Golden Knights vs. Capitals Live Stream, TV Schedule, Odds, Pre-Game 4 Comments

Monday was a reset day of sorts for the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights. Now three games into the Stanley Cup Final, trends are starting to emerge, and the head coaches of both teams are trying to make changes on the fly.

We saw a prime example of that in Game 3, when Washington did everything it could to hang with Vegas' early push. The Golden Knights have tried to secure the early lead through the majority of this season, and the quick starts have helped push them to this point in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Capitals were ready on Saturday night, though, and Washington excelled at moving the puck quickly throughout the contest.

Jim Corsi of NHL.com wrote a wonderful breakdown of what has made the Eastern Conference Champions so successful over the last five periods or so and touched on that aspect of their game:

"...Washington has moved the puck faster than Vegas, and when it does that, its skillset starts to show.

"When you add in the aggressiveness of the Capitals' play as opposed to waiting for things to happen, there lies a bit of the rub that the Golden Knights have had with other teams. They've beaten teams with speed and their energy and scoring by committee. Now they're getting beat by those very same things."

It was evident in the final two periods of Game 2 and the entirety of Game 3 that the Capitals had simply found another gear. Now it's on the Golden Knights to dig deep to try to match the skill, speed and intensity of Alex Ovechkin and Co. 

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Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Schedule

When: Monday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET

Television: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS

Stream: Hulu, NBC Sports Live, NBC Sports App

Updated Odds for Game 4

Vegas: +116 (bet $100 to win $116)

Washington: -128 (bet $128 to win $100)

Odds appear courtesy of OddsShark.com and are accurate as of 5 p.m. ET on June 3.

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Game 4 Quotes and Storylines to Know

Capitals Know There's Still More Work to Do

Players on both rosters are trying to keep their heads level. For the Capitals, the challenge is to focus strictly on Game 4, as opposed to what will happen if they win two more hockey games this season.

After practicing on Sunday, various members of the Capitals spoke to gathered media, and defenseman Brooks Orpik shared a unique perspective on where Washington is in the Stanley Cup Final:

"You're two wins away from accomplishing what you want to accomplish. You try not to look too far ahead. We've been down in a series and come back in two of those, so we know being up in a series doesn't guarantee you anything."

That's the kind of mindset that only comes from going through several deep playoff runs, which certainly applies to Orpik. While he's not exactly an advanced stats darling, the defenseman won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and has 147 postseason games under his belt.

Forechecking Tenacity Will Be Key for Golden Knights

Vegas knew what to expect from the Capitals before the Stanley Cup Final began, but they've struggled to adjust as Washington has shifted its approach.

The Golden Knights prefer to generate speed as they exit their own zone, so Washington has been sticking their right wing on Vegas' blue line to prevent that from happening so easily.

The shift has the Golden Knights looking disjointed and rushed, but that doesn't mean there aren't different ways around the defensive posture.

Forward David Perron spoke about various approaches to break this down at length on Sunday afternoon, and Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com captured his insightful comments:

"Our guys that have a lot of speed can go back deeper, gather some speed, and then the defensemen can try and freeze the first forechecker, kick it wide, and then these guys come in with speed.

"If they're confronted, which they will be most times at the blue line, you can put it in and go on the forecheck. You can have guys that hang close to the right winger up top, and as the puck is coming, you win that one-on-one battle with support. You can go in the zone or chip it in, and then the center will go in with speed, create our forecheck."

Of course, talking to various members of the media and actually executing at game speed are two totally different things. Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant spoke about not playing a "wide game" against the Capitals following Game 3, and that notion was echoed by Perron over the weekend.

Hanging on to pucks, gathering speed and actually getting shots through to Braden Holtby are clear keys for Vegas if it wants to climb back into the Stanley Cup Final. 

Alex Ovechkin Proving He Wants the Cup With His Play

This might be the Stanley Cup run that finally proves to pundits and fans alike that Ovechkin is an absolute gamer. While the Capitals haven't had sustained success in the playoffs since 2005, that's virtually never been the fault of The Great Eight.

Now, at the age of 32, the veteran sniper is doing everything he can to will his team across the finish line. It's apparent that winning hockey's ultimate prize is important to Ovechkin, at least to his teammates.

Defenseman John Carlson told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com about how engaged his captain has been following the massive Game 3 win: "He's on another level. Everyone kind of reacts to stuff differently. … It's great to see. He's as engaged as anyone could ever be, I think. It shows in his game and it shows in the effect that it has on the rest of us."

Ovechkin enters Game 4 leading the playoffs with 14 goals scored and is just two wins away from winning the first championship of his otherwise stellar career.