The Washington Capitals have won their first Stanley Cup. Alex Ovechkin scored midway through the game and Lars Eller had a go-ahead goal with 6:37 left in the third period, lifting the Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 on Thursday night. The expansion Golden Knights closed their record-breaking season with their first four-game losing streak. The Capitals went into the third trailing 3-2 and went ahead after Devante Smith-Pelly and Eller scored 2:31 apart midway through the pivotal period. Braden Holtby, who made a spectacular stick save to help win Game 2, made enough saves to seal the win while the clock appeared to malfunction after Vegas pulled Marc-Andre Fleury to add an extra skater with more than a minute remaining. Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs most valuable player. The championship is the first by a Washington professional sports team in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball since the Redskins won the Super Bowl on Jan. 26, 1992.
