This series is unreal. You couldn't write this stuff and have it be believable:
The NHL's expansion team makes an unbelievable run, that also features the redemption of Marc Andre Fleury, a formerly great goalie who his former team paid to get rid of.
Gerard Galant, fired by the fancystatters and reborn into full 200hockeymen glory.
You have Nate Schmidt against the team who wouldn't give him a chance.
George McPhee against the team that fired him.
Brian McLellan against his former friend and mentor.
There is Washington, who lost in the second round with the best team anyone's put together in the Salary Cap Era, only to lose half their roster and then make the Stanley Cup Final with a bunch of nobodies taking up the bottom half of their roster.
The sure-to-be-fired Barry Trotz suddenly rehired as he leads a team of underdogs to the promised land.
There's the Ovechkin angle.
But nothing tops Evgeni Kuznetsov, who's wrist was probably so numbed up before yesterday's game he still can't feel it now, scoring the winning goal in a game he probably shouldn't even have played in.
You can't beat this series for sheer dramatic storylines.
And I even forgot to mention the Holtby drama where he basically dragged this team to the playoffs, then had a bad month and lost his job, only to see the Caps lose their first two games and reluctantly be given his net back.
He posted two back to back shut-outs to close out the Lightning, the team that was supposed to be here, and would have had another last night if not for a hilarious blunder that cost him the goose egg.
But back to Kuznetsov.
He was second in Caps forwards 5v5 ice-time, put up a 52% CF and scored the game winning goal. And after the game, neither he nor Nick Backstrom could high-five each other!!!
What a game! (And Ovechkin continues to impress!)
The Capitals now lead 2-1 and are only two wins away from the Stanley Cup.