Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights have big incentive to win Game 1.
The Washington Capitals or Vegas Golden Knights will win the Stanley Cup for the first time.
History suggests the winner of Game 1 has the odds in its favor.
The team winning the opener the previous six years ended up hoisting the Cup. Since the Stanley Cup Final went to a best-of-seven format, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to hoist the Cup 61 of 78 times.
Washington has its second shot to earn the Cup, hoping it fares better than in 1998 when Detroit won in a sweep.
Vegas is aiming to be the first franchise in a major North American professional league to win a title in its first season since the NFL’s Cleveland Browns in 1950.
