Follow @james_tanner123 I'll be calling in sick tomorrow.
Two game sevens. The Capitals vs the Penguins and the Oilers vs the Ducks. This is the hockey equivalent of ice cold milk: it doesn't get any better than this.
For the Capitals I don't think it's egregious or hyperbolic to say this is the biggest game in franchise history.
Saddled with the unfair label of chokers, the Capitals have done everything they can to defeat the Penguins - they battled back from a 3-1 deficit that they never should have been in. Only Marc-Andre Fleury prevented this from being a four game sweep.
But that doesn't really matter now. It's game seven and anyone can win.
The biggest factor here - at least for me - is that the Penguins haven't really played a good game yet this entire series and are due. I mean, whether Letang is injured or whether Crosby even recalls his own first name anymore are besides the point - this is a good team, and they are capable of playing at least one good game in seven, no matter how good the Capitals are.
For the Capitals they are going to have to rely on Braden Holtby - no matter how bad of a dresser he is, no matter how many douchy hats he owns, he is the Capitals best player. For the first three or four games, you wouldn't have known it. But he's been the league's best goalie for going on two years now, and tonight is the night when his name becomes legendary.
Or it doesn't and he quits hockey to concentrate on his own line of Axe Body Spray. We won't really know until tonight.
I think the Capitals will win - I think we're going to see Ovechkin have an insane game. I predict that he'll put up ten shots and a hatrick.
All in all, what's left to say? The Good Lord (i.e Gary Bettman) has blessed us with multiple game sevens. I am prepared to sit on the couch for six to eight hours tonight (pending goal reviews) and drink about six loaves of bread worth of calories!
On a Wednesday!
Good luck to you all getting up for work on Thursday. For one day at least, Jim's Discount Dentistry Shack will be closed.
I really can't wait to watch these games.
As for the other game, I'm calling the Oilers to win 3-2 in overtime.