In just 2:31, the story of all stories ended.
The unexpected never did materialize. The movie that’ll be made won’t have the feel-good fairy-tale ending, the one that everyone, except the Washington Capitals and the sports books managers, would have loved to witness.
But it’s still a tale for the ages, an instant legend that won’t be soon forgotten.
The Vegas Golden Knights empowered an entire city just by being themselves. They proved to be the epitome of what a team is. They forced the non-believers to believe. They turned the entire NHL upside down.
But in the end, they came up three games short of doing the impossible and winning the Stanley Cup when they fell in Game 5 of the Final to the Washington Capitals by a score of 4-3.
After a scoreless first period, both teams traded goals. Jakub Vrana scored on a breakaway 6:24 into the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Vegas responded quickly when former Washington Capital Nate Schmidt scored.
Alex Ovechkin, Washington’s captain and the Conn Smythe Award winner (the trophy given to the player judged most valuable to his team during the NHL playoffs), scored a power-play goal while Brayden McNabb was in the penalty box for tripping Ovechkin 23 seconds earlier to take a 2-1 lead.
Vegas scored two additional goals in the second period, one at 12:56 by David Perron, who was pushed into Braden Holtby. Washington challenged the goal, claiming interference. The challenge denied, now the score was tied at 2-2. With Ovechkin off for tripping, Reilly Smith scored a power-play goal with just 29 seconds left in the second period, giving the VGK a 3-2 lead entering the third.
But in a matter of two minutes and 31 seconds, Washington scored two goals to regain a lead they didn’t relinquish. Devante Smith-Pelly scored at the 9:25 mark; his third goal in three straight games tied the score at 3-3. Just 2:31 later, Lars Eller found a puck that dribbled through Fleury’s pads after he made the original save. The Stanley Cup’s winning goal was in the net.
The Washington power play scored once last night, but it played an important role in winning the 2018 Stanley Cup. The Capitals scored 22 PPGs in 75 attempts (29.3 %). Only three previous teams with at least 60 attempts have had a better percentage: the 1981 New York Islanders (37.8%), the 1982 Islanders (29.9%), and the 1994 Toronto Maple Leafs (29.7%).
The VGK power play during the playoffs was 12 goals in 65 attempts (18.4%), with three out of 14 in the Final. Washington scored five PPG in 16 attempts in the Final.
Washington scored 20 goals in the five games. Vegas scored 14. They had an output of only eight goals in the other four games.
In the first three playoff rounds, Marc-Andre Fleur yielded only 27 goals in 15 games. Not only wasn’t Fleury his usual amazing self in the five Final games, but Vegas’ goal output was held in check by Washington. This magical ride wasn’t supposed to end like this.
What makes this loss disappointing is the reality that both third-period goals by Washington could have been avoided. They came off giveaways in the Golden Knights’ own zone.
But that’s not why we lost in the Stanley Cup Final. In the end, we were beaten by a better team, especially in the last four games.
Ironically, in a season of setting one record after another, the Golden Knights set another franchise record last night. It was the first time they’d ever lost four games in a row.
It was Washington’s time, make no mistake about it. But know this: Your Vegas Golden Knights have nothing to be ashamed of.
There’s no need to single out who committed the giveaways. This was a team effort that started on Oct 6, 2017, and ended eight months later on June 7, 2018. They won as a team, they shocked the entire NHL as a team, and they lost as a team. They’re beloved by a city that they galvanized, and all over the United States, and in countries around the world. We all lost tonight together.
The VGK are Las Vegas and Las Vegas is proud to call the VGK our team.
There’s no need to dissect this loss; doing so would be an injustice to every member of this team and organization. Rather, there’s everything to celebrate. We were all privileged to witness a true team effort for 102 games. We happened to be very lucky to play for the Stanley Cup in our first season. Washington, in their 44-year history, had only been here once before. And four established franchises have never played in the Stanley Cup Final: Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Arizona Coyotes.
My 3 Stars of the Game: The entire VGK team, the 18,000 fans who found a way to get into T-Mobile Arena last night, and the 2.1 million residents of Las Vegas who bonded over this team.
It’s been my distinct pleasure and honor to be your Vegas Golden Knights correspondent throughout this historical and miraculous season. I hope to see you again in four months. This team is here to stay.
In the meantime, now that we know the ending, we can put the finishing touches on our book, tentatively titled Vegas Golden Knights — How a First-Year Expansion Team Conquered the World. Look for it soon.
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