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Lightning vs. Capitals: Game 7 live updates
(All times Eastern)
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.
Tom Wilson is no joke.pic.twitter.com/Jm5UzpxNAE
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 24, 2018
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.
Scrum after the whistle blows between the #allcaps and #gobolts pic.twitter.com/QmmBFhzqcG
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 24, 2018
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.
Smith-Pelly gets hit by McDonagh's shot, ouch pic.twitter.com/TKzdeOhHJ2
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 24, 2018
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.
.@ovi8 with a rocket to give the @Capitals an early lead. pic.twitter.com/G5YosWs5wx
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) May 24, 2018
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:
Lightning starters:
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 24, 2018
Palat-Point-Johnson
Hedman-Girardi
Vasilevskiy
Capitals starters:
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Kempny-Carlson
Holtby
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.
WE 👀 YOU D.C.! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Y0iILT4Dsq
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 23, 2018
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:
Capitals in warmup:
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 23, 2018
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly
Stephenson-Beagle-DSP
Orlov-Niskanen
Kempny-Carlson
Orpik-Djoos
Holtby (vs. Vasilevskiy)
Lightning for Game 7: Killorn-Stamkos-Kucherov, Palat-Point-Johnson, Gourde-Cirelli-Miller, Kunitz-Paquette-Callahan; Hedman-Girardi, McDonagh-Stralman, Coburn-Sergachev; Vasilevskiy
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 23, 2018
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.
Usually it's @ovi8 skating the hot lap to start the @Capitals morning skate.
— NHL (@NHL) May 23, 2018
Today, it was Barry Trotz. 😂 #StanleyCup
(Video courtesy Isabelle Khurshudyan/Washington Post) pic.twitter.com/ZVMmdX9Knw
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