the Knights would finish last in their division like most expansion teams do, even though the NHL made sure they had a lot of good players to choose from.

Now they're playing for one of the great trophies in sports: the Stanley Cup.

''It's been fun to watch,'' NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. ''Nobody could've anticipated it. Our goal was that they be playing meaningful games in March and April, and if they were lucky, they might make the playoffs. Whoever could have predicted that they'd be on this run?''

Not many, and that includes the bookies on the Las Vegas Strip. They made the Knights as much as a 500-1 underdog to win the Stanley Cup, and will likely lose several million dollars if it actually happens.

It just might, and they don't seem to care.

The bookies live here, too. And they want to see the Stanley Cup paraded down the Las Vegas Strip.

 

[Cnotes53]

Ovechkin slays demons on first trip to Cup
May 26, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Raw emotion came from Alex Ovechkin as he wore an ''Eastern Conference champions'' hat for the first time.

''Oh my God,'' he said. ''It's unbelievable. I can't explain my emotions. I'm just happy for my boys, for organizations, for fans. Finally.''

Finally.

Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will play for the Stanley Cup. It's a journey 14 years in the making from Ovechkin being the first overall draft pick to the greatest goal scorer of this generation - and a player who until this year hasn't made it out of the second round of the playoffs through little fault of his own. Yet he's gotten an uneven proportion of the blame.

Ovechkin essentially willed the Capitals to the Cup Final with 12 goals, 10 assists and the best postseason of his career. In one spring, the 32-year-old Russian superstar has ended Washington's 20-year final drought, slayed demons and destroyed the old narrative that he can't get the job done when it matters most.

''The special thing is because we're winning,'' Ovechkin said before the Capitals left for Las Vegas. ''That's the whole thing. That's all I can say. We win and we move forward. We've never been in this position before. All my career, I played for this team, and we never get the success like that.''

Ovechkin bore the brunt of nine playoff appearances ending after the first or second round despite being a point-a-game player. With time running out on chasing the trophy he knew all about as a kid, this season has featured a different-looking player.

General manager Brian MacLellan sees a new level of maturity on and off the ice that he believes comes from Ovechkin getting married. A different offseason training regimen allowed Ovechkin to produce more at even strength, and the result was an NHL-leading 49 goals.

''I think the way he plays this year is more within the team structure,'' MacLellan said. ''This is the most systematic he's played throughout his career, in my mind.''

In the playoffs, Ovechkin has raised his game even further. His vintage physicality and his willingness to get his body in front of shots and hustle down ice on the backcheck have been noticeable.

''When you see him blocking shots, you see him coming back hard, you see him playing physical, he's getting more and more excited,'' linemate Tom Wilson said. ''It seems like every round you win, he's playing even harder. And that's what you need out of your top guys. When he's going, you're aware he's on the ice. Everyone in the building knows he's on the ice.''

During the third round, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said Ovechkin has ''taken 14 years of frustration out in one playoffs.'' Ovechkin is reluctant to talk about previous playoff disappointments, but they've been tied to him.

Even though this is a team sport, someone has to be the greatest player to never win the Cup. Until now, arguably that's Ovechkin, a label he has the chance to shed beginning in Game 1 of the final Monday at the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

''He's an elite player that shoulders the responsibility of how our team performs, whether that is fair or unfair, and I think that happens to all those elite players in the league,'' MacLellan said. ''They get built up when they win and they get torn down a little bit when they lose. It is not always fair, because it is a team game. And for him, he has shouldered a lot of the burden that has gone on here for the last 11 years or whatever the time period has been, and hopefully this is a time when he gets payback and enjoys it this year.''

Ovechkin is enjoying hockey seemingly like never before. Coach Barry Trotz wondered if being the face of the franchise and carrying the burden weighed on Ovechkin all those years.

Getting past the Pittsburgh Penguins and the second round made Ovechkin look ''freer'' in Trotz's eyes.

''You want your top guys to be on a mission, and I think that has freed him to carry on the mission rather than have to explain why he didn't go farther and have to do it every spring,'' Trotz said. ''He's having fun. He's producing. He's all in. If you're going to have success, you have to have all-in contribution, and he has. I think he's enjoying the run, the playoffs, maybe for the first time in a long time.''

Since returning home to Washington after advancing to the Final, Ovechkin said fans have come up to him to say thank you, good job, and to express pride. But he doesn't want to celebrate too much because he knows how difficult every step of the playoffs is to conquer.

''It's hard. It's not easy,'' Ovechkin said. ''This organization, it's been too long to be in this position, and I've never been in this position. Only Brooks Orpik has won the Stanley Cup and been in the final. Now this group is excited and we're ready to go.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Caps, Knights in improbable Cup Final
May 27, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) The Washington Capitals have waited nearly 44 years to raise the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Their only remaining obstacles are some desert-dwelling misfits who refuse to wait for anything.

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights are just four wins away from an astounding championship when they host Alex Ovechkin's long-striving Caps on Monday night to open a thoroughly improbable Stanley Cup Final.

Even the players from the NHL's last two teams standing seemed a bit surprised by their achievements when they gathered Sunday in balmy 84-degree Nevada weather.

''Who would have thunk it?'' asked Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt, who played the previous four seasons for the Capitals. ''The Stanley Cup Final that was never meant to be, right?''

Indeed, a first-time NHL champ will be crowned next month after a Final between two teams that arrived at hockey's ultimate destination from very different directions. While the Caps finally climbed over the hump in the Eastern Conference, the Golden Knights have been bulldozing every logical obstacle in their path since October.

''We've been able to do some things in the playoffs, but we never got to that last stage until now,'' Washington forward T.J. Oshie said. ''And everybody knows what Vegas did in the first year is very special. We're both hungry. This is going to be a beast of a series.''

The Golden Knights have exceeded every expectation by utilizing a rich expansion draft and multiple clever coaching moves to create a team that dominated the Pacific Division and then rampaged through the Western Conference playoffs. Their story still carries a ring of impossibility, but they're close to adding a real ring to every hand in the dressing room full of self-described ''Golden Misfits,'' as their T-shirts say.

The Capitals have repeatedly fallen short of their postseason goals during Ovechkin's career, including a heartbreaking shutout loss to Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 7 of the second round against Pittsburgh last spring. After falling to Fleury's champion Penguins in the past two postseasons, the Caps revamped their roster with youth and finally overcame years of playoff disappointment to reach their first Final in two decades. Of course, Fleury is in the way again - in goal for the Golden Knights.

Neither team was the favorite to get this far. Neither team is ready to stop now.

While Capitals coach Barry Trotz skated his now-customary hot lap before practice at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights had their usual standing room-only crowd for practice at their training complex in suburban Summerlin.

Their grip on this sports-hungry town was already strong, and the 24-hour gambling mecca will come to a standstill this week during the Cup games in the arena behind the New York New York hotel-casino and its 150-foot Statue of Liberty, which has been wearing a Golden Knights jersey since April.

Speaking of larger-than-life figures in hockey sweaters, this series showcases two major talents who can cement a legacy.

Ovechkin is a formidable scorer and competitor, but he has never won an Olympic medal with Russia or a Stanley Cup ring with the Caps. He's keeping a sense of humor about this momentous trip: With a straight face Sunday, Ovechkin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called him to wish him luck, before adding: ''I'm just joking.''

''We want to be here,'' Ovechkin said. ''We work so hard all year. I don't think nobody believes in us, and nobody believes in Vegas, and we're right now in the Stanley Cup Finals, and we fight for a Cup. Come enjoy this moment.''

Fleury already has three Stanley Cup rings, but he has added another incredible act to his career with tenacious play for the Golden Knights, whose inexperienced pros have leaned on him to get through tough nights.

''I think it's weird seeing that team here, being in the Cup the first year,'' said Brooks Orpik, the only Washington player with a ring. ''Obviously, I'm not surprised (Fleury) is here. Without him, they weren't beating us last year. He singlehandedly won a couple of games for (Pittsburgh) when we totally outplayed them.''

Here are more things to know about the ice hockey event in the Mojave:

COACHING CROWN

The winning coach also will raise the Stanley Cup for the first time in a fitting peak to two careers built on resilience. The 55-year-old Trotz never played in the NHL, but his 19th season as an NHL coach is ending in his first Cup Final. Gerard Gallant was a solid NHL forward for Detroit, but the 54-year-old bench boss had never even won a playoff round as an NHL coach before this spring.

(TURN)OVER KNIGHTS

Several Capitals pointed out the importance of minimizing turnovers against the Golden Knights, whose counterattacking acumen and team speed cause problems. ''They're a very fast team and when you turn pucks over, they're like a shark smelling blood in the water,'' Oshie said. ''They all stop on a dime and want to take it the other way. That's how they get a lot of their offense.''

CAPTAIN CHARGE

Ovechkin could become the first Russian captain to raise the Stanley Cup. If the Knights win, they don't have a captain to raise the Cup first. Gallant and GM George McPhee decided to rely on a six-man leadership council instead. ''I think that's the best decision we ever made,'' Gallant said. ''Sure, there's guys who could have been captain in our group, but it was their first year - and we really didn't think we'd be grabbing the (Western Conference) trophy the other night in Winnipeg.''

SCHMIDT'S REUNION

The Golden Knights' matchups against the teams that let them go in the expansion draft have been a consistently entertaining feature of this season. For the grand finale, Schmidt is at center stage against the Caps, who left him unprotected and then tried to reacquire him from Vegas. Schmidt led the Golden Knights in ice time and surpassed his previous career highs with five goals and 31 assists. He is logging nearly 25 minutes per playoff game.

THE HOTNESS

Summer heat hasn't quite settled onto Las Vegas yet, but the upcoming week looks like a scorcher. The temperature on the Strip should hit 100 degrees on Wednesday before Game 2

 

[Cnotes53]

Knight-Cap: Nate Schmidt knows both sides of Cup matchup
May 28, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) Nate Schmidt spent the previous four seasons playing for the Washington Capitals, and he personally experienced the heartbreak of their recent playoff disappointments. The defenseman understands why many people thought this talented, experienced team might never win a championship.

Schmidt and his many good friends with the Caps are finally in the Stanley Cup Final this week. Only they're on opposite benches after the Vegas Golden Knights grabbed Schmidt in the expansion draft and wouldn't give him back.

Schmidt was Washington's sixth defenseman last season, but he now leads the Golden Knights in ice time. The improbable matchup in Monday night's series opener puts a bewildered grin on Schmidt's face.

''Yeah, I don't think you could have written this up any better for me,'' he said Sunday.

Both of his franchises are in the midst of banner years, and Schmidt won't argue with the idea that he deserves a small part of the credit.

Or maybe the blame.

''I really enjoyed my time in Washington,'' Schmidt said. ''I thought that team was special, and we still had a good chance to go and do something, and here they are, proving it.''

Schmidt stops himself as another grin invades his serious interview session.

''I must have been the reason why!'' he said. ''I must have been the problem.''

Not likely. Schmidt's irrepressible personality and two-way acumen have made him one of the Golden Knights' most valuable players during their improbable inaugural season.

He surpassed his previous career highs with five goals and 31 assists while doing steady work on the back end. Given extensive responsibilities in Vegas after playing a smaller role in Washington, Schmidt has taken a major step forward.

''The perception of your game could be remodeled and redone, and I think that's the coolest part of what we've been able to do here in Vegas,'' Schmidt said. ''You have guys that have been able to revamp their image or revamp their style, and for other guys to grow into the players that people may not have thought they could be.''

Schmidt might have had this success in Washington if he had stuck around. He had begun to assert himself in a pairing with John Carlson, the Caps' No. 1 defenseman.

''We were playing together last season, and that's probably how it would have started out again this season,'' said Carlson, who led all NHL blueliners this season with 68 points. ''So there's a little disappointment from that, but obviously he's done really well for himself. That's no surprise. I wish him all the best, but not for these next two weeks.''

Schmidt has been particularly effective in the playoffs. Partnered with former Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb in the Knights' top pairing, Schmidt has provided energy, timely scoring and strong back-end play while Vegas roared past Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg with just three losses.

Schmidt knows more about the Caps than his teammates, so he realizes the enormity of their task. He'll lead the Golden Knights' efforts to minimize Alex Ovechkin's time and space with the puck.

''He's a beast,'' Schmidt said. ''I played against him in practice for a long time, so hopefully I know a few tendencies of his. But in reality, he's a player that can shoot the puck from anywhere.''

Schmidt's unusual perspective on this series is matched only by Vegas general manager George McPhee. Before the Caps fired him in 2014, McPhee acquired many of the players on Washington's roster - including Schmidt, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota, in 2013.

McPhee acquired him again last summer for Vegas, but Washington general manager Brian MacLellan tried hard to keep him with a post-draft trade. If anybody could have made a deal, it's these two men, who have known each other for 44 years since their bantam playing days in Guelph, Ontario, followed by college careers at Bowling Green and several years together in Washington's front office.

Not even a childhood friendship could keep Schmidt away from his new destiny in Vegas.

''We made our selection, and then he called and asked if there's any way we could do a deal for him to get Schmidt back,'' McPhee recalled. ''And I said, `I don't see anything, but we'll try to come up with something to give you a chance to say no.' We made a proposal that I didn't think would work, and it didn't work. Our guys liked Schmidt.''

 

[Cnotes53]

George McPhee has fingerprints all over Stanley Cup Final
May 28, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) George McPhee will only get a ring if the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.

Maybe he should get one if the Washington Capitals win.

McPhee is responsible for acquiring 13 players on the current roster during his 17 years as general manager and also hired longtime friend Brian MacLellan, who became his successor and built the rest of the team. Kicked around the past five years for trading Filip Forsberg to Nashville for Martin Erat and not being able to bring the Cup to Washington, McPhee has his fingerprints all over this final after building the foundation of each team.

''It's funny how life goes,'' McPhee said Sunday in Las Vegas. ''Two years ago I was walking around Ann Arbor kicking stones and couldn't get a job.''

McPhee went two years between his job as Capitals GM and his new one when new owner Bill Foley hired him for the dream job of his life as GM running the as-yet-named Vegas expansion team. From MacLellan to captain Alex Ovechkin, star center Nicklas Backstrom, goaltender Braden Holtby and management staffs on either side, this final in many ways is a validation of McPhee's philosophy, knowledge and career.

''It's great to see him have success somewhere else,'' said Capitals defenseman John Carlson, one of 12 McPhee draft picks facing him in the final. ''I knew he would, based on the pieces that he put in place here.''

McPhee was GM when the Capitals last made the Cup Final in 1998 but had just taken over the previous summer. Until the past year, his greatest accomplishment was rebuilding Washington into a perennial playoff team and title contender that went to the playoffs from 2008-2013.

After missing the playoffs in 2014, the Capitals did not renew McPhee's contract.

''When you're working with (players), they're sometimes like your own kids,'' McPhee said. ''You're on call for them all the time, you're trying to help them, you try to steer them in the right direction. Then you get fired and you're suddenly persona non grata because nobody wants to be seen to be too close to you in the organization. I understand that's how things change quickly and that's the business.''

Things changed quickly because MacLellan went from McPhee's college teammate and roommate and then right-hand man as assistant GM to the person who owner Ted Leonsis said gave ''the most negative of the interviews'' among candidates. MacLellan said he felt like he had nothing to lose during the interview process, which led to him landing the job at the same time Barry Trotz was named coach.

MacLellan conceded Friday his relationship with McPhee was ''not as close'' as in previous decades.

''I think it just took a little time for things to evolve,'' MacLellan said. ''I think he needed a break from the game, needed a break from how it went down for him here and it just took time.''

MacLellan choked up a couple of times talking about glory days with McPhee, when they won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Championship together at Bowling Green. McPhee and MacLellan have had dinner and texted in recent days about how strange it is to face each other after all that has transpired.

''It's kind of a weird experience,'' MacLellan said. ''It's a little awkward, but it's going to be a fun experience, I hope.''

McPhee still has plenty of supporters in the Capitals' locker room, especially among players he stuck his neck out for. He signed Jay Beagle as a college free agent in 2007, listened to now-Vegas goaltending coach Dave Prior and selected Holtby as the 10th goaltender in the 2008 draft and picked Tom Wilson in the first round in 2012.

''I have a very fond respect for George,'' Wilson said. ''You always have kind of a soft spot for the guy that drafted you, that brought you into the league, that gave you a chance. ... He kind of always had his players' back.''

Not only is Beagle thankful to McPhee for taking a chance on him, but he also believes in the moves made to try to bring a championship to Washington well before now, even if they didn't work out perfectly.

''The trades and the deals that he made were to win the Stanley Cup that year,'' Beagle said. ''You can always look back and be like, `Oh it wasn't the right one' or `It was the right one.' But at the time it was the moves that he felt needed to be done to win a Stanley Cup that year because we had a team to do it for a lot of years.''

Now that the Capitals - and Golden Knights - have that team, McPhee will be there each night to see one of his teams lift the Cup.

''I'm certainly proud of the Washington team and the players,'' McPhee said. ''Really happy for them - and really proud of this team we have in Vegas.''

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, MAY 28
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at VEG 08:00 PM

VEG -145

U 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

6 of a kind: Golden Knights outlast Caps 6-4 in Final opener
May 28, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) The Vegas Golden Knights' incredible inaugural season isn't slowing down in the Stanley Cup Final.

Tomas Nosek scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, and the expansion Golden Knights opened an improbable Final with a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Washington Capitals on Monday night.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves in an occasionally shaky performance, but the three-time Stanley Cup winner's new teammates carried the goalie who has so often carried them with a relentless outburst of offense.

The Eastern Conference champion Capitals hadn't given up this many goals in 29 games since March 18, but they hadn't seen anything like this charmed run by the upstart Knights.

''We put fun ahead of everything, and you can tell,'' said Ryan Reaves, who scored the Knights' tying goal in the third period. ''Guys have are having fun and they're smiling.''

With its sellout crowd of hometown fans at deafening volume all night, Vegas put its usual speed and relentlessness on full display while overcoming a third-period deficit to win the opener of a matchup between two franchises seeking their first Stanley Cup titles.

The Game 1 winner has won the last six Cups and 61 of 78 overall.

Braden Holtby stopped 28 shots for the Capitals, whose first Stanley Cup Final game in 20 years was a defensive nightmare. Washington still had chances to win, but never slowed the Knights.

Tom Wilson got credit for the goal that put the Caps up 4-3 early in the third period when Fleury back-heeled a loose puck into his own net, but Reaves evened it 91 seconds later for Vegas.

Nosek then put the Knights ahead after Shea Theodore kept the puck in Washington's zone, sidestepped a defender and fired a beautiful cross-ice pass to the Czech forward, who buried a one-timer for his second goal of the playoffs.

Colin Miller, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith scored early goals before Nosek added an empty-netter for the Knights, who are three wins away from one of the most improbable championships in recent North American team sports history. Just 342 days after the Knights selected the backbone of their first roster in the expansion draft, Vegas had another party on the Strip with its remarkable collection of castoffs.

Brett Connolly, Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson scored for Washington, but its biggest stars didn't match the Knights' outburst.

Captain Alex Ovechkin, who collected a career-high 22 points in the first three rounds, had one assist in his first Stanley Cup Final game. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who scored a whopping 24 points in the first three rounds, also had just one assist.

The Golden Knights' playoff pregame shows have been a celebration of Vegas showmanship, and their first Final game started with an extravaganza including archers, a trebuchet and a spectacular light show.

And then the Knights and Caps put on a high-energy production of their own with plenty of fireworks and drama.

With none of the customary caution or high-pressure effects often shown by teams and players in their first game on the NHL's biggest stage, Vegas and Washington jumped right into an up-tempo thriller. Vegas had outscored its opponents 10-0 in the first period at home during the playoffs, but the Caps got two goals.

Miller scored the Knights' first goal with a big shot on a power play, ending Holtby's scoreless streak from his back-to-back shutouts to end the conference finals at nearly 167 minutes. But Washington calmly surged ahead later in the first period with goals 42 seconds apart from Connolly and Backstrom.

Smith put the Knights back ahead early in the second period after a stellar sequence of speed and puck movement, but Carlson tied it a few minutes later after being left alone in front of Vegas' unmanned net.

The wild scoring continued in the third with an own-goal by Fleury, who lost track of a rebound and kicked it backward into his net.

T-Mobile Arena was only quiet for a few seconds before the tying goal from Reaves, who cross-checked Carlson to the ice an instant before the puck unexpectedly bounced to him for an uncontested shot.

Reaves didn't score at all in his first 26 games after joining the Knights in a trade, but the rough-and-tumble forward broke through with the game-winning goal in the Western Conference finals clincher against Winnipeg.

Wilson delivered a crushing open-ice hit in the third period to Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault, who was shaken up on the play.

NOTES: Vegas is aiming to be the first franchise in a major North American professional league to win a title in its first season since the 1950 Cleveland Browns, who entered the NFL as a fully formed team after four seasons in the AAFC. ... Vegas D Deryk Engelland had two assists after going scoreless in the first 15 playoff games. ... Vegas improved to 11-1 in the postseason when scoring first.

 

[Cnotes53]

Goalies under siege in Game 1 shootout between Caps, Knights
May 28, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) Marc-Andre Fleury and Braden Holtby have been two of the hottest goaltenders during the postseason.

Their duel between the pipes looked more like survival in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final as the Vegas Golden Knights outlasted the Washington Capitals, 6-4.

Fleury came into the series with a 1.68 goals-against average for Vegas with Holtby not far behind at 2.04. Giving up nine goals between them seemed unlikely but that's exactly what happened Monday night as both goalies were screened relentlessly, caught out of position at times and left out to dry on occasion by defensemen trying to keep up with two swarming offenses.

For Washington, scoring against the Golden Knights was taking advantage of Vegas defenders failing to clog the slots and Fleury making his own mistakes.

Brett Connolly's redirect that went through defenseman Colin Miller's legs in the first period caught Fleury overcommitting on Michal Kempny's shot from the point. Less than a minute later, Nicklas Backstrom backhanded a shot past Fleury, who couldn't recover after sprawling to his right with T.J. Oshie coming around the back of the goal.

Fleury didn't stand a chance against John Carlson, who scored an easy backhander after a beautiful feed from Oshie, who wrapped a pass around defenseman Shea Theodore across the slot. And while Tom Wilson got credit for Washington's fourth goal, the puck slid into the net after Fleury kicked it in himself after getting caught under his skate.

Fleury stopped 24 shots and has now allowed four goals in four games in a single postseason for the first time - and he has given up at least four goals five times in 15 postseason games against Washington.

Holtby made 28 saves, but Game 1 was the second time he had allowed five goals this postseason (Vegas got its sixth goal on an empty-netter by Tomas Nosek).

Miller caught Holtby leaning to his right, peeking over Carlson's shoulder, and got caught with the one-timer that went beneath his glove on the Golden Knights' first goal. William Karlsson was able to tie the game just before the end of the first period when he grabbed a rebound off the end boards and caught Holtby out of position, after he overcommitted on a Reilly Smith's shot.

Smith also got a goal thanks to a fortunate rebound from the end boards, after Holtby failed to scoop up Deryk Engelland's wrist shot and the puck caromed off his pads. Jonathan Marchessault then one-timed it past the goal and off the boards, allowing Engelland to feed Smith in front of the net.

Rebounds have continued to haunt Holtby throughout the postseason.

Ryan Reaves scored his second goal of the postseason, in as many games, when he smacked a loose puck over the knob of Holtby's stick, just 1:31 after the Capitals had taken a 4-3 lead in the third period.

Both goalies and their defenses don't have much time to turn things around. Game 2 is Wednesday night.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 30, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Capitals Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JUNE 2, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY JUNE 4, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals Capital One Arena


************************

NHL 2017-2018: STANLEY CUP FINALS

DATE............... W-L-T........%............UNITS

05/28/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50


BEST BETS:...................ATS...................UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS...............TOTAL

05/28/2018..................1 - 0...................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50................-0.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday?s 6-pack

SouthPoint released college over/under win totals for football season:

? Air Force 4.5

? Arizona 7.5, over -$120

? Army 7.5, under -$120

? Boise State 10

? Buffalo 6.5

? NC-Charlotte 3.5

Quote of the Day
?I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances. I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day.?
Jason Seaman, a teacher who was shot while disarming a teacher last week

Tuesday?s quiz
In the Wizard of Oz, what state was Dorothy from?

Monday?s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball, Terry Francona was his manager with the AA Birmingham Barons of the Southern League.

Sunday?s quiz
James Harden played his college basketball at Arizona State.


**********************************************************


Tuesday?s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but??

13) What genius decided the Cubs had to play a day game in Pittsburgh Monday after they played a home game on ESPN Sunday night? That makes no sense.

If the Pirates have to play a Memorial Day afternoon home game, at least make it a 4:00 first pitch. Or don?t schedule the Cubs to play at night on Sunday.

12) Nightcap of the Mets-Braves day/night twinbill started at 10:07 pm, after a 3-hour rain delay. With Tuesday?s weather forecast not looking so good, they tried like hell to get both games in Monday,

11) Pablo Sandoval played second base Sunday night, third time in 1,117 major league games he played there, first time he started a game at second.

10) Weird baseball injury late Monday night; Rhys Hoskins is batting in 9th inning with a 1-2 count; he swings and misses, but ball hits him on arm, bounces up and hits him in the face.

Umpires ruled it a foul ball, which was wrong; game should?ve ended there. Hoskins has to leave the game because he got drilled in the face with a deflected pitch, Pedro Florimon wound up striking out in his place as the Dodgers rallied late for a 5-4 win.

9) In his last seven starts, Jacob deGrom has allowed two runs in 43.1 IP, but has only two wins in those seven games. Mets scored total of nine runs in his last four starts.

8) Mets? relief pitchers have already had more at-bats this season than all of last season. They?ve had 20 this year on May 28- they had 18 in all of 2017.

7) Phillies will face Clayton Kershaw Thursday, as he comes off the disabled list, and might very well face Madison Bumgarner Friday, as he comes off the DL. Not the best luck there.

6) ESPN?s Steve Levy and Barry Melrose had a live shot from the Stanley Cup finals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with??.comedian Carrot Top.

5) Not sure of the exact crowd, but looked like they had over 10,000 fans in Washington to watch the hockey game on the big screen in the Capitals? arena. They went home unhappy as the Golden Knights won 6-4.

4) San Diego Padres are 7-3 this season when Tyson Ross starts, 15-30 when anyone else starts.

3) Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas is running a football pool again this fall; $1,000 per entry, you pick seven games a week, but you can use NFL or college games. The Westgate pool is five games per week, but only NFL games and it is $1,500 an entry.

2) Warriors 101, Rockets 92? Houston got outscored 122-63 combined in the second half of Games 6-7.

1) Happy 80th birthday to the great Jerry West, who still works as a consultant for the Clippers.

 

[Cnotes53]

Odds against Cavs in NBA Finals
May 29, 2018

CLEVELAND (AP) The odds are longer than a Stephen Curry 3-pointer, Kevin Durant's wingspan or Draymond Green's catalog of technical fouls.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers are being given little - or no - chance of winning their fourth straight NBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who have been installed by Las Vegas bookmakers as the heaviest favorites in the past 16 years.

Wanna bet?

The Warriors are 12-point favorites to win Thursday's Game 1, the largest spread in a Finals game since 1991, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue isn't blinking.

''We're all focused on winning a championship,'' Lue said Tuesday before the team flew to California. ''We played our best basketball going into the playoffs. We've gotten better and better throughout the course of the playoffs. Our main focus and our main objective is to win a championship, so we can't worry about what the outside guys are saying and who's being picked. We know what we have here and what we're trying to do.''

Cavs vs. Warriors, Part IV: an expected conclusion to an unpredictable season.

Lue said All-Star forward Kevin Love remains in concussion protocol and his status for the series opener is in question. Love sat out Cleveland's Game 7 win at Boston on Sunday after suffering a head injury when he and Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum accidentally banged heads during the opening minutes of Game 6.

Love was replaced in the starting lineup by veteran Jeff Green, who stepped up and scored 19 points as the Cavs completed their comeback after trailing 2-0 and 3-2 in the series.

Love is expected back for the Finals, and Lue needs his experience against the Warriors, who like the Cavs rallied to win the Western Conference finals by taking Game 7 on the road.

There was a moment when it looked as if both Cleveland and Golden State could miss the Finals.

It disappeared quickly,

''They've been tested. We've been tested,'' Lue said. ''They've been to Game 7s. We've been to Game 7s. We've won championships and they've won championships, so they understand what it takes and they knew what it took.''

Since the playoffs opened, Cleveland has embraced the ''Whatever It Takes'' mantra that began as a catchy organizational slogan and morphed into a way of survival.

The Cavs have twice been pushed to seven games, overcome injuries and gotten much-needed contributions to ease the burden on James from role players Green, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

However, in this series when every possession will be magnified, Lue will count on four players who have been around since the Cavs first met the Warriors in the 2015 Finals.

And because they won a championship in 2016 together, the core four of James, Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson share something special.

''Just having these guys here who have been through it, been through the tough times, been through the great times as well, this is a bond that can't be broken,'' Lue said. ''Just reminds me a lot of guys I played with back in the day when you see Horace Grant, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, just something about winning a championship with those guys that you will never forget, and it's a bond that can't be broken.''

While Love has been solid, Smith and Thompson haven't always come through this season for Cleveland.

One of the streakiest shooters in the league, Smith has had prolonged slumps. Thompson, who missed time with a severe calf injury, wasn't a factor until Lue started him in Game 7 of the Indiana series.

Lue never lost faith in either player. It's a trust that can't be measured.

''I'm always going to stick behind my guys,'' Lue said. ''Even when they're struggling, I just have confidence and a belief that when we need those guys, and we call on those guys, they'll be ready and they'll produce. You've seen that throughout the course of the playoffs this year and you've seen it the last three years, that those guys are up for the challenge. They rise to the occasion. And just because a guy is not playing well, you can't give up on a guy.

''You gotta give those guys a chance, especially when you've been there before with them and you know who they are.''

Unlike the past three Finals, Lue won't have Kyrie Irving, traded to Boston last summer.

The All-Star point guard was Cleveland's not-so-secret weapon, the one the Cavs turned to in order to spell James and keep the Warriors off-balance.

''He allowed us to go one on one against the mismatches and can't nobody stop him one on one,'' Lue said. ''We're gonna miss that, but we're just going to have to play a different style of basketball without him being here.''

Now that's a safe bet.