The 2018 Stanley Cup Final lasted five games, with the Washington Capitals defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4–1.
The series opened in Las Vegas on May 28, 2018, and ended on June 7 in Washington, D.C. The Capitals won the first three games, Vegas answered in Game 4, and Washington clinched the championship with a 4–3 victory in Game 5. Captain Alexander Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.
The championship was historic for Washington: it was the franchise's first Stanley Cup in its 44-year history. The Golden Knights were competing in their inaugural season, making their appearance in the Final one of the most remarkable expansion-team runs in NHL history.
A common mistake is counting the Eastern Conference Final, which Washington won in seven games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was a separate series. The Stanley Cup Final itself required only five games, making it the shortest Final since 2014 and the first since 2011 in which the eventual champion lost Game 1.