The impossible was possible for the Washington Capitals as they entered Pittsburgh to play game 6 against their arch nemesis, the Penguins, up 3 games to 2.
Everything was on the line for both teams and a tense game unfolded that ended regulation in a tie. The tension increased by the minute in overtime until Ovechkin played off a pass to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who shot the puck just under Matt Murray’s outstretched leg for the game-winning and series-winning goal.
Capitals' fans took time to celebrate finally beating the Penguins in the playoffs for the first time since the 90’s.
It’s the Capitals and Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals
The Washington Capitals, having eliminated the Penguins and the Penguins playoff curse, now find themselves in uncharted territory. For the first time in the Ovechkin era, the Capitals are heading to the Eastern Conference finals and will be battling the speedy Tampa Bay Lightning. Washington is the underdog and pre-playoff predictions even had them losing in the first round. This may be just what the Capitals need as the extra motivation to make a Stanley Cup run.
The player availability heading into game 1 is mixed as one of their key defenseman, Tom Wilson, will be back for the series after serving a 3-game suspension for his massive hit in game 2 of the Penguins series, but stars Nicklas Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky are both recovering from injuries and their status is questionable.
To add another layer of intrigue, coach Barry Trotz’s contract has yet to be renewed and these upcoming games could be his swan song with Washington. He says that he is not worried about it and is only focused on the task at hand, getting his team into the Stanley Cup finals. This should be a fantastic series and the Capitals fans are ready.
On another note, could an English superstar be heading to DC?
In Washington Soccer news, DC United is getting ready to open their new state-of-the-art soccer stadium this coming season, and they are looking for some big names to add to their team. One of the biggest names they are reportedly close to a deal with is none other than Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer, Wayne Rooney.
Rooney would provide huge name recognition to the team and may provide a desired attendance boost for United’s new stadium this summer. The deal is far from done, but fans are already excited at the prospect of Wayne Rooney in a DC United jersey. It should be an exciting summer for soccer in DC.