WASHINGTON — The Tampa Bay Lightning, the best team in hockey during the regular season, were swept, a fate that also befell the Pittsburgh Penguins. The…
WASHINGTON — The Tampa Bay Lightning, the best team in hockey during the regular season, were swept, a fate that also befell the Pittsburgh Penguins. The San Jose Sharks rallied from a three-goal deficit with a comeback sparked by a controversial power play en route to Tuesday’s overtime Game 7 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
A frantic first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, however, came to a conventional end on Wednesday: Justin Williams was clutch as usual. Williams, aka «Mr. Game 7,» set up Brock McGinn’s game-winning goal as the Carolina Hurricanes advanced with a 4-3 double-overtime Game 7 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.
«This doesn’t add to anything,» Williams said when asked about his latest Game 7 exploits. «This is not my story. This the Hurricanes’ story. I’m proud of every single one of our guys and we are not done.»
Williams’ assist gave him 15 points in Game 7s and he has an 8-1 record in those decisive games.
The New York Islanders — who swept the Penguins — are next for the Hurricanes, a team that drew attention earlier this season for their wins. Well, more precisely, what they did after their wins: Postgame celebrations on home ice that drew the wrath of «Hockey Night in Canada» analyst Don Cherry. Cherry called the Hurricanes a «bunch of jerks» and other old-school hockey folks shared similar sentiments.
Four playoff wins later, those «jerks» are where the President’s Trophy-winning Lightning and the last season’s finalists (Washington and Vegas) are not.
