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There were a ton of historical facts and wild statistics in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

First Stanley Cup win in Washington Capitals history, Brooks Orpik scoring his first goal since Feb. 2016 (that's 220 games ago) just to name a few.

Heck, this whole Stanley Cup has been historic between the Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights. 

So we're going to get ahead of the curve. Here are all the crazy stats from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in Washington D.C. 

• Tonight is the first Stanley Cup Final game in Capital One Arena since 1998 (then MCI Center).
   
• Tonight is also the 100th game in Golden Knights history. That is by far the most ever in the first season for an expansion team. 
   
• The Capitals blocked 15 shots in the first period. That's two short of their game average (17). 
   
• Alex Ovechkin scores his first home Stanley Cup goal of his 13-year career, puts the Caps up 1-0. 

With 14 goals, Ovi has now equaled the franchise record for goals in a single postseason. John Druce had 14 in 1990.

— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) June 3, 2018

• Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal to put the Capitals up 2-0 is his 27th point of the playoffs (12 G, 15 A). He continues to build his franchise record for points in a postseason. 
   
• The Capitals win their first ever Stanley Cup game in Washington D.C. 
   
• Waking a 2-1 series lead is the first time ever Washington has led the Stanley Cup Final
   
• This is a little bit of a sore spot:

This is the first home victory for a Washington DC-based sports team in the championship round since May 20, 1979 (Bullets over Supersonics)

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 3, 2018

MORE STANLEY CUP FINAL NEWS

• Men of the People: Oshie, Niskanen ride Metro to Game 3
• D.C. Born: Victor Oladipo rocks the red
• Down in Warmup: Kempny hits the boards

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The dog days of summer are officially here, but it's never too hot to talk some hockey.

Capitals correspondent JJ Regan is here to help you through the offseason doldrums as he discusses key questions facing the Caps for the upcoming season as Washington prepares to defend its title for the first time in franchise history.

Today's question: How will Ilya Samsonov play in his first season in North America?

What else is there to say about Samsonov's time in the KHL? In the limited action he saw playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, he looked every bit the starting goalie the Caps hoped he would one day be when they drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. Now, finally, he is ready to start his North America career.

What makes the transition from Europe to North America difficult?

First, Samsonov is adjusting to a new country and a new language. Second, the workload in North America is much larger, even in practice.

"He probably saw more shots today than he saw in a month of practice in Russia and this was nothing," director of player development Steve Richmond said during development camp. "For me, that's the biggest thing for him is to learn how to practice in North America."

And then there's the rink size. The game is faster for goalies in North America because of the smaller rink. Scoring chances develop much more quickly and Samsonov will also be dealing with different angles. It also means dealing with a lot more traffic in front of the net. He is going to have to learn more how to track the puck through a screen and to react much more quickly.

I tried to watch Samsonov closely in development camp. His size definitely stood out. He takes up a lot of the net, but is still very athletic and very quick in and out of the butterfly. As big as he is, however, he seems to play very low to compensate for his size which leaves him vulnerable up high at times. He would make a handful of very good saves, then let in a soft one glove side or in the corners because he was playing too low.

Those areas of his game can be improved on with practice so long as you have the skill and Samsonov certainly has that.

Samsonov has been elite at every level he has played and there is no reason to think that won't continue in the AHL. Having said that, there is just too much he needs to adjust to expect him to be ready for the NHL at this point. He needs as much playing time as possible at the AHL level before he is ready. As long as that's where he spends the season, I expect him to put up similar numbers to the 2.31 GAA, .926 save percentage he managed last season in the KHL.

Other key Caps questions:

• How will the Caps look different under Todd Reirden?
• Will the Caps suffer a Stanley Cup hangover?
• Can Alex Ovechkin still challenge for another Rocket Richard Trophy?
• Has Evgeny Kuznetsov made the jump from really good player to superstar?
• Will John Carlson repeat his career year after signing a long-term contract?
• Which Braden Holtby will we see this season?
• Will Tom Wilson make more headlines this season for his offense or physical play?
• Can Pheonix Copley handle the backup role?
• Can Jakub Vrana consistently play like a top-six forward?
• Will Devante Smith-Pelly's postseason performance translate into more production this season?
• How much will the loss of Jay Beagle impact the Caps?

• Will this be a breakout year for Andre Burakovsky?
• Can Dmitry Orlov eclipse 40 points?
• Are Christian Djoos and Madison Bowey ready for everyday roles?
• Can Michal Kepmny continue to play like a top-four defenseman?
• Is Chandler Stephenson a wing or a center?
• Who will play center on the fourth line?
• Who will play on the team's third defensive pair?
• What rookies will have an impact next season?

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There are no signs of Alex Ovechkin slowing down heading into his first season after winning a Stanley Cup. Bovada just released their latest odds for the Hart Memorial Trophy (the NHL’s Most Valuable Player Award) and Ovechkin was tied with the third-best odds to win in all of the NHL at 10/1.

He was joined by two other Washington Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov both at 50/1 odds. 

Here are all the odds for the top 11 players:

Connor McDavid          10/3
Sidney Crosby              13/2
Auston Matthews        10/1
Alex Ovechkin               10/1
Jon Tavares                   10/1
Taylor Hall                     15/1
Nikita Kucherov            15/1
Nathan MacKinnon      15/1
Mark Scheifele              15/1
Anze Kopitar                  18/1
Evgeni Malkin                18/1

The only two players ahead of ‘The Great 8’ are the 21-year-old McDavid and dreaded rival Crosby.

Even with the immense amount of alcohol that has been consumed in the past two months, Ovechkin is still commanding respect in Vegas. It is hard not to when he turns around these intense offseason workouts. At 32, Ovechkin led the NHL in scoring with 49 goals a year ago, the seventh such time he has done so. 

Already the 2018 Conn Smythe winner has three MVP trophies to his name (one more than Crosby) and there is no telling what to expect now that the 11-time All-Star has a Stanley Cup title. 

In his 11 years in the league, Backstrom has never received any votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy. Kuznetsov only has done so once and that was in the 2015-16 season. 

MORE OVECHKIN NEWS:

• The ESPY For Best Male Athlete: Alex Ovechkin
• Another Rocket Richard Trophy? Ovi did it last year
• The Cup Goes to Russia: Inside Ovi's day with the Cup