Capitals vs. Golden Knights 2018 NHL Final Game 5 Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream

When the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals take the ice for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 7, the sport's top prize will be in the building. By winning Game 4, the Capitals have seized a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and will have a shot to close out the 2017-18 season as champions.

Monday marked the third consecutive win for Washington in the final, with the Caps rebounding from a tough Game 1 loss. Head coach Barry Trotz has been quick to make adjustments, and the Golden Knights haven't been able to find the extra gear that the Capitals have.

Despite that, Washington knows that the last win is always the toughest. The Golden Knights have been skating against minimal expectations all season long, but have continued to surprise. They are clearly a proud group and won't go down without a fight on home ice—where they were 29-10-2 during the regular season.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, for his part, seems to be staying focused.

"It feels nice, but it's not over yet," the veteran sniper told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com following the victory on Monday night. "We have a couple of days and watch the game. I don't think we played our best."

While the final score read 6-2, Ovechkin has a point. Vegas dominated play early, and if not for some nifty footwork from T.J. Oshie and Devante Smith-Pelly on the first and third goals of the contest, the series could well be tied.

It's not, though, and you won't want to miss the potential chance to watch Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby and the rest of the Capitals hoist the Stanley Cup on Thursday.

Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Schedule

When: Thursday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET

Television: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS

Stream: Hulu, NBC Sports Live, NBC Sports App

Updated Odds for Game 5

Washington: +124 (bet $100 to win $124)

Vegas: -137 (bet $137 to win $100)

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

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Vegas Will Win Game 5 If...

The Stanley Cup Final hasn't been quite as lopsided as Washington's 3-1 lead would suggest. Vegas had every opportunity to jump out to an early lead in Game 4, and if not for hitting a few posts, we could be talking about a fresh best-of-three series for the Stanley Cup.

They've frequently been on the right side of the possession war, have been generating plenty of quality chances and have a goaltender who is typically pretty solid in Marc-Andre Fleury. The pieces simply haven't fallen into place for the Golden Knights, and they're quickly running out of time to make that happen.

It's tough, but Vegas needs to remain inside of itself while trying to claw back into this series. If they try to run and gun with the Capitals, they'll be toast. That isn't how they made it this far, and it isn't how they'll make the final competitive again.

Vegas needs to take things one period at a time, and its top forwards must start capitalizing on their precious chances. Washington is blocking shots like they're the old-school New Jersey Devils all of a sudden, which certainly makes this tougher. But a win in Game 5 is far from impossible.

The recipe for a Golden Knights win looks easy on paper, but it will be difficult to execute. They'll need an early goal to put pressure on Washington, and staying out of the penalty box will be key. Oh, and Fleury needs to play like he was two weeks ago, or else we may as well call this series now.

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Washington Will Win If...

If you're a Golden Knights fan, it should intimidate you a bit that the Capitals keep winning games that they probably shouldn't. That's because Washington has clicked on all cylinders at various times during the Stanley Cup Final, and during those stretches, it is clearly the quicker, more skilled team.

Ovechkin is going to hit the ice for Game 5 like he's been shot out of a cannon; he'll lead by example, and if the Capitals can continue to jump out to leads in the first period, then they're cutting Vegas off at the knees.

That'll be a big component of their approach in Game 5. Score early, take the crowd out of it and wear away the Golden Knights.

Holtby has been everything he's needed to be since Game 2, the power play has been fantastic and depth players such as Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly are scoring important goals. It's a tough combination to top, which is part of the reason why the Capitals have the series lead despite not always being the better squad.

It will also be paramount for Washington to keeps its emotions in check. Playing with a fire is one thing, but skating loose and taking bad penalties will only neutralize the team's chance of winning the Stanley Cup.