Woohoo!!! So excited!
Finally Got It Done !
Woohoo Caps! I’m in southern CA moving my freshman daughter out of her dorm room and headed home to DC tomorrow. So excited to walk into a bar/restaurant tonight with her and see the score 4-0 with a couple of minutes left. I turned to my daughter and said, “Thank God we will be returning to a happy house tomorrow night.” My sons are die-hard fans (I like them too but don’t get worked up about wins and losses like my boys do).
The Caps managed to win two straight elimination games? And to do so via shutouts?
Seriously, this is almost as unbelievable as the other team being an expansion team.
@dfbdfb Monday night one team will win their first Stanley Cup final game ever. The only difference being this is Vegas’ very first possible opportunity to do so, and the Caps have been in the league for 44 years - frustrating me every season along the way. Go Caps! (cautiously optimistic)
The finals should be good. Holtby is hot but Fleury has been even hotter. 
As the fifth and sixth place teams in the regular season, they were fairly close in their stats, with the exception of goal differential, where Vegas was more than twice that of the Caps. Even their home/away records were similar. Getting to the finals is where their paths differ. Vegas did it better and more quickly, with 4-0, 4-2, 4-1 series. The Caps did it with 4-2, 4-2, 4-3. Will the number of extra games played take a toll? Looking forward to the games ahead. I just hope that they live up to the expectaions that all fans will have!
I’m happy for the Caps, but have to admit that I was rooting for a Tampa Bay - Las Vegas final as a sign of the Apocalypse, or maybe Hell freezing over. Whoever imagined that the Stanley Cup might be contested between Las Vegas and Tampa? I grew up a hockey fan. Personal jetpacks and powerful computer/phones you carried in your pocket seemed eminently possible; quality hockey in Tampa and Las Vegas much less so.
Viewing party at Cap One for games 1 & 2. Am going even if I require strong you men to carry me on a litter!
Never thought it would come down to these two at the end. As I mentioned earliet, I am conflicted. But, I am starting to lean toward wanting the Caps to win. Have fun at the viewing party, @CountingDown !
That was supposed to be “strong young men”…
Looking forward to the start of the Stanley Cup Finals . I’m still conflicted ! I go back and forth in my mind. Oh well. I need to figure it out soon so I don’t make myself crazy.
On another note, Let’s Go Cavs! Amazing!
Well, so much for a goalie battle, eh?
I was definitely surprised with how many shots got through and that it was such a high scoring game.
That was a very poorly played game all around. Energetic, yes - disciplined hockey, not so much.
And the refs can’t just let a tying goal be scored an instant after allowing the scorer (Reaves) to cross check the defenseman right in front of the goal. Swallowing their whistles is bad enough and contributes to the craziness. But when the outcome of the game is potentially affected, that’s a problem.
A sloppy but entertaining game. Here’s hoping that both Wilson and Reaves can control themselves in the coming games.
One additional thought: Why, why, why did the NHL schedule a 5-day break between the end of the conference finals and the Stanley Cup? It’s wrong on two levels. First off, it leads to a rusty, sloppy first game or two. Second, yeah, I’m a Caps fan and all, but one of the rewards for finishing off a series early is supposed to be getting a little bit more rest (though not enough to make you look like you’ve forgotten how to play) than your opponent who had a longer series—but having as long a break as the NHL scheduled effectively negates that advantage.
@dfbdfb I don’t understand why the long break either and I haven’t seen any explanation for it anywhere.
Vegas needed time to set up all the glitz, indoors and out? Saw video today of the ice crews working all day on fixing the ice surface. Apparently it’s a mess.
OTOH, I went to the Caps viewing party last night and it was wild! Was let into the building at 5:57, and they let us into the arena at 6:45. Got a perfect seat and my back held up. Sat next to two sisters (my age) and we exchanged Caps freebies and chatted. No Stanley Cup gear in the gift shop, though – lots of ECF hats and shirts. Am not going to go to tomorrow’s viewing party – will save my back for the outdoor viewing when the Caps are playing here.
Hope the officiating crew got chewed out today by Toronto. Bad calls on both sides. Even Milbury was outraged!
An interesting article about the two GMs.
Friday night or Saturday would have been the logical time to start the finals round, but the Las Vegas arena had the Pink concert tour booked for Saturday night. (Eight or nine months ago, when this was arranged, who would have told them not to book the Pink tour in case the Golden Knights were hosting the first game of the Stanley Cup finals? Yeah, right . . . .) I bet that knocked out Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
There may also have been TV concern about going head-to-head with things like the NBA playoffs and the Indianapolis 500. It’s not like either the GKs or the Caps have any significant fan base outside their home metro areas. People may not have wanted to risk losing any available eyeballs.