2018 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

1st Round Scores:

Eastern Conference:

#1 Tampa Bay Lightning defeat WC #2 New Jersey Devils (4-1)
#1 Washington Capitals defeat WC #1 Columbus Blue Jackets (4-2)
#2 Boston Bruins defeat #3 Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3)
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #3 Philadelphia Flyers (4-2)

Western Conference:

#1 Nashville Predators defeat WC #2 Colorado Avalanche (4-2)
#1 Vegas Golden Knights defeat WC #1 Los Angeles Kings (4-0)
#2 Winnipeg Jets defeat #3 Minnesota Wild (4-1)
#3 San Jose Sharks defeat #2 Anaheim Ducks (4-0)

2nd Round Scores: 

Eastern Conference:

#1 Tampa Bay Lightning defeat #2 Boston Bruins (4-1)
# 1 Washington Capitals defeat #2 Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2)

Western Conference:

#2 Winnipeg Jets defeat #1 Nashville Predators (4-3)
#1 Vegas Golden Knights defeat San Jose Sharks (4-2)

3rd Round Scores: 

Eastern Conference:

# 1 Washington Capitals defeat #1 Tampa Bay Lightning (4-3)

Western Conference:

#1 Vegas Golden Knights defeat #2 Winnipeg Jets (4-1)

Forman Faceoff Conn Smythe Standings: 

1. *Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 12 wins, 1.68 GAA, .947 save %, 4 shutouts 

2. Alex Ovechkin (WSH) - 12 goals, 10 assists, 22 points

3. Braden Holtby (WSH) - 12 wins, 2.04 GAA, .923 save %, 2 shutouts

4. Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH) - 11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points, 1 OT goal

5. Johnathan Marchessault (VGK) - 8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points

6. John Carlson (WSH) - 3 goals, 13 assists, 16 points

7. Reilly Smith (VGK) - 2 goals, 14 assists, 16 points

8. William Karlsson (VGK) - 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points, 1 OT goal

9. Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) - 4 goals, 12 assists, 16 points, 1 OT goal

10. TJ Oshie (WSH) - 7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points

*I strongly believe Marc-Andre Fleury wins the Conn Smythe regardless if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup or not. Only 5 players in NHL history have ever won the Conn Smythe while losing in the finals:

Roger Crozier (Detroit) - Lost to Montreal in 1966
Glenn Hall (St. Louis) - Lost to Montreal in 1968
Reggie Leach (Philadelphia) - Lost to Montreal in 1976
Ron Hextall (Philadelphia) - Lost to Edmonton in 1987
J-S Giguere (Anaheim) - Lost to New Jersey in 2003

After 3 exciting rounds of the playoffs, let's take a look at the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals match up:

#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs #1 Washington Capitals

Season Series: Golden Knights won the season series 2-0-0

December 23, 2017: Vegas Golden Knights 3, Washington Capitals 0

February 4, 2018: Vegas Golden Knights 4, Washington Capitals 3

Players to Watch:

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Johnathan Marchessault, Ryan Reaves, James Neal

Washington: Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Devante Smith-Pelly

X-Factor:

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury 

Washington: Alex Ovechkin

Team Leaders:

Goals: Alex Ovechkin (WSH) - 12, Johnathan Marchessault (VGK) - 8
Assists: Reilly Smith (VGK) - 14, Evgeny Kuznetsov/John Carlson (WSH) - 13

Points: Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH) - 24, Johnathan Marchessault (VGK) - 18

Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 12, Braden Holtby (WSH) - 12
Goals Against Average: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 1.68, Braden Holtby (WSH) - 2.04

Save Percentage: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - .947, Braden Holtby (WSH) - .923

Prediction: This has to be one of the most unlikely Stanley Cup Finals match ups in a long, long time, considering Vegas didn't have a team 12 months ago and the Capitals have been perennial playoff chokers in the past. But here we are, Alex Ovechkin finally has the reached the finals after 13 years, and he'll face his old GM George McPhee's team trying to capture his 1st Stanley Cup. While I think Fleury is playing lights out and Vegas has a great chance of winning, I am rooting for Ovechkin and company and think Washington wins Lord Stanley in 2018 and the first time in franchise history!

(CAPS IN 7)

It's been a strange but entertaining playoffs, and this Stanley Cup match up has the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent years. Two teams who have never won the Stanley Cup, only one will be left standing! Series starts Monday night in Vegas, buckle up folks!

Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff