One could understand if you, like me, thought last year’s championship meant that we would somehow be immune from the flu-like delirium/anxious firestorm that is a hockey playoff game seven. We were both wrong. This was bonkers. It’s unbelievable we do this to ourselves.

But hey, let’s talk about Caps and Canes Game Seven, and the end of the back-to-back dream.

Andre Burakovsky was first to score, capping off a great forecheck by the third line. Alex Ovechkin made some next-level moves to assist Tom Wilson for another first-period goal.

Sebastian Aho got a great rebound to score a shorthanded goal in the second, but Evgeny Kuznetsov responded with his first goal of the series. Teuvo Teravainen got a loose puck in the slot to keep the Caps lead to one goal after forty minutes.

Jordan Staal tied the game early in the third, pushing us into sudden-victory overtime. Twenty minutes of extra time didn’t give us an answer. But then, more than halfway into double overtime, Brock McGinn got a sneaky winner to end the Caps’ season.

Caps lose. Canes win the series 4 to 3.

• Alex Ovechkin looked like a kid again. Like a 235-pound, bloodthirsty kid. He dominated every shift and made one of the best plays of his thirties to set up Tom Wilson for a goal.
• The Wilson goal followed another beautiful event: The first goal of the series from our ne’er-do-well nephew Andre Burakovsky.
• I like Brett Connolly, but in the first period he had a semi-breakaway in the slot and chose to pass to the wing instead of shooting and if we had gulags in 2019 America for hockey players who make choices I don’t like then he should be sent to one of those.

Brett Connolly is questionable to return (in hockey jail forever for ludicrous pass). He will be re-evaluated in 8-10 months but he will be allowed to vote because it'd be bonkers to strip him of his rights just because his pass was criminal. pic.twitter.com/PlGYfX46cu

— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 25, 2019

• (P.S. Shout out to the guy who typo’d “stick to jorts” in a reply to that tweet.)
• We can debate how good Evgeny Kuznetsov had been in the series before Game Seven,  but he delivered a big goal at the right time on Wednesday night. I’m glad the bird came back.
• There were TJ Oshie chants and an appearance by the man himself. Awesome stuff.

“TJ OSHIE!” chants have broken out. pic.twitter.com/P901d6z9vb

— Rudy Gersten (@DCBarno) April 25, 2019

• In the second period Lucas Wallmark horse-tackled Brooks Orpik and Warren Foegele high-sticked Nick Jensen to draw blood. No calls on either, but then in overtime Brett Connolly totally got away with a delay-of-game penalty. Calvinball.
• With a dive Canes forward Brock McGinn saved a would-be game-winner late as a loose puck danced along the goal line. Heartrending in hindsight.
• Overtime was a fiasco. The Caps got bodyslammed for twenty minutes. It was the Lex Luger/Yokozuna aircraft-carrier moment in a loop. Punishment, then start over, then punishment again. The inevitable sure took its time getting here.

The final #JoeBSuitOfTheNight of the season. Superb pocket squares. pic.twitter.com/GU7DjaKPLC

— GTPete 🌮 Loffs Edition (@peterhassett) April 24, 2019

It doesn’t get more brutal than this. The season is over.

Congrats to the Canes.

We’ve got a LOT to discuss coming up, but for now, let’s take a deep breath and get some sleep. Love y’all.

Full RMNB Coverage of Game Seven

Headline photo: Patrick Smith