Here we are...Can you believe it? ANY of it?
There is truly nothing better than when two teams who have never won a Cup are in the Final... or so I thought... Do you want to know what's better than two teams competing for Stanley Cup who have never won one before? When one of these teams is an expansion team. The hockey gods have a truly blessed us this year...of THAT there can be no doubt.
So how does this go down?
The Capitals come in very relaxed and pardon the pun,"Playing with house money." Of all the seasons in Alexander Ovechkin's career, I sincerely doubt he expected to be in this position following last summer. And yet....
As for the Golden Knights… Are they playing with house money, or are they the house? I honestly don't think we know. I am not sure anyone knows.
What we do know is we are in for about as much fun as hockey fans should be allowed to have, because either we get to see Alexander Ovechkin finally raise the silver chalice or we get to witness history that transcends our sport...and all sports.
I wish I had written it first when I thought it, but I believe Elliot beat me to the punch...This is truly the biggest hockey story since "the miracle on ice," and I'm going to say if they win it all it's actually a bigger story...never thought anything could be bigger than Lake Placid...
Why is it bigger? Because that was a tournament of single games and in single games teams can get the bounces and get lucky... Not in the Stanley Cup playoffs. If you win the Stanley Cup there is no doubt you are the best team in the NHL. That is how hard the trophy is to capture.
So what does all of this mean?
On the Capitals.
After their victory versus the blue jackets, I predicted the Caps would win the next two rounds. And for what it's worth I predicted they would beat Columbus too.. Why? Because they were finally able to play the underdog to a degree... It is a fact that more people have picked them to lose in each round than have picked them to win... mostly because of history and not looking at how good they actually are...I think that has helped them a lot. That, and of course Holtby and company...
If the Capitals (and Alexander Ovechkin for that matter) have a weakness it has always been the emotional roller coaster they ride without caution. I know it makes coaches crazy. NHL coaches are always about keeping their players even keeled. Don't get too high, and don't get too low. Barry Trotz lived by that in Nashville, but there is no formula for that with Ovechkin. It's part of the reason why we love him, as much as it has to do with why he has yet to see Russia or the Caps win it all.
And that hasn't changed this season. Tears in his eyes after both defeating the Penguins and the Liightning make you want to love this guy. I believe if the Caps were playing anyone else, the majority the fans, those without a team in the Final, would be pulling for Washington...to see how Ovechkin would react to winning it all.
On the Knights.
What can I say that hasn't been written a thousand times at this point? This team is proof that hockey is about playing as a team and playing for each other more than it's about anything else. Well maybe anything else but having an incredible goalie on an incredible run... And yet I feel like they would be here with ANYONE in goal. I know that's not true, but remember earlier this season when Marc Andre Fleury went down, they didn't skip a step. Let's face it, unless he gets shelled 5-0 for four straight games, or Ovechkin scores 25 goals in the Final, Marc Andre Fleury will win the MVP for the playoffs.
So what happens?
The Washington Capitals have to win tonight. They simply have to win tonight. I said that about the Winnipeg Jets in game 1 as well.... And I still believe they had to. Put it this way, the Vegas Knights can still win the Stanley Cup if they lose tonight, but I am not sure the Washington Capitals can.
In order to beat Marc Andre Fleury you need sharpshooters. Crashing the net is not going to work. Three teams have already tried that. Fleury is too good the closer you get to him... And the Capitals have played him enough to know this. That could be a factor in Washington's favor...or the crazy irony of the Capitals FINALLY beating the Penguins could resurface when they realize they have to face a Penguin again.
So What happens?
The Capitals will win three games in this series, but I don't think they will win four...Do you believe in miracles? yes....and the house ALWAYS wins.
Knights in 7
What do you think?