Stanley Cup Final 2018: Capitals vs. Golden Knights Result, Updated Schedule

The Vegas Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup final game in franchise history Monday to kick off the championship series against the Washington Capitals.

Vegas unleashed six goals on the Capitals, who entered with two straight shutouts from the Eastern Conference final win over Tampa Bay. 

Washington's offense proved it could beat Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, as the Alexander Ovechkin-led attack struck the back of the net on four occasions. 

The Golden Knights pulled away in the third period, but the Capitals left the ice with the belief they could steal Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena. 

Game 1 Result

Vegas 6, Washington 4

Updated Schedule

Wednesday, May 30 

Game 2: Washington at Vegas (8 p.m., NBCSN) 

Saturday, June 2

Game 3: Vegas at Washington (8 p.m., NBCSN) 

Monday, June 4

Game 4: Vegas at Washington (8 p.m., NBC) 

Thursday, June 7

Game 5: Washington at Vegas (8 p.m., NBC)*

Sunday, June 10

Game 6: Vegas at Washington (8 p.m., NBC)*

Wednesday, June 13

Game 7: Washington at Vegas (8 p.m., NBC)*

*-if necessary

Will We Witness Another Shootout in Game 2? 

The 10-goal affair to open the Stanley Cup final caught some off guard given how well both goalies played in the first three rounds of the postseason. 

Fleury entered the series with the best playoff goalkeeping stats, while Braden Holtby had a shutout streak dating back to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. 

All of those stats meant nothing in Game 1, as the rested attacks on both sides of the ice lit up the net for 10 goals off 62 attempts on target.

For as well as he's played, Fleury's been susceptible to conceding goals on occasion, as Game 1 marked the fourth time this postseason he gave up four tallies.

Holtby was beaten for five goals, with the sixth being an empty-net tally from Tomas Nosek late in the third period. 

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Washington goalie conceded five tallies on one other occasion in his postseason career, which came in Game 7 of the 2013 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, when the Capitals fell 5-0 to the New York Rangers. 

Given how well both goalies played throughout the postseason, it's hard to believe they'll end up letting in four or more goals again in Game 2, and as defensive adjustments are made on both ends, the shots on goal should dry up a bit. 

With so much offensive talent on both sides of the ice, there will be some goals scored in Game 2, but not at the volume we saw in Game 1. 

Role Players Making Key Offensive Contributions

Everyone knows about the star forwards on each roster, with Ovechkin headlining the Capitals' depth chart and William Karlsson being one of the few standout stars for the Golden Knights. 

While the top lines contributed in some fashion, the offensive production in Game 1 primarily came from role players, like Vegas' Nosek, who finished off the victory with a pair of third-period goals. 

Harry How/Getty Images

Game 1 was a perfect example of role players stepping up in a time of need, which we see in almost every sport when it gets to the championship round of the postseason. 

In addition to Nosek, the Golden Knights received goals from Colin Miller and Ryan Reaves, while Karlsson and Reilly Smith added one each from the top line. 

Nosek, Miller and Reaves have eight combined goals in the postseason, which is as many as Jonathan Marchessault has by himself. 

The names on the scoresheet for Washington were more noticeable than Vegas' scorers, as Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Tom Wilson scored, as did Brett Connolly. 

Although Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, who have the top postseason point totals for the Capitals, assisted on Wilson's second-period tally, they didn't have much of an impact on the contest, as they combined for five of Washington's 28 shots on goal. 

As the series goes on, players like Ovechkin and Karlsson should be able to find their way onto the score sheet given how much skill they possess, but Game 1 gave us a good look at which role players are capable of making key contributions that could give their team an important advantage.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from NHL.com and Hockey Reference.