The Cup will be in the house at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, when the Capitals can end more than four decades of angst and anguish. Previous versions of the Capitals were more talented than this group but never achieved this balance of staunch defense and explosive scoring and never enjoyed this mix of tenacity and hunger. “You can see all four lines playing their good hockey,” said center Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose four assists plumped his playoff-leading point total to 31 and made him the front runner for the Conn Smythe trophy as the most valuable player in postseason play. “We play very good hockey right now, but we have to have short memory and stay focused.”

Source: Los Angeles Times June 05, 2018 03:06 UTC