Fansided

5 burning questions heading into the Stanley Cup Final

By Connor Ulrey

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals and David Perron #57 of the Vegas Golden Knights battle for the puck in the first period at Capital One Arena on February 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals and David Perron #57 of the Vegas Golden Knights battle for the puck in the first period at Capital One Arena on February 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – MAY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates with the Prince of Wales Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – MAY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates with the Prince of Wales Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3. Best vs. Best: Ovechkin historically carries, or a Knight’s campaign rages on?

Alex Ovechkin is the story you love to hate on. The guy you love to joke about never getting to that final level. He’s here now. This is his Stanley Cup Final. Talk about the history of the man’s career, first and foremost, but how will it translate against a franchise whose top line absolutely shredded? Will the best beat the best in this series?

Reilly. Karlsson. Marchessault. Those three Golden Knights have terrified defensive pairings for months. Ovechkin terrifies franchises himself. This postseason he’s definitely been aided by upped games across the board but this is still his team. Does he shine the most even against this group who have taken their play to a whole other level?

Take William Karlsson, for example. And 43 goals and 35 assists later, Karlsson stands as one of the biggest reasons for the Knights’ success this season. Being a part of that top line, he put up stellar numbers across the board. With 13 points in this postseason, he’s looking to find that gear again after only registering three points the final five games against Winnipeg.

If Karlsson gets hot, Marchessault stays hot and Reilly Smith creates havoc, is that enough to silence Ovechkin and the Capitals?

I think Ovechkin gets enough from his support to take weight off and I’ve already talked last week about how much he impacts play. Best versus best, does he shine biggest on this stage? It’s hard to disagree with the facts, he’s in new territory and seems ready for it all.

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