Playoff Round Up: Vegas is for real

As I’m typing this, the Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from going to the Stanley Cup Final. If you go back and read Fear the Fin’s preseason predictions, I think we felt the same way you all did. The expansion team would certainly not make the playoffs, let alone the Western Conference Final. Now it seems like they very likely could go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. What a world we’re living in. I guess we just hope the Washington Capitals can pull through to defeat the evil?

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Currently, this series sits tied at 2-2. Though the Vegas and Winnipeg series is getting all the attention, this one has been just as fun to watch. Washington left Game 2 with a 2-0 series lead. The final score was 6-2. Washington saw goals from its usual producers like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, but they also saw some goals from national treasure Brett Connolly and Devante Smith-Pelly. Brendan Holtby made 33 saves.

Game 3 launched the turn around for Tampa. The Lightning won that one, 4-2. Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos had the goals for Tampa. Andrei Vasilevskiy had an incredible .947 save percentage. That score would carry on to Game 4, again in Tampa’s favor. Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn, and Steven Stamkos had the goals in this game. Vasilevskiy made 36 saves.

The Capitals are notorious for choking in the playoffs. Is this where it’ll end for them? I’m sure you’re all also rooting for Ovechkin to lift the cup. The puck will drop tonight at 4:15 PST, who will take this one?

Winnipeg Jets vs Vegas Golden Knights

I knew we couldn’t trust the Jets. The Sharks were right, Winnipeg is a bad city. I’m sorry, I don’t mean that. I’m still just bitter an expansion team beat out the Sharks to go to the Conference Final and are one win away from going to the Stanley Cup Final. Winnipeg took Game 1 by a 4-2 margin and it looked promising for the Jets. We quickly saw the turn around come Game 2. The Golden Knights evened the series with a 3-1 win. Again, Marc-Andre Fleury was better than good, pulling in a .968 save percentage. Jonathan Marchessault had two goals, the third coming from Tomas Tatar. Kyle Connor had the lone Jets goal.

Game 3 was all about the Golden Knights again in yet another 4-2 game. Mark Scheifele tallied two goals for the Jets. Marchessault had two goals again in this game, while James Neal netted the third. Marc-Andre Fleury had 33 saves. Game 4 again went in the favor of the Golden Knights. Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers had the only goals of the game for Winnipeg. The Golden Knights won this one 3-2, the goals coming from Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, and Tomas Nosek.

All Vegas needs is one more win. It’s unreal!