Capitals beat out Stanley Cup champs in Game 7 OT

According to pundits, the Washington Capitals and its rookie goaltender were seen as inadequate when facing defending Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins. The Capitals beat the Bruins in a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 7 at the TD Garden on Wednesday and gained a ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third time in the past four years. With 2 minutes and 57 seconds into overtime, fourth-line winger Joel Ward scored the game winning goal by driving the net and swatting a rebound past Tim Thomas, who was preoccupied by Mike Knuble’s presence on top of him in the crease.

Speaking to the emotion he felt when Ward’s shot crossed the goal line, Matt Hendricks, who recorded Washington’s first goal, said, “It’s not about relief. We didn’t feel we had the pressure on us tonight. We’ve played these guys tough for six games going into tonight. We knew we could beat them. We had the confidence playing in this building, we had the confidence that we were going to come and do the job we had to do.” The series marked the first time in NHL history that each game of a seven-game series was decided by one goal. “To have seven one-goal games and four overtime games, this certainly was the best, most competitive series since I’ve owned the team,” said Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. “That [goal] was beautiful. That wasn’t pretty, that was beautiful. I think winning any way you can is what playoff hockey is about. It’s always one mistake, one turnover.”