It was an epic series and it culminated in a (at the time) epic party Washington, D.C. hadn’t seen in 20 years. For their Washington Capitals finally advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. This Saturday is the rematch.
A lot of experts said on paper the Washington Capitals had no chance to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. Coming off the euphoria of finally defeating their biggest playoff nemesis, people thought the Capitals had already won their Stanley Cup. But the players in that locker room knew they were just halfway there.
They proved they were ready for the top team in the Eastern Conference after not only taking the first two games on the road but fully dominating the beasts of the east. The Capitals scored a combined 10 goals in the first two games while only allowing just four to go back to D.C. up 2-0 in the series. That 2-0 lead was short-lived. The Bolts stormed back to win the next three games to put the Capitals down 3-2 entering a do-or-die Game 6.
The Capitals dominated on home ice for a 3-0 win in Braden Holtby‘s first shutout of the entire season, stopping all 24 shots he faced. That set them up for a big game at Amalie Arena. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line.
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The Capitals wasted no time showing they were the team of destiny. 62 seconds in, Alex Ovechkin blasted a one-timer to put the Capitals up 1-0. Washington has always had good support on the road but on that particular Wednesday night back in D.C. it felt like a home game. Capital One Arena hosted a watch party on the big screen and they went nuts.
The Capitals got two more goals in the second period, both coming from Andre Burakovsky after he was scratched from the lineup in Game 5. Talk about a confidence booster. It was this spurt from Burakovsky that is a reason why he’s still around to help the Capitals in their quest for a repeat.
Nicklas Backstrom sealed the game in the third period with an empty-netter. The clock began ticking. The camera showed Ovechkin standing on the bench letting out a roar. The crowd in Tampa, except for those in red, sat there or headed for the exits in silence. As for the crowd back in D.C. they couldn’t believe their eyes and that yet was still just the beginning of what was in store.
Everyone talked about winning the Cup in Vegas and the subsequent celebrations that followed but none of those were possible without that Game 7 win. One year later, the Bolts feel the sting and they’re hungry for revenge. Meanwhile the Capitals come into Saturday’s game still on cloud nine as defending champions but not satisfied and determined to slow down the hottest team.
It is no doubt we will see the best game from both sides. After the Capitals won in Philadelphia Thursday night, Tom Wilson talked about how strange it’s been that these two conference foes have yet to meet this season.
“It feels like forever since we’ve played them,” said Wilson. “I think the end of that series was a lot of like ‘I’ll get you next year’ then you play the whole season and you haven’t seen them. I’m sure it’s a rivalry now. They’re a good team. They’re playing the best hockey in the whole league right now so it’ll be a great challenge for us. It’ll be exciting to get back there, obviously some good memories.”
Sometimes Saturday night’s feature Pay Per View fights. This Saturday is a heavyweight fight on ice. No pay required unless you’re in Florida and want to buy a ticket.