The Golden Knights will face the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final.
Washington topped Tampa Bay 4-0 in Wednesday night’s deciding Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, setting up a matchup with Vegas. The Golden Knights will host Games 1 and 2 of the series at T-Mobile Arena, with Game 1 starting at 5 p.m. Monday, which is Memorial Day.
“We’re excited and we don’t want to take anything for granted,” Vegas forward Erik Haula said. “We worked hard to be here and we believe we deserve to be here.”
After going through three heavy, physical teams in the Kings, Sharks and Jets, the Capitals will pose a slightly different challenge. Washington is much more similar to the Golden Knights in that it likes to play with speed and score in transition.
“I think it’ll be a little different style of play, but they’re an unbelievable team and we know we’ll have to play our best to win,” Alex Tuch said.
The Golden Knights beat Washington in both regular-season meetings. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves in a 3-0 shutout win in Las Vegas on Dec. 23, then Reilly Smith scored twice in a back-and-forth 4-3 win for the Golden Knights in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4.
“You look on paper and say they aren’t as heavy of a team as the teams we’ve played, but the way the playoffs are, everyone gets jacked up and finishes their checks,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s going to be a fast series, with some top-end talent. They are going to play hard and finish their checks when they get the opportunity.”
Because they’ve only lost three games this postseason, this is the third-straight series in which Vegas will be coming off a lengthy layoff, with eight days between its last game and Game 1 on Monday.
“We’re in the Stanley Cup Finals, but it doesn’t really feel like it’s been a grind,” Gallant said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s the Stanley Cup Final because the guys are fresh and ready to go and we’ve been fortunate enough to get some days off between series.”
The series will shift to Washington for Games 3 and 4, which will be played on Saturday, June 2, and Monday, June 4.
“We’ve worked all year to put ourselves in this situation and it’s go time,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s our time. We need to find a way to win hockey games.”
Full schedule
Game 1: Monday, May 28, Capitals at Golden Knights
Game 2: Wednesday, May 30, Capitals at Golden Knights
Game 3: Saturday, June 2, Golden Knights at Capitals
Game 4: Monday, June 4, Golden Knights at Capitals
*Game 5: Thursday, June 7, Capitals at Golden Knights
*Game 6: Sunday, June 10, Golden Knights at Capitals
*Game 7: Wednesday, June 13, Capitals at Golden Knights
*if necessary
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