Nothing’s ever easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Bruins are certainly no strangers to that after losing to the Maple Leafs in Game 6. That means that there will be a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday night at the TD Garden, where the winner advances to the next round and the loser’s offseason starts earlier than they’d prefer.
Phil Kessel scored another game-winning goal against his old team to electrify the Air Canada Centre crowd, who rained down “Thank you, Seguin” chants directed at Tyler Seguin his suddenly scuffling Boston teammates. If NHL fans have learned anything from the past, though, it’s that everything is up for grabs in a Game 7.
The Leafs looked like a team playing at full capacity on Sunday night, but a quick turnaround for Monday’s final showdown will test their resilience. If they continue getting superior efforts like the one that resulted in Kessel’s goal, however, it could end up being the Bruins who are tested.
Check out video of the crowd taunting the Bruins in the video below.
Hail to the King
The Maple Leafs weren’t the only team entering Sunday night with their backs against the wall, however. The New York Rangers needed a win of their own against the Washington Capitals to give themselves a chance at winning the series in seven as well. Luckily, they had Henrik Lundqvist on their side.
The Vezina Trophy finalist looked the part against the Caps in his must-win Game 6, notching a 1-0 shutout victory to send the series back to Washington. Alex Ovechkin had a tremendous chance to alter that outcome with five minutes remaining in the second period, but Lundqvist was ready. Watch the play unfold below.
Foot soldiers
As if Game 7 wasn’t enough drama on its own, there appears to be plenty of extra emotion brewing between the Capitals and Rangers to boot. After their Game 6 loss, the Caps were none too pleased with the play of New York winger Derek Dorsett.
Capitals coach Adam Oates and defenseman Karl Alzner accused Dorsett of a slew-foot after the game, when asked to explain a penalty that Mike Green took in the third period by cross-checking Dorsett in the face. The play in question appears relatively innocuous upon a second viewing, but the leftover emotions smoldered for both sides all game.
Once the final whistle sounded on a chippy game, the two teams broke out into a scrum near the New York goal and set the stage for what should be a spirited Game 7. Check out the extracurriculars in the video below.
Poor Tom Wilson
It’s safe to say that more than 18,000 fans (plus players) at Madison Square Garden were laughing at the 19-year-old Washington Capitals rookie on Sunday.
Wilson, playing in just his second NHL game ever, busted a skate blade and the video of him struggling to get back to the bench falls into the class of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” ad campaigns for Life Alert.
Check the moment out in the video below.