LAS VEGAS – In a season of firsts for the Vegas Golden Knights, they ended their stellar season with their first four-game losing streak.
On Thursday night the Washington Capitals rode a four-game win streak to their first Stanley Cup championship in the 44-year history of the franchise with a 4-3 win.
The Caps trailed 3-2 in the third period but goals from Devante Smith-Pelly and Lars Eller erased the deficit and years of frustration for the Caps and their fans.
“[Marc-Andre Fleury] was so far out I couldn’t get in front of him, which is usually where the rebound comes,” Eller said. “So I got behind him and the puck just squeaks through. Usually, Connolly shoots between the legs, and it was just at the right place at the right moment.”
Alex Ovechkin was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
“It’s just like a dream,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin had a goal and Jakub Vrana added a marker for the Caps in the win.
“I can’t explain what I feel,” Ovechkin said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Braden Holtby made 28 saves in the win and was steady throughout the series but but seemed like ice in Game 5.
“Years of heartbreak, years of breaking things down and trying again, breaking things down and trying again,” Holtby said. “This group never gave up, and we finally did it.”
The Caps had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but the Knights rallied to tie each time and take the lead in the middle frame.
“We never make it easy, do we?” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “But, man, what a group of guys and what a performance from a lot of individuals. We played together, showed a lot of character. That’s something we got criticized for in the past. Boy, we showed a ton of it this spring.”
Vegas was in the game and seemed poised to send the series back to DC but the Caps were unwilling to be pushed that far.
“I just knew once we got the lead this group was not letting go. This group got angry and mean, and they said, ‘It ain’t happening,'” Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said after the win.
Nate Schmidt, David Perron and Reilly Smith struck for the Knights.
“We worked hard tonight, we competed hard, just couldn’t beat that team,” Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant said. “They deserved the Stanley Cup.”
The Knights had their way with the NHL regular season and three series of the playoffs but they met a team with no fear and there was no answer to the Caps.
“I think people would have said we would have won 20 games this year, so to find ourselves playing for a Stanley Cup, it’s pretty special, but just a little bit short,” Vegas forward James Neal said. “But proud of the guys.”
[WATCH: All Capitals vs. Golden Knights highlights | Complete Golden Knights vs. Capitals series coverage]
Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves in the loss.
The third period rally from the Caps was more to do with the Vegas defense than the goaltending of Fleury.
“We left our goalie out to dry,” Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland said.
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