Fansided

Capitals finish off Lightning in Game 7: 3 takeaways

By Jeremy Lambert

TAMPA, FL - MAY 23: Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning gives up a goal Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MAY 23: Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning gives up a goal Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

A 4-0 victory for the Washington Capitals in Game 7 push them past the Tampa Bay Lightning and into the Stanley Cup Final.

The Washington Capitals are heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin era following their 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7.

It was Ovechkin who immediately set the tone, blasting the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy just 1:02 into the game.

A pair of second period goals by Andre Burakovsky gave the Capitals a 3-0 lead heading into the third. Protecting a 3-0 lead, the Capitals clogged things up and didn’t allow the Lightning to make the push necessary for a team battling for their playoff lives. The Lightning got an early power play, but that failed to produce any quality chances or give Tampa Bay any momentum.

Nicklas Backstrom added an empty net goal with just under four minutes remaining to all be ensure victory for Washington.

With this victory, the Washington Capitals head to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years. They’ll meet the Vegas Golden Knights, who are in the Cup Final in their very first season. Hockey is a weird sport, man.

TAMPA, FL – MAY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – MAY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3. Game 7 song, same as Game 6

Two of my three takeaways for Game 6 were “Ovechkin leads the charge” and “Braden Holtby responds.” Instead of re-using them for Game 7, I’ll just lump them into the same takeaway.

Game 7 was not a repeat of Game 6. The Lightning controlled the majority of the play and were able to get chances on Holtby that weren’t there on Monday. It didn’t matter. Perhaps the biggest save by Holtby wasn’t a save by Holtby. Victor Hedman deked the Caps goalie out of the net and left the puck in the crease for Yanni Gourde. All Gourde had to do was tap in. Just give it a little tap. Send it home.

ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME?!

Gourde, thanks to the presence of Brooks Orpik and some unexplained force, sent the puck wide. A goal there would have made it 1-1 early in the second.

Along with some good luck, Holtby was outstanding once again. His breakaway save on Alex Killorn preserved a 2-0 lead that the Capitals turned into 3-0 by the end of the period. Holtby made 29 saves in Game 7. Facing elimination in back-to-back games, he made 53 saves to kept Tampa Bay off the scoresheet.

As for Ovechkin, he led the charge with his stick on Wednesday. He scored a minute into the game and had it going throughout. Ovechkin had no time for your “can’t spell CHOKE without OVECHKIN” jokes in Game 7. If the Capitals were going to lose, it wasn’t going to be on him.

Home/NHL Playoffs