In what could shape up to be a classic 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 year.
The upstart expansion Knights were 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 view this as a David vs Goliath kind of matchup, I am here to explain why Vegas ought to be viewed 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 was characterized as a rock concert by NHL columnists and to get an expansion team like the Golden Knights, home ice hockey has given them a supreme advantage in this series.
The Knights ended with the second-best home record in the league during the regular year and after the postseason came, they continued to excel in their barn as Vegas is 6-1 SU in seven matches at home in the playoffs, outscoring their competition 25-12 in those games. It’s also worth noting that their only loss came through an overtime goal by the San Jose Sharks.
The Golden Knights are holding teams to an average of 1.71 goals per game at home while scoring 3.57 goals per match and the play in their own barn is going to be one of the critical reasons why the Knights win this sequence.
Superior Goaltending
The first choice in the expansion draft of vegas last June was easily the best choice the team made. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had the pedigree of a Stanley Cup champion and has been a luxury that Pittsburgh couldn’t afford once netminder Matt Murray appeared to direct the Penguins within their back-to-back championships.
But GM George McPhee was happy to take him off the Penguins’ palms and Fleury has done nothing but post breathtaking amounts and provide a calming existence between the pipes. Flower finished the year with 29 wins in 46 starts, a 2.56 goals-against average along with a .927 save percent, which placed him at the top five in those classes in the NHL. But in 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 throughout the playoffs, neither of those factors would issue if it weren’t for outstanding goaltending from the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Quick-Strike Offense and Penalty Kill
Among the downsides of having a elite celebrity like an Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby is that it becomes a”scoring by committee” to get targets on the board for teams like the Knights. And that is exactly what Vegas has done because it had six players who scored 20 or more goals this year, including William Karlsson, who notched 43 markers. The”sharing the load” type of approach led the Knights to a astounding 34-7 SU record when scoring first this year and carried on to the postseason since they’re currently 10-1 SU in 11 playoff games whenever 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 at even power, which leads the NHL in 74 percent. Since playoff hockey could be gritty with groups trying to manufacture some kind of scoring, the Knights have a clear edge in this category by not needing to rely on specific teams to get the job finished.
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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