They said it couldn't be done. They said they would choke AGAIN in the playoffs.
Well this time, it DIDN'T happen because the Washington Captials are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years!
They handily defeated the Tampa Bay Lighting in Game 7 to earn the right to face the brand new expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, in their quest to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup over their heads.
This series looked bright for the Caps as they took a 2 games-to-none lead on the road in Tampa. But the Lightning stormed back in Games 3 & 4 at Capital One Arena to even the series up 2-2.
The teams headed back to Tampa where the Lightning took game Game 5.
As the Caps and Lightning went back to DC for Game 6, the Caps played their most complete game in their entire playoff run, not allowing a goal and defeating Tamps 3-0.
Then, tonight, on the road again at Amalie Arena, the Caps did not allow a goal and Braden Holtby was a stud with 60 straight saves over games 6 & 7. Tom Wilson got into a fight early which set the tone for the The Caps shutting out the Lightning for the second straight game, winning the Eastern Conference title, and punching their ticket for Las Vegas on Monday (5/28) Night!
See you in Vegas for Game 1!