2018 Stanley Cup Finals

The 2018 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2017–18 season and the culmination of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals defeated the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights four games to one to win their first championship, in their 44th season. The Vegas Golden Knights made the Finals in their first season, while this was the second Finals appearance for the Capitals. This was the first Finals series since 2007 where neither team had previously won the Stanley Cup and the third consecutive year in which a Western Conference team made their Finals debut. This was the first Finals since 2014 to require fewer than six games. Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
The series began on May 28 and ended on June 7. The Vegas Golden Knights had home ice advantage in the series since the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division with 109 points during the regular season, while the Capitals won the Metropolitan Division with 105 points.
==Path to the Finals==
===Washington Capitals===
This was Washington's second Finals appearance; the Capitals were swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings in 1998.
The Capitals did not make many major offseason transactions with the exception of signing forward Devante Smith-Pelly. Major re-signings during the off-season included forwards T. J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Andre Burakovsky; and goalie Philipp Grubauer. Washington then re-signed Lars Eller during the season. The team was conservative during the trade deadline. Wanting to make a Stanley Cup run with the core players that they already had, they only acquired defencemen Michal Kempny from the Chicago Blackhawks and Jakub Jerabek from the Montreal Canadiens.
The Capitals finished the regular season with 105 points (49–26–7), winning their division. Left winger and team captain Alexander Ovechkin was the winner of this season's Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, leading the league with 49 regular-season goals. Kuznetsov led the team in assists with 56.
In the first round of playoffs, Washington came back from a 2–0 series deficit to win four in a row and beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games. The Capitals then won a six-game series against their division rival and two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, whom the Capitals had beaten in a playoff series only once in ten previous attempts since 1994; losing the last seven prior series to them. The Penguins had eliminated Washington from the playoffs in the second round the previous two years. Washington then defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, winning game seven on the road for only the second time in franchise history and first since 2012.
===Vegas Golden Knights===
Vegas became the first expansion team since the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues to make the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. However, the 1967–68 expansion was structured so that an expansion team was guaranteed to make the final. By contrast, the Golden Knights entered the season as long shots to make the postseason, let alone the Finals, with sources like Deadspin and Newsweek predicting that the Golden Knights would be among the worst teams in the league. However, the Golden Knights exceeded even the most optimistic projections to turn in one of the strongest debut seasons for an expansion team in North American professional sports history.
Las Vegas was awarded as the NHL's 31st franchise on June 22, 2016, to begin to play for the 2017–18 season. On April 13, 2017, the team announced the hiring of their inaugural head coach, Gerard Gallant. The team then participated in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft on June 21, selecting an available player from all of the other 30 NHL teams. Some notable selections included goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who had won three Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, winger James Neal from the Nashville Predators, and Jonathan Marchessault from the Florida Panthers. Fleury was left exposed by the Penguins because of the emergence of Matt Murray. The Panthers, who had salary cap issues, traded Reilly Smith to the Golden Knights in exchange for Vegas selecting Marchessault.
The team started winning, despite Fleury being injured for most of the first months of the season. The team relied on four other goaltenders while their starter was injured. Instead of being sellers trying to unload players with one-year contracts by the trade deadline, Vegas became surprise buyers, acquiring Ryan Reaves from the Penguins and Tomas Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings.
On March 26, 2018, Vegas became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers in the 1979–80 season. Following that achievement, on March 31, Vegas became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four major sports and the first NHL team since the 1926–27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season (excluding the 1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers, as all teams in the West Division that year were expansion teams). The Golden Knights ended up finishing the regular season with 109 points (51–24–7). In the playoffs, Vegas swept the Los Angeles Kings in four games, defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games, and eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Finals in five games.
With Vegas' trip to the 2018 Finals, a brand-new team in the league has now reached the Stanley Cup Finals every 50 years dating back to 1918. The Toronto Arenas reached the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals and won the Cup, but this was the first year of the new NHL (after every team except the Toronto Blueshirts left the National Hockey Association). The St. Louis Blues reached the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals and got swept by the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Blues and five other brand-new expansion teams all entered the league at the same time and were all placed in the West Division, with the Original Six comprising the East Division. The playoffs were structured so that one of the newly minted teams was guaranteed a berth in the Finals. In contrast, the Golden Knights were the first true expansion team in NHL history to advance all the way to the Finals while not playing in an all-expansion division.
The Golden Knights were only the second captainless team since 1973 to be in the Finals, and the first since the New York Rangers in 2014.
==Game summaries==
: Number in parentheses represents the player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs
===Game one===
Both teams scored twice in the opening period. The first goal came from Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Colin Miller whose slap shot went past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Washington struck back later in the period as both Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom scored 42 seconds apart. William Karlsson then snuck the puck in between Holtby and the left post to tie the game. Early in the second period, a rebound off the glass came to Deryk Engelland who passed to an open Reilly Smith firing one past Holtby. Capitals defenceman John Carlson tied up the score after some nice passing from the defender and T. J. Oshie left himself wide open for the goal. In the third period, Tom Wilson redirected Alexander Ovechkin's shot past Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to take the lead in the game. However, Vegas responded 1:41 later as Ryan Reaves went top-shelf to tie the game yet again. This goal proved to be controversial, as Ryan Reaves illegally cross-checked John Carlson to get into position to score. Tomas Nosek was able to score for Vegas later in the period, taking the pass from Shea Theodore. Vegas kept the lead in the penultimate minutes, grabbing an empty-net goal in the final minute to finish the game 6–4.
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	VGK 	Colin Miller (3) – pp 	Erik Haula (5) 	07:15 	1–0 VGK
1st 	WSH 	Brett Connolly (5) 	Michal Kempny (2), Andre Burakovsky (1) 	14:41 	1–1
1st 	WSH 	Nicklas Backstrom (5) 	T. J. Oshie (9), Jakub Vrana (5) 	15:23 	2–1 WSH
1st 	VGK 	William Karlsson (7) 	Reilly Smith (15), Deryk Engelland (1) 	18:19 	2–2
2nd 	VGK 	Reilly Smith (3) 	Deryk Engelland (2), Jonathan Marchessault (11)	03:21 	3–2 VGK
2nd 	WSH 	John Carlson (4) 	T. J. Oshie (10), Nicklas Backstrom (13) 	08:29 	3–3
3rd 	WSH 	Tom Wilson (4) 	Alexander Ovechkin (11), Evgeny Kuznetsov (14) 	01:10 	4–3 WSH
3rd 	VGK 	Ryan Reaves (2) 	Unassisted 	02:41 	4–4
3rd 	VGK 	Tomas Nosek (2) 	Shea Theodore (6) 	09:44 	5–4 VGK
3rd 	VGK 	Tomas Nosek (3) – en 	David Perron (8) 	19:57 	6–4 VGK
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	WSH 	Andre Burakovsky 	Boarding 	05:53 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Bench (served by David Perron)	Too many men on the ice 	13:55 	2:00
3rd 	WSH 	Tom Wilson 	Interference 	05:53 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	David Perron 	Cross-checking 	05:53 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
 	10 	8 	10 	28 	
 	11 	14 	9 	34 	
===Game two===
thumb|right|upright=.8|Braden Holtby saved 37 of 39 shots faced in Game 2.
During the first period of game two, James Neal took a pass from Luca Sbisa, firing a wrist shot past Braden Holtby. The Capitals tied the game during a four-on-four when Lars Eller shot into an empty net from Michal Kempny's pass. During the second period, Golden Knights rookie Alex Tuch was penalized for cross-checking, and on the ensuing power-play, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin fired a shot from a tight angle to give Washington the lead. Brooks Orpik extended the Capitals' lead to two goals when his shot deflected off Alex Tuch past Marc-Andre Fleury. Vegas cut the deficit by one goal when T. J. Oshie interfered with Colin Miller and Shea Theodore scored on the power-play. In the third period Holtby backstopped Washington to the victory, stopping the final fifteen shots from Vegas to win 3–2.
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	VGK 	James Neal (5) 	Luca Sbisa (3), Colin Miller (2) 	07:58 	1–0 VGK
1st 	WSH 	Lars Eller (6) 	Michal Kempny (3), Andre Burakovsky (2)	17:27 	1–1
2nd 	WSH 	Alexander Ovechkin (13) – pp	Lars Eller (10), Nicklas Backstrom (14)	05:38 	2–1 WSH
2nd 	WSH 	Brooks Orpik (1) 	Lars Eller (11), Andre Burakovsky (3) 	09:41 	3–1 WSH
2nd 	VGK 	Shea Theodore (3) – pp 	Reilly Smith (16), William Karlsson (8)	17:47 	3–2 WSH
3rd 	None 	None 	None 	None 	None
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	WSH 	T. J. Oshie 	Roughing 	16:43 	2:00
1st 	VGK 	Deryk Engelland 	Roughing 	16:43 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Brooks Orpik 	Illegal check to head 	02:04 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Alex Tuch 	Cross-checking 	05:13 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Nicklas Backstrom 	Holding 	06:56 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Erik Haula 	Holding 	06:56 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Ryan Reaves 	Roughing 	10:10 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Dmitry Orlov 	Hooking 	11:42 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	T. J. Oshie 	Interference 	17:27 	2:00
3rd 	WSH 	Tom Wilson 	Interference 	03:13 	2:00
3rd 	WSH 	Lars Eller 	Hooking 	04:05 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
 	11 	9 	6 	26 	
 	10 	14 	15 	39 	
===Game three===
After a tense first period in which neither team scored, Alexander Ovechkin scored early in the second period to give Washington the lead. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was believed to have suffered an arm injury the game prior, scored 11:40 after Ovechkin, extending Washington's lead to two. Tomas Nosek scored off of a Braden Holtby giveaway to cut the deficit in half early in the third period. However, 10 minutes later Shea Theodore mishandled the puck in his own zone and Jay Beagle capitalized on the error, making a pass to an open Devante Smith-Pelly who restored the two-goal lead for Washington. The Capitals played defensively for the final minutes of the game to win 3–1, and took the series lead.
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	None 	None 	None 	None 	None
2nd 	WSH 	Alexander Ovechkin (14)	John Carlson (14), Evgeny Kuznetsov (15)	01:10 	1–0 WSH
2nd 	WSH 	Evgeny Kuznetsov (12) 	Jay Beagle (5), T. J. Oshie (11) 	12:50 	2–0 WSH
3rd 	VGK 	Tomas Nosek (4) 	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (3) 	03:29 	2–1 WSH
3rd 	WSH 	Devante Smith-Pelly (5)	Jay Beagle (6) 	13:53 	3–1 WSH
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	WSH 	Devante Smith-Pelly 	Interference 	05:04 	2:00
1st 	VGK 	Reilly Smith 	Holding 	11:21 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Erik Haula 	Hooking 	09:55 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Devante Smith-Pelly 	Tripping 	18:34 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Marc-Andre Fleury 	Tripping 	19:38 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Deryk Engelland 	Tripping 	07:35 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
 	5 	8 	9 	22 	
 	7 	14 	5 	26 	
===Game four===
During the first period, a penalty called on Colin Miller for tripping allowed T. J. Oshie to give Washington the first lead. The Capitals extended the lead after Evgeny Kuznetsov fed a pass to Tom Wilson who fired a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury. Devante Smith-Pelly then gave Washington a 3–0 lead after a pass by Matt Niskanen deflected off Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault to the stick of Smith-Pelly, who scored top-shelf on Fleury. Even with the Golden Knights more than doubling the shots of Washington, John Carlson gave the Capitals a 4–0 lead, firing a slap shot on the power-play. In the third period, Vegas ended the shutout as James Neal scored just as Evgeny Kuznetsov's tripping penalty had expired. Reilly Smith cut the deficit to two goals, scoring on the backhand past Braden Holtby. Washington restored a three-goal lead during a four-on-four; as Nicklas Backstrom fed an open Michal Kempny, firing the shot past Fleury. Brett Connolly added an insurance goal with less than two minutes remaining, giving the Capitals a commanding 6–2 lead.
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	WSH 	T. J. Oshie (8) – pp 	Evgeny Kuznetsov (16), Nicklas Backstrom (15)	09:54 	1–0 WSH
1st 	WSH 	Tom Wilson (5) 	Evgeny Kuznetsov (17) 	16:26 	2–0 WSH
1st 	WSH 	Devante Smith-Pelly (6)	Matt Niskanen (8), Alexander Ovechkin (12) 	19:39 	3–0 WSH
2nd 	WSH 	John Carlson (5) – pp 	Evgeny Kuznetsov (18), T. J. Oshie (12) 	15:23 	4–0 WSH
3rd 	VGK 	James Neal (6) 	Erik Haula (6), Colin Miller (3) 	05:43 	4–1 WSH
3rd 	VGK 	Reilly Smith (4) 	Jonathan Marchessault (12), Luca Sbisa (4) 	12:26 	4–2 WSH
3rd 	WSH 	Michal Kempny (2) 	Nicklas Backstrom (16), T. J. Oshie (13) 	13:39 	5–2 WSH
3rd 	WSH 	Brett Connolly (6) – pp	Nicklas Backstrom (17), Evgeny Kuznetsov (19)	18:51 	6–2 WSH
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	WSH 	John Carlson 	Tripping 	03:58 	2:00
1st 	VGK 	Colin Miller 	Tripping 	09:22 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	John Carlson 	Tripping 	05:21 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Tom Wilson 	Cross-checking 	09:18 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	James Neal 	Slashing 	14:45 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Erik Haula 	Slashing 	01:33 	2:00
3rd 	WSH 	Evgeny Kuznetsov 	Tripping 	03:42 	2:00
3rd 	WSH 	Tom Wilson 	Roughing 	13:03 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Ryan Reaves 	Roughing 	13:03 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Nate Schmidt 	Tripping 	16:57 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Brayden McNabb 	Cross-checking 	17:44 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Deryk Engelland 	Misconduct 	17:44 	10:00
3rd 	WSH 	T. J. Oshie 	Misconduct 	17:44 	10:00
3rd 	VGK 	Ryan Reaves 	Misconduct 	19:17 	10:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
 	11 	11 	9 	30 	
 	10 	5 	7 	23 	
===Game five===
Although no goals were scored in the first period, the Capitals had the shot advantage nine to seven. During the second period, Tom Wilson passed to a speedy Jakub Vrana going past the Golden Knight's defender and beating Marc-Andre Fleury to take the lead. The Golden Knights tied the game soon after as former-Capitals defenceman Nate Schmidt shot through a flurry of players and the puck deflected off of Matt Niskanen past Braden Holtby. Alexander Ovechkin gave the Capitals the lead again on the power play, firing a shot onto Fleury, bouncing off his back and into the net. With the goal, it broke a tie with John Druce for most goals in a postseason by a Capitals player with fifteen. David Perron tied the game for Vegas, scoring his first goal of the postseason via deflection. Coach Barry Trotz of the Capitals challenged the play on goaltender interference as Perron appeared to hit the skate of Holtby as he was battling for position; the challenge was unsuccessful. An open Reilly Smith gave the Golden Knights the lead in the final minute of the second period, taking the pass from Alex Tuch. Halfway through the third period, Devante Smith-Pelly tied the game for the Capitals. Less than three minutes later, a shot came from the slot and went between Fleury's pads, but, unbeknownst to Fleury and his defensemen, the puck sneaked through and was lying in view just behind him, and Lars Eller forehanded it into the net to give the Capitals the lead with 7:37 left. With two minutes left, Vegas pulled Fleury for an extra attacker. At 18:11 of the third period, the game clock froze; however, the next stoppage in play occurred at 28.9 seconds remaining, allowing the clock to be readjusted. Nevertheless, the attempts of the Golden Knights were thwarted as the Capitals held on to win the game and their first Stanley Cup. Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	None 	None 	None 	None 	None
2nd 	WSH 	Jakub Vrana (3) 	Tom Wilson (10), Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) 	06:24 	1–0 WSH
2nd 	VGK 	Nate Schmidt (3) 	Reilly Smith (17), Jonathan Marchessault (13)	09:40 	1–1
2nd 	WSH 	Alexander Ovechkin (15) – pp	Nicklas Backstrom (18), John Carlson 	10:14 	2–1 WSH
2nd 	VGK 	David Perron (1) 	Tomas Tatar (1), Colin Miller (4) 	12:56 	2–2
2nd 	VGK 	Reilly Smith (5) – pp 	Alex Tuch (4), Shea Theodore (7) 	19:31 	3–2 VGK
3rd 	WSH 	Devante Smith-Pelly (7) 	Brooks Orpik (4) 	09:52 	3–3
3rd 	WSH 	Lars Eller (7) 	Brett Connolly (3), Andre Burakovsky (4) 	12:23 	4–3 WSH
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	VGK 	Colin Miller 	Interference 	11:44 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Shea Theodore 	Tripping 	00:21 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Christian Djoos 	High sticking 	03:19 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Brayden McNabb 	Tripping 	09:51 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Alexander Ovechkin 	Tripping 	17:46 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Brooks Orpik 	Roughing 	19:31 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Reilly Smith 	Roughing 	19:31 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Alex Tuch 	Roughing 	19:31 	2:00
2nd 	WSH 	Jay Beagle 	Roughing 	19:31 	2:00
3rd 	VGK 	Tomas Tatar 	Hooking 	05:37 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
 	9 	11 	13 	33 	
 	7 	13 	11 	31 	
==Team rosters==
===Vegas Golden Knights===
 
# 	Nat	Player 	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth 	Finals appearance
3 	 	 	D 	L 	27 	2017 	Davidson, Saskatchewan 	first
5 	 	 – A	D 	R 	36 	2017 	Edmonton, Alberta 	first
6 	 	 	D 	R 	25 	2017 	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario	first
15	 	 	D 	L 	26 	2017 	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 	first
18	 	 – A	RW 	L 	30 	2017 	Whitby, Ontario 	second
19	 	 – A	RW 	L 	27 	2017 	Toronto, Ontario 	first
21	 	 	C 	L 	27 	2017 	Winnipeg, Manitoba 	first
24	 	 	C 	L 	26 	2017 	Skellefteå, Sweden 	first
27	 	 	D 	L 	22 	2017 	Langley, British Columbia	first
28	 	 	LW 	L 	23 	2017 	LaSalle, Quebec 	first
29	 	 	G 	L 	33 	2017 	Sorel-Tracy, Quebec 	fifth
30	 	 	G 	L 	24 	2017 	Toronto, Ontario 	first
33	 	 	G 	L 	25 	2017 	Saint-Agustin, Quebec 	first
40	 	 	C 	R 	27 	2017 	Oviedo, Florida 	first
41	 	 – A	LW 	L 	33 	2017 	Le Blanc-Mesnil, France 	first
47	 	 – A	D 	L 	28 	2017 	Ozieri, Italy 	first
56	 	 	LW 	L 	27 	2017 	Pori, Finland 	first
57	 	 – A	LW 	R 	29 	2017 	Sherbrooke, Quebec 	first
71	 	 	C 	L 	25 	2017 	Märsta, Sweden 	first
75	 	 	RW 	R 	31 	2018 	Winnipeg, Manitoba 	first
81	 	 	C 	R 	27 	2017 	Cap-Rouge, Quebec 	second
88	 	 	D 	L 	26 	2017 	St. Cloud, Minnesota 	first
89	 	 	RW 	R 	22 	2017 	Syracuse, New York 	first
90	 	 	LW 	L 	27 	2018 	Ilava, Czechoslovakia 	first
92	 	 	LW 	L 	25 	2017 	Pardubice, Czechoslovakia	first
Note: Deryk Engelland served as the Golden Knights unofficial team captain during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Engelland was the alternate captain with the longest tenure in the league on the roster at the time of the playoffs.
===Washington Capitals===
# 	Nat	Player 	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth 	Finals appearance
2 	 	 	D 	R 	31 	2014 	Virginia, Minnesota 	first
6 	 	 	D 	L 	27 	2018 	Hodonin, Czechoslovakia 	first
8 	 	 – C	LW 	R 	32 	2004 	Moscow, Soviet Union 	first
9 	 	 	D 	L 	26 	2009 	Novokuznetsk, Soviet Union 	first
10	 	 	RW 	R 	26 	2016 	Campbell River, British Columbia	first
13	 	 	LW 	L 	22 	2014 	Prague, Czech Republic 	first
18	 	 	C 	L 	24 	2012 	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 	first
19	 	 – A	C 	L 	30 	2006 	Valbo, Sweden 	first
20	 	 	C 	L 	29 	2016 	Rødovre, Denmark 	first
22	 	 	D 	R 	23 	2013 	Winnipeg, Manitoba 	first
25	 	 	LW 	R 	25 	2017 	Scarborough, Ontario 	first
28	 	 	D 	L 	27 	2018 	Plzeň, Czechoslovakia 	first
29	 	 	D 	L 	23 	2012 	Gothenburg, Sweden 	first
31	 	 	G 	L 	26 	2010 	Rosenheim, Germany 	first
39	 	 	RW 	R 	27 	2017 	Montreal, Quebec 	first
43	 	 	RW 	R 	24 	2012 	Toronto, Ontario 	first
44	 	 – A	D 	L 	37 	2014 	San Francisco, California 	third
63	 	 	LW 	L 	21 	2014 	Chaska, Minnesota 	first
65	 	 	LW 	L 	23 	2013 	Klagenfurt, Austria 	first
70	 	 	G 	L 	28 	2008 	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan 	first
72	 	 	C 	L 	24 	2011 	Hopkins, Minnesota 	first
74	 	 	D 	R 	28 	2008 	Natick, Massachusetts 	first
77	 	 	RW 	R 	31 	2015 	Everett, Washington 	first
79	 	 	LW 	L 	24 	2017 	Cardiff, Wales 	first
83	 	 	C 	R 	32 	2008 	Calgary, Alberta 	first
92	 	 	C 	L 	26 	2010 	Chelyabinsk, Russia 	first
==Stanley Cup engraving==
The Stanley Cup was presented to Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman following the Capitals 4–3 win over the Golden Knights in game five.
The following Capitals players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:
2017–18 Washington Capitals
===Players included===
* #6 Michal Kempny — played 31 regular-season games for Chicago, 22 games for Washington. He played all 24 playoff games for Washington and qualified to have his name on the Stanley Cup.
* #39 Alex Chiasson — played 61 regular-season games and 16 playoff games, but no Stanley Cup Finals games, qualified to have his name on the Cup for meeting the 41 regular-season game requirement.
* #22 Madison Bowey — played 51 regular-season games and no playoff games, qualified to have his name on the Cup for meeting the 41 regular season game requirement.
===Included in the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup===
* #28 Jakub Jerabek (D) — played 25 games for Montreal, plus 11 regular-season games for Washington and two playoff games (in the first round)
* #72 Travis Boyd (C) — played 8 regular-season games and one playoff game (in the second round)
* #79 Nathan Walker (LW) — played 2 games for Edmonton, plus 7 regular-season games for Washington & one playoff game (in the second round)
* #63 Shane Gersich (LW) — played 3 regular-season games and two playoff games (in the second round)
* #1 Pheonix Copley (G) — played 0 games for Washington, but played 41 games for Hershey (AHL)
*Raul Fernandez (Vice Chairman-Minority Owner), Sheila Johnson (Vice Chairman-Minority Owner)
*Cleo Bates (Massage Therapist), Ray Straccia (Locker Room Asst.)
===Engraving notes===
*Devante Smith-Pelly was the second player, after Patrice Bergeron-Cleary, to have a hyphenated surname engraved on the trophy. 
*Lars Eller was the first Danish-born and trained player to win the Stanley Cup.
*The Cup was full, so a new ring was added to include Washington Capitals members. The top ring with the winners from 1953–54 to 1964–65 (12 teams) was taken off and was placed on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some famous names no longer featured on the Cup include Dickie Moore, Maurice Richard, Jacques Plante, Bert Olmstead, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe, Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, among others. There are several retired rings at the Hockey Hall of Fame that feature winning team members' names from 1924 to 1965.
*The Patrick Family now has seven members who have won the Stanley Cup. Frank won the Cup in 1915. Frank's brother, Lester, won Cups in 1906, -07, -25, -28, -33, and -40. In 1940, Lester won his sixth and final Stanley Cup with his sons Lynn and Murray. Lynn's son Craig won two Cups in 1991–92. Murray's son Dick and grandson Christopher both won the Cup in 2018.
==Television and radio==
In Canada, the series was broadcast by Sportsnet and CBC Television in English, and TVA Sports in French. In the U.S., the Finals were split between NBC (Games 1, 4 and 5) and NBCSN (Games 2 and 3).
In the U.S., with an average of 4.918 million viewers across all games, they were the highest-rated Stanley Cup Finals without an "Original Six" team since 1994. Game 5 drew 6.714 million viewers, making it the most-watched game 5 since 2002.
==References==
==External links==
*Official website
 
Category:2017–18 NHL season
Category:Stanley Cup Finals
Category:Washington Capitals games
Category:Vegas Golden Knights games
Category:Ice hockey competitions in Nevada
Category:Ice hockey competitions in Washington, D.C.