The are dead.The magic of the 's newest expansion team finally ran out, and their inaugural season came to a close on Thursday night in Vegas. After an incredible and improbable run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights were defeated by the Caps in five games -- turning them into the NHL's official runner-up this season.Here's what went wrong for Vegas.1. Fleury finally falteredI want to get this out of the way: I am by no means blaming for Golden Knights losing the George Odum Jersey Stanley Cup. I think the numbers suggest that the Vegas goalie was worse than he actually looked in the series, but 20 goals allowed in five games with an .853 save percentage is simply not good. MIN G #29 Postseason stats: 13-7, .927 SV%, 2.24 GAA, 4 shutouts It's certainly not the same Fleury that we all marveled at through the first three rounds. The veteran netminder entered the Cup Final sporting a .947 save percentage and four shutouts through 15 games. He was the best goalie in the bracket to that point and the single-biggest reason Vegas was playing for the Cup.However, the drop-off was significant, and he never really looked like a truly dominant wire-to-wire force during this series. He had his good stretches and I'd argue he didn't exactly cost the Knights any of the four lo ses on his own, but they needed him to be as great as he was through the first three series. That's probably an unfair ask, but I don't think it's unfair to suggest that he could've finished a lot stronger. Even an above average series might have landed him the Conn Smythe Trophy for postseason MVP despite the series lo s. Marc-Andre Fleury gets bit by the NHL 18 glitch goal Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) We've seen great goaltending carry through the playoffs, and we've also seen that unsustainable level of play run out at unfortunate times. This is the second consecutive year that a goalie has been great through the first three rounds, only to see a ma sive (and extremely costly) dip in performance in the Cup Final. Fleury wasn't quite as bad as was last year, but he wasn't close to good enough either.I'm sure it's not much consolation, but even with the .853 mark in the Cup Final, Fleury finishes the postseason with an overall save percentage of .927 second-best among all goaltenders. That speaks to just how incredible he was through the first 15 games. Rodney Thomas Jersey 2. "The Save"Maybe it's a bit romantic to suggest that a single play in Game 2 altered the course of this series, but here's a counterpoint: Maybe not?After the dropped Game 1 of the series, they were clinging on for dear life as they carried a one-goal lead down the stretch in Game 2. With a few minutes left in regulation, the had a golden opportunity to tie the game for Vegas. But then did this. That incredible save -- lazily and unoriginally dubbed "The Save" --preserved the win for Washington in Game 2, evening up the series and ultimately becoming their first of four straight to win the series. But what if it hadn't? Had Holtby not gotten his stick on that shot from Tuch, we're talking about a game that potentially goes into OT and potentially ends with the Golden Knights, who were the better team in the third period, winning to take a 2-0 series lead.That's a tough hole to find yourself in, especially when you're a team that is constantly reminded of your past postseason failures like the Capitals are/were Art Donovan Jersey . We could be talking about an incredibly different series without that one save.In the immediate aftermath of the save, it felt like the kind of highlight that could change the course of a series -- the sort of highlight that comes between two different styles of music on the eventual championship DVD. Again, maybe it's a bit dramatic to say that everything changed in that moment, but there's a real chance that things could have gone very differently had the save not been made. But here we are, and Braden Holtby, who bounced back from a shaky Game 1 to have a very good series, now owns one of the most iconic and meaningful sports moments in D.C. sports history.3. Caps' stars outperformed Vegas'Goaltending battle aside, one of he most important things the Golden Knights needed was for their top line to outplay Washington's. Not an easy ask when you've got and on the other side. DeForest Buckner Jersey WAS LW #8 Postseason stats: 15 goals, 12 a sists, +8 WAS C #92 Postseason stats: 12 goals, 20 a sists, +12 That being said, one of the most impre sive aspects of Vegas' game heading into the Cup Final was the ability of their forwards to swarm the puck and pre sure the other team's top players into mistakes that created opportunities for Vegas. , and were a fearsome trio with and without the puck for most of the the first three rounds, even against a high-powered offensive unit in Winnipeg.Unfortunately, they didn't have as much succe s against the Capitals' stars. That Vegas top line had a pretty bizarre series. Smith led the team with three goals, which surpa sed the two he had through the first three rounds combined. But Karl son, who led Vegas with 43 goals during the regular season, only had one goal in the series and it came in Game 1. Marche sault, who had 27 in the regular season and 8 through the first 15 postseason games, didn't score at all.Vegas got some contributions from secondary/depth guys -- had a surprisingly good series with three goals -- but it wasn't enough to make up for what they lacked in explosivene s from their top-tier players. The Knights scored two goals or le s in Games 2-4 and, without Fleury at the top of his game, that was devastating. Meanwhile, the Caps got impre sive showings from their top guys. Kuznetsov led all players with 8 points and was a plus-five, which is even more impre sive when you consider that he mi sed nearly all of Game 2 with a painful wrist injury that put his status in doubt. was right behind him with a goal and six a sists. Alex Ovechkin the eventual Conn Smythe winner -- scored three times and was a physical force. T.J. Oshie added a goal and five a sists. and each scored twice as well.And while the stars carried their weight, I'd be remi s if I didn't mention the incredible depth contributions Washington got. had two goals. scored three times, including a beautiful game-tying goal in the third period of Game 5. found the back of the net twice, including the series-winner. What a big-time goal from Devante Smith-Pelly Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) The Caps have impre Jonathan Taylor T Shirts sive front-end talent, but it was really an impre sive group effort in this series. 4. That disgusting Capitals power playOne of my favorite parts of watching this year's Capitals team was their outstanding power play unit. Obviously, we all know what Ovechkin can do from the left circle, bu