OT: Caps-Lightning Game 7

[RU848789]

Been a great series so far and Game 7 is no exception. End to end action with lots of chances, great saves, hits, and even a really good fight. 1-0 Caps after the first period on a great goal by Ovechkin about 1 minute into the game. Love playoff hockey, especially Game 7s.

Kind of rooting for the Caps, as they've been good for a long time but have a history of choking and I just love watching Ovechkin play, as he's just an awesome combination of skater, shooter and hitter, who's not afraid to do the dirty work. Definitely want to see the winner put Vegas down.

 

[Rutgers8086_rivals]

Been a great series so far and Game 7 is no exception. End to end action with lots of chances, great saves, hits, and even a really good fight. 1-0 Caps after the first period on a great goal by Ovechkin about 1 minute into the game. Love playoff hockey, especially Game 7s.

Kind of rooting for the Caps, as they've been good for a long time but have a history of choking and I just love watching Ovechkin play, as he's just an awesome combination of skater, shooter and hitter, who's not afraid to do the dirty work. Definitely want to see the winner put Vegas down.

Go Bolts! But Ovechkin is putting his team on his back and carrying them.

 

[RU848789]

Go Bolts! But Ovechkin is putting his team on his back and carrying them.

Tampa has had more good chances, though and that's continuing in the 2nd period (Hedman just missed scoring) - just haven't been able to convert, partly because Holtby has played quite well. Caps are standing around too much trying to hold on - they need to get back to the physical play that won them game 6.

 

[e5fdny]

Kind of rooting for the Caps, as they've been good for a long time but have a history of choking and I just love watching Ovechkin play, as he's just an awesome combination of skater, shooter and hitter, who's not afraid to do the dirty work. Definitely want to see the winner put Vegas down.

Go Bolts! But Ovechkin is putting his team on his back and carrying them.

I think it’s better for Hockey if the Caps win to set up multiple storylines for the Stanley Cup...

You’ll have the obvious one with the upstart Golden Knights.

And two for the Caps. An individual one for Ovechkin and a team one for the Caps themselves.

If Tampa wins tonight I would want Vegas to sweep them. But if the Caps won I’m not sure who I would want to win it.

 

[T2Kplus10]

Hockey still going on? Good for them.

 

[RU848789]

Hockey still going on? Good for them.

Still trolling every post I make? Good for you.

 

[T2Kplus10]

Still trolling every post I make? Good for you.

Nay, I think I missed a few this week. Busy few days with work and at my daughter's school.

 

[famousbill19]

Terrific, physical game. Every opportunity to finish a check being taken. Hockey playoffs the best out of all the pro sports IMO.

 

[ClassOf02v.2]

Fun game but looking like the Caps are going to pull away. Bolts haven't scored a goal in almost 140 minutes in this series and have had plenty of chances tonight.

Too bad, I friggin HATE the Caps and Ovechkin.

 

[RU848789]

Terrific, physical game. Every opportunity to finish a check being taken. Hockey playoffs the best out of all the pro sports IMO.

Agreed, love it. Was a much more closely contested game than the final indicated. TB just couldn't convert, including that wide open net chance, and Holtby played great.

Great song choice for the end of game handshake ceremony, since the Caps won on Tampa's home ice: "Bittersweet Symphony."

 

[JMORC2003]

Good for the Caps. They’ve been good for a while with nothing to show for it. I’m rooting for them against the Knights.

Not going to lie, also rooting for Ovechkin. I’ve always liked his game. Guy is a warrior, and one of the best snipers over the past dozen years. Maybe I’m not paying attention but he seems to have mellowed.

 

[RU old timer]

Any year without the Flyers (dirtiest team in NHL most years) and Nashville (giving the Flyers a real run for that title...cheap shot artists and dirty play) in the Cup Final is a good year!

 

[1stand3rd]

The Vegas fans haven't suffered nearly enough to deserve the cup.
Go Caps!

 

[Armor and Sword]

The McPhee Cup, since he had a hand in developing both teams.

 

[RUaMoose_rivals]

Who would be favored in the Finals ? I can't root for Vegas. First year team winning a championship? Unheard of. Washington has paid their dues all these years. They deserve a Cup.

 

[RU1977]

How is it possible that a first year team makes it to the finals?

 

[RUTrack94]

How is it possible that a first year team makes it to the finals?

What year was Jacksonville in when they reached the finals?

 

[JMORC2003]

How is it possible that a first year team makes it to the finals?

It’s unprecedented, for sure. I remember expansion teams used to suck big time for years, but didn’t they change the way they did the expansion draft this year? Vegas actually got to take some decent players?

 

[rudad02]

It’s unprecedented, for sure. I remember expansion teams used to suck big time for years, but didn’t they change the way they did the expansion draft this year? Vegas actually got to take some decent players?

Gotta root for the Caps. Yes, playoff hockey is the best. And yes that was a great fight. And the refs let them play. No BS calls.

 

[mdh2003]

It’s unprecedented, for sure. I remember expansion teams used to suck big time for years, but didn’t they change the way they did the expansion draft this year? Vegas actually got to take some decent players?

It's a little-kinda precedented. STL went to the finals the first 3 years of its existence. They got destroyed in the SCF, not winning a game in any of the 3 years. The first year, they had a sub .500 record. Plus, the playoff structure was setup as original 6 vs. expansion 6 those years. So, not quite apples/apples. What VGK has done is pretty amazing. I have feeling that it stops here though.

 

[robcac26]

It’s unprecedented, for sure. I remember expansion teams used to suck big time for years, but didn’t they change the way they did the expansion draft this year? Vegas actually got to take some decent players?

It was a little different, but their roster looked pretty bad after the expansion draft with the exception of Fleury because Pittsburgh chose to protect Murray instead since he is younger. Nobody had an issue with the way the expansion draft was conducted when it happened. It wasn't until months later when they ended up performing way better than it looked like they would on paper that people started using that as an excuse. The haters are trying to make them seem like some sort of rigged, unfair all-star team.

 

[robcac26]

Here is what their team looked like after the expansion draft:

Goalies:
Marc-Andre Fleury
Calvin Pickard

Defensemenan:
Luca Sbisa
Jon Merrill
Brayden McNabb
Jason Garrison
Deryk Engelland
Colin Miller
Marc Methot
David Schlemko
Griffin Reinhart
Alexei Emelin
Clayton Stoner
Trevor van Riemsdyk
Nate Schmidt

Forwards:
Teemu Pulkkinen
William Carrier
Cody Eakin
Tomas Nosek
Jonathan Marchessault
Connor Brickley
Chris Thorburn
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
James Neal
Brandon Leipsic
David Perron
Oscar Lindberg
Erik Haula
William Karlsson

Doesn't exactly look like a team destined for first place and a conference championship. Here's an article from The Hockey News analyzing the team after the expansion draft.

"How good can they be? Spoiler alert: Not Very Good."

"The nature of their selections was pointed toward the future with a few selections veering toward young talent and a boatload of draft picks. But it’s also left them with a roster that will probably struggle to compete. That’s probably for the best as it’ll allow them to stockpile some higher picks next season, it just might be tough to watch initially for new fans in a growing market.

"Regardless, it should be a better long-term strategy for the club to build sustainable success. And at the very least, there’ll still be some big changes because they’re not done yet and although they’re a playoff long shot they shouldn’t be the worst team in the league next season."

 

[JMORC2003]

It's a little-kinda precedented. STL went to the finals the first 3 years of its existence. They got destroyed in the SCF, not winning a game in any of the 3 years. The first year, they had a sub .500 record. Plus, the playoff structure was setup as original 6 vs. expansion 6 those years. So, not quite apples/apples. What VGK has done is pretty amazing. I have feeling that it stops here though.

I guess the teams that stick in my mind are the Sharks and Senators who really struggled in their first few years. A few others got close to 30 wins which isn’t good, but not as bad as I remember. Certainly not Vegas good through.