NHL playoffs 2018: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals join Golden Knights in unlikely Stanley Cup Final

Brandon Schlager

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NHL playoffs 2018: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals join Golden Knights in unlikely Stanley Cup Final image

The NHL is guaranteed a new Stanley Cup champion in 2018.

Alex Ovechkin set the tone with a goal 62 seconds into Wednesday's Game 7 and the Capitals never looked back, finally closing out the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-0 win over the Lightning to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history and first since 1998. 

Washington, the poster child for playoff heartbreak, joins the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in one of the more unpredictable championship rounds in recent NHL memory.

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True to form, the Capitals nearly let the chance slip away. They took a 2-0 lead, then lost three consecutive games to a Tampa team that had been a juggernaut in the regular season, much like Washington teams of past years. But they rose to the challenge behind Ovechkin's timely scoring and the stellar play of Braden Holtby, who made 24 saves to key a convincing 3-0 shutout in Game 6.

Holtby continued his hot streak into Game 7. He stopped all 29 Lightning shots, including 12 in the second period, to become the fourth goalie in NHL history to record a Game 7 shutout in the conference finals. He also tied Olaf Kolzig for the most shutouts in Capitals history (6).

Meanwhile, Andre Burakovsky, a healthy scratch in Game 5, built the Capitals' lead from one goal to three. He scored a pair of goals eight minutes apart in the second period — his first two of the postseason — that served as the back-breakers for a Lightning team that struggled to keep up with the Caps in the third period.

Nicklas Backstrom, who missed the first three games of the series with a hand injury, added an empty-net goal to close the victory for the Capitals.

For Backstrom and Ovechkin, the two longest-tenured Capitals, it's been a long time coming. The duo has been the face of the teams with Presidents' Trophy talent that always failed to break through in the postseason. That narrative shifted this year in a big way, starting with a comeback first-round victory over the Blue Jackets before finally beating the Penguins, their frequent foil, to advance past the second round. 

Ovechkin has played nearly 1,200 games in his NHL career — 116 in the playoffs — without reaching a Stanley Cup Final. And his 607 career goals are the second-most by a player making his first Stanley Cup Final appearance behind (Dave Andreychuk, 634).

It's ironic the Capitals' opponent, the Golden Knights, are a first-year expansion team immune to the heartbreak that's plagued Ovechkin's team through the years. Game 1 is Monday, and one thing is certain: This year's Stanley Cup champion will have a story to tell.

Sporting News provided live scoring updates during the game. See how it unfolded below.

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Game 7 result: Capitals 4, Lightning 0

(All times Eastern)

Second period: Capitals 3, Lightning 0

9:43 p.m. — GOAL.  Andre Burakovsky scores his second goal of the game, this one on a breakaway through Andrei Vasilevskiy's five-hole, to give the Caps a 3-0 lead with 3:29 remaining in the third period. This is not a drill. Burakovsky was a healthy scratch earlier this series, and now has two massive goals.

9:39 p.m. — Cedric Paquette hits Brooks Orpik from behind, driving his head into the boards. Orpik, who has a history of concussions, dropped to the ice and remained down a few moments before being helped off the ice by trainers.

9:36 p.m. — Braden Holtby just stoned Alex Killorn on a partial breakaway. He's been on point in the second, turning aside all 11 Lightning shots so far.

9:26 p.m. — GOAL.  The Caps go up 2-0 on a goal from Andre Burakovsky, who took the puck away from Dan Girardi and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy in tight to the far post. The second period had been all Lightning up until that point. Everything is breaking the Caps' way.

9:17 p.m. — Wow. Yanni Gourde had a wide — emphasis on WIDE — open net but fanned on the puck, which slid into the crease and caught Braden Holtby way out of position. The hockey gods are smiling down on the Capitals right now.

9:14 p.m. — The second period has begun.

First period: Capitals 1, Lightning 0

Shots: Lightning 10, Capitals 9

8:52 p.m. —  Tampa has responded well since Ovechkin's opener, but the Capitals have held off the pressure by clogging the shooting lanes and blocking some shots. We've reached the end of the first period, which has had a little bit of everything so far.

8:48 p.m. —  Good to see Smith-Pelly back on the ice after the taking a McDonagh shot to the back of the net earlier in the first.

8:43 p.m. — The matching minors to Wilson and Coburn expire and the two immediately leave the box and drop the gloves at center ice. We've got ourselves some old fashioned hockey in Game 7.

8:37 p.m. —  End to end stuff here as both teams exchange odd-man rushes. Holtby denies a 2-on-1 chance on one end and the Capitals go the other way and create a chance for Ovechkin, who can't quite get good wood on his backhand effort. Vasilevskiy covers and a scrum ensues, which sees Kuznetsov's jersey removed by Coburn. Tom Wilson isn't pleased about it as he and Coburn earn matching minors.  

8:27 p.m. —  Scary moment here as Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly drops to the ice to block a shot from Ryan McDonagh and the puck hits him in the back of the neck. Smith-Pelly is helped back to the Washington locker room.

8:25 p.m. —  Big save by Holtby! Nikita Kucherov sets up Alex Killorn with a great chance in front, bu the Capitals netminder denies him with the glove.

8:22 p.m. —  Washington nearly makes it two! Vrana fires a shot that beats Vasilevskiy, but rings back into play off the post. The Lightning manage to kill off the remaining 10 seconds of the man-advantage and we're back to five-on-five play.

8:20 p.m. —  The Capitals will have the chance to add to their early lead on the power play, as Brayden Point is whistled for holding Lars Eller.

8:18 p.m. — Goal Washington!  Alex Ovechkin gives the Capitals the lead just 62 seconds into regulation. Kuznetsov feathers a cross-ice pass to Ovechkin, who fires a shot from the top of the left circle over Vasilevskiy's blocker.  Capitals lead 1-0.

8:16 p.m. —  Here. We. Go. The puck is dropped for the start of Game 7. The winner meets the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

Pregame

8:05 p.m. —  We're about 10 minutes away from puck drop in Game 7. Here are tonight's starters for both teams:

7:55 p.m. —  Meanwhile, this is the scene back at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Capitals fans have come out in droves for a watch party with the hope of seeing their team advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

7:45 p.m. — The teams have taken the ice at Amalie Arena for warmups. As he did in Tampa's morning skate, Alex Killorn skates with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on the Lightning's top line. Here is how both teams are expected to line up for Game 7:

Noon — Nothing to see here. Just Barry Trotz taking a not-so-leisurely hot lap to liven up Capitals morning skate. Not quite as quick as Ovechkin, but it's closer than we ever imagined. Good to see the Capitals aren't tensing up.

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Brandon Schlager

Brandon Schlager Photo

Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News. A proud Buffalo, N.Y. native and graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, he joined SN as an intern in 2014 and now oversees editorial content strategy.