Golden Knights, Capitals set for Stanley Cup Final rematch

ARLINGTON, Va. --As the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals know that in every game they will face an opponent that wants what they have.

That will be especially true when they host the Vegas Golden Knights in a 2018 Stanley Cup Final rematch at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN).
After losing 6-4 in Game 1 of the Cup Final, Washington won four in a row to win the first championship in its 43-season history. That was four months ago, and the memories of that series remain fresh for each team.
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"I don't know how to describe it, but it's a little bit more special than playing some other team that you don't have history with," said Capitals center Lars Eller, who scored the Cup-winning goal in a 4-3 victory at Vegas in Game 5. "You do feel you have some kind of history with that team, especially because most of both teams are intact and looking very much the same. And it's not that long ago.
"So I think we'll be excited to play tomorrow."
Other than goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who said he hasn't gotten over the loss, the Golden Knights downplayed the significance of facing the opponent who ended their Cup dream. They say they're concentrating on playing better after losing two of their first three games, with their lone win a 2-1 shootout victory at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
After so much went so well for the Golden Knights as an expansion team last season, when they won eight of their first nine games on their way to going 51-24-7, they're dealing with a little early-season adversity.

"We know what happened last year, but we've got to worry about this year right now," Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland said. "We've got to get back to how we play. In Minnesota, we played our game to a T and I think the other two games we haven't played that well. So we've just got to worry about ourselves and get to our game."
But a game against the reigning Cup champions, and the reminder of their disappointing end to last season, might be what they need to regain their focus.
"Last year, they won the Stanley Cup," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "They were the better team in the Final. They deserved it. They played well. This year, for me it's about trying to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. … It means no more to me. Is it a rivalry? Do we really want to beat them? We want to win because we want two points. It has nothing to do with what happened last year in the playoffs."

The Capitals said they are expecting the Golden Knights' best game. That's what they'll have to expect from every opponent this season if they hope to avoid the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover and put themselves in the best position to repeat.
"We know it's not going to be an easy year," Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said. "We're still capable of doing what we did last year. But lots of teams are going to play against us, not a different way, but a much harder way, and we understand it and we're ready for it. We want the challenge."
So far, the Capitals' schedule has been filled with reminders of last season. It began with the Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony prior to their 7-0 win against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 3. The following night, they lost 7-6 in overtime at the Pittsburgh Penguins, their biggest rival who defeated them in the Eastern Conference Second Round in 2016 and 2017 before Washington earned revenge by defeating Pittsburgh in the second round last season.
The Capitals had five days off to regroup and prepare for their rematch with the Golden Knights and will get defenseman Michal Kempny back after he missed the first two games with a concussion.

Vegas hopes to get center Cody Eakin back after he missed the first three games with a lower-body injury, but center Paul Stastny's status is unclear after he sat out practice Tuesday with an unspecified injury.
The Capitals said their game against the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 4 will have more meaning for them because of their memories from winning the Cup and celebrating on the ice there. This game against Vegas will be more about taking care of business against a familiar opponent.
"We know that we were the team that was able to end their season and they're going to be thinking about that," Washington coach Todd Reirden said. "So we know that they're going to be a motivated group and they're going to have a little bit extra on the line. … I think it will be good for our team, especially five days [off] to help us get right into the game and know it's a going to be a competitive situation with a real hungry team that's looking to knock us off."