Again!? Again.

Let me get this out of the way before we go any further, there is no parity in the NBA. Golden State and Cleveland again for the NBA Finals!? For the fourth freaking year in a row!? And I’m crazy for not liking the league?

The NBA has the most talent in the world, so this should not be happening every year. There should be parity. So why does this keep happening? This is not meaning to take away how talented both teams are, they absolutely are very talented, but in terms of talent on any of the rosters, they were not the best teams in their respective conferences.

Every one knows that I have publicly admitted for why I don’t like the NBA. Just read that link to refresh on why I don’t, but this is getting boring. Now I get it, having LeBron James or Steph Curry playing in the NBA Finals because they are one of the top names in the sport, which is great for the ratings (and the league does an exceptional job of marketing these guys) play in the championship, but I’d rather watch other teams (and that should be emphasized) that truly play the game rather than have squads led by these one man shows in these NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets would be a lot better than having the Warriors or the Cavaliers in the Finals for sure. Even the result of this year’s NBA Finals was predictable and the whole series was boring.

The other thing that gets me is the officiating. It’s horrific. Even I could call a better game than what these referees have been calling. It truly feels like that the referees wanted this matchup to be the one every year because they know it’s helps the image of the league, but the league has also alienated a lot of people from their fanbase. I being one of them. Get better officiating and maybe I’ll come back. But at this point it even feels like a conspiracy. I thought we were done with the Tim Donaghy-like refereeing in the sport.

I am so done hearing about how much a whiner LeBron James is or if whether Draymond Green will do something stupid. It’s drama and drama helps boost the ratings, I get it, but I am there to watch basketball and that’s it. It feels like I am watching a reality TV show rather than a sport. If I wanted to watch a reality TV show, I might as well watch Jersey Shore re-runs on VHS (however, I am a sucker for Kitchen Nightmare).

And I don’t even want to hear about the whole Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers argument. Those guys actually had stiff competition to even win their conferences as they had to beat some really good squads. The last four years, this season was the closest it’s ever been for Cleveland or Golden State to even win their conferences, but it was predictable what the outcome was going to be. It felt scripted. When the Celtics and Lakers were doing it, it didn’t feel scripted. It was just remarkable. Besides, their teams would foul out every game if they played in this era. Had the Cavaliers or Warriors done it in the same fashion as Los Angeles and Boston, I’d have more respect and be a bit more incentivized to watch.

So here is a recommendation to the NBA: Please find a way to make me excited about the NBA Finals again. Make me love your league again. With stuff like this going on, you have to know that you will lose more fans. Just do something about it. Take advantage of the amount of talent you have in the league.

This isn’t even debatable any more as evidenced by this year’s Finals, once again, the NBA just is not great. Might have the best talent, but it just isn’t great. It’s boring. I can’t wait till college basketball starts up.

First and foremost, it will feel weird that my country will not be participating in the World Cup. While they should be there, they deserve not to be with the way the players played and the coaches coached. It was a disaster and I am sad that I cannot root for the U.S. in the World Cup, but needless to say I do look forward to seeing the games in the tournament. That being said, even without my home country in the World Cup, it not only feels weird to see some other nations not participating, but it feels weak.

There are some notable squads that did not qualify for the World Cup like Ghana and Chile, but there were two other powerhouse nations like Italy and the Netherlands to not make it. In fact, not even seeing the Ivory Coast or Wales (especially with how strong of a showing they had in the 2016 Euros) in the World Cup is a bummer. It also raises whether if World Cup qualifying should be changed. While I would prefer the top 32 nations in the world to make the tournament, the system is fair. Those teams I mentioned who got knocked out didn’t deserve to be in the tournament simply because they didn’t play well enough too. And that’s a shame. I would like to see Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal play in this tournament. Gareth Bale should be in there. Even Christian Pulisic should be playing, but alas, none of them are and because of that I feel like this might be the worst World Cup to ever be assembled.

When I looked at all the groups, none of them, and I mean none of them, looked like a clear “Group of Death.” And there are too many groups like Group D in which Argentina is clearly favorited to win and it’s a free for all for the second team to get out with no clear favorites. While this could become the most dramatic World Cup, the overall quality is low. The group that I will be watching is Group F consisting of Mexico, Germany, Sweden, and South Korea as that might be the closest one to being the “Group of Death,” however, Germany is the clear favorite to win. The quality is simply not there. I mean the “Group of Death” with USA, Germany, Portugal, and Ghana in the 2014 edition was so strong that any of those teams had a realistic shot of advancing, but also even winning the group. Without a doubt all four of those squads were so good they could have won in another group or at least advance with ease especially if it was this World Cup. That was a very difficult group, the toughest I’ve ever seen. However, there were two other groups in that World Cup like Group B with Spain, Netherlands, Chile, and Australia, and also there was Group D with Uruguay, England, Italy, and Costa Rica. Like holy moly those are hard groups too.

I love watching soccer and I look to seeing how competitive it is as it’s the best competition in the sport, but this year might not be as exciting as the ones before. While it will be easy for me to watch it as I enjoy the sport a lot, it will be weird not seeing my home country in the competition. But in terms of the quality, I might not be as excited for it as everyone is usually every four years.

Here is the ninth episode of The Unlucky Irishman podcast. Music is A Taste Of Silver by Until The Ribbon Breaks. The Stats of the Day are provided by ESPN Stats & Info Twitter feed. Produced by Ashley Maciag and Boomer Dangel. Host is James “Preacher” Rowe.

Israel Folau is one of the best Australian rugby players in the world, however he might now be the most controversial after making an anti-gay remark on an Instagram post last month. Folau, a back for the Waratahs and for the Wallabies, has always made it known that he is anti-gay marriage as he is a firm believer in Christianity. In 2017, in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, he put down that he did not support same-sex marriage, but that’s not what made him controversial. On April 4, an Instagram user commented and asked Folau what God’s plans were for gays and Folau responded with “HELL.. Unless they repent their sins and turn to God.” Folau would later write a column titled “I’m A Sinner Too” for PlayersVoice.com.au (a website similar to Players’ Tribune here in the United States) explaining his reasons as to why he said what he said on that Instagram post. Rugby Australia will not sanction Folau.

I come from a country where free speech is protected, but not of consequences. If I was to make an anti-gay remark, I would not be imprisoned by the feds, but I would be likely fired from my job. Last year in Major League Baseball, an outfielder named Kevin Pillar for the Toronto Blue Jays, used an anti-gay remark towards an opposing player, and was suspended for two games by his own team. He wasn’t imprisoned, he simply faced consequences.

Players in any sports are role models for kids. Plain and simple. When anyone makes remarks like that, kids will think that it’s okay to say such things. Not everyone is a Christian and not everyone has the same views as Folau does as some parents who don’t agree with Folau will genuinely be upset with what he said. Folau should have kept that to himself. Another big problem is sponsorships. If Folau has any sponsorships that don’t share the same values as Folau, he could risk them pulling their sponsorships. Not only could it affect Folau, it could also affect Rugby Australia and their sponsorships like Qantas.

There hasn’t just been some public outcry by rugby fans, even some other players have called him out. TJ Perenara, a halfback for the Hurricanes and All-Blacks, said in a Twitter thread criticizing Folau:

“I’d like to add my voice to the conversation currently taking place. As professional rugby players, whether we like it or not, we are role models for a lot of young people. Notably, young Māori and Pasifika people. You don’t need to look far to know that young Māori/PI are overrepresented in youth suicide statistics and, as I understand it, even more so when you look to those who are part of the Rainbow community. Comments that cause further harm cannot be tolerated. Let it go on record that I am 100% against the comments that were made by Israel. It was not ok to say that. It’s not an attitude I want to see in the game I love. There is no justification for such harmful comments. To anyone, young Māori/Pasifika people especially, who may be struggling with their identity – please know that it is ok to be you. You are perfect as you are. Do not let these comments keep you from being yourself. Polynesia has been sexually diverse since forever.In the mean time, I have donated to the #NZFalcons campaign to support their involvement in the @BinghamCup2018 in June, the world championship of gay and inclusive men’s and women’s rugby.”

Here is another one by Brad Weber, a half back for the Chiefs and has one cap for the All-Blacks, said this about Folau’s comments:

“Kinda sick of us players staying quiet on some of this stuff. I can’t stand that I have to play this game that I love with people, like Folau, who say what he’s saying. My cousin and her partner, and my Aunty and her partner are some of the most kind, caring & loving people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. To think that I play against someone that says they’ll go to Hell for being gay disgusts me.”

In a meeting with Rugby Australia, Folau expressed that he did not intend to upset anyone or hurt the game. Well, guess what Folau? You did hurt some people with your comments. You should’ve thought of that before you said what you said. Folau has also expressed that he would walk away from the sport before he betrayed his faith. That’s fine, but no one was telling him he should.

I don’t agree with Folau’s comments and views, but I think that’s mostly because I believe in inclusion of any individual. I whole heartedly support the LGBTQ community and when I was last playing rugby, we played against a team that was a gay club, so when I hear people say something like that, it makes my blood boil. I respect that he doesn’t agree with it and sees it as a sin, but making an inflammatory remark on a group of people publicly is what gets me.

Also as someone who has worked in sports public relations, the best thing he could’ve done is just not to respond to a comment like that. The individual may have genuinely been asking what Folau thought, but when I see that I think that it could be someone luring him into a trap hoping that he would say something controversial. If that was the case, the person succeeded.

What I also think is wrong here is that Rugby Australia did not do anything to punish him for it. I would be a lot harsher than a lot of people and would have terminated his contract despite how talented he is. However, there needed to be something done about it and I think doing something like having him do some community work with the LGBTQ community would be a good start.

Ultimately, I really think Rugby Australia messed up here with a huge PR mess. Folau also should have kept those comments to himself as it not only hurts himself, but also the sport and the people who sponsored him. It may be his opinion, but sometimes opinions should not be made public as nightmares like this could arise.

We finally have it! The City Council of Cincinnati, as announced by councilmen P.G. Sittenfeld and David Mann, agreed to a site and the West End neighborhood will be where the new stadium is going to be built for FC Cincinnati. What will happen according to a bizjournals.com article is that:

• “FC Cincinnati would build its $200 million stadium at the site of Cincinnati Public Schools’ Stargel Stadium as well as pay for a new high school stadium in the southwest corner of Ezzard Charles Drive and John Street.
• The club will pay $25 million in taxes to the Cincinnati Public Schools, the full payment in lieu of taxes to the school district that any other commercial development that receives a tax abatement would make – 25 percent of the total millage on the stadium site.
• The club will donate vacant residential West End land it acquired in the northwest corner of Ezzard Charles Drive and John Street to a private developer who will build $15 million and 162 units of affordable housing there in partnership with the city. Concerns over displacement of existing low-income residents has been the primary fear in the West End regarding the stadium and something Sittenfeld said was foremost in his mind. When Interstate 75 was built and wide swaths of the neighborhood were demolished, tens of thousands were displaced.
• The team and the city will strike a community benefits agreement with West End neighborhood groups, the details of which are expected to include infrastructure improvements in the neighborhood, a residential parking permit program, mitigation of noise, light, litter and other issues as well as $100,000 annually in funding from the club to community groups in perpetuity. Those groups will include Little Senators Youth Sports, the creation of a West End Athletic Association, a Mortar West End entrepreneurs program and the Q Kidz dance group, according to Sittenfeld.”

The plan was endorsed by former Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory (infamously known for his horrendous first pitch on Reds Opening Day in 2007), five heads of major labor unions, and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

All sounds fine and dandy right? Not really. While it’s great for the team and possibly the neighborhood, it could cause some consequences. In the bizjournals.com article, here is a block quote as to what could cause some problems:

“Keith Blake, president of the West End Community Council, whose members voted down the idea of locating the stadium in the neighborhood, said it would take more talks between stakeholders to build the trust needed to change attitudes.”

The West End neighborhood is not particularly keen on having them there either. The intention is also help build up the neighborhood too and even hope it brings jobs. Sounds great, but the neighborhood didn’t want them.

There’s a perfect place for that stadium across the river in Newport, Kentucky which was a great spot and the town wanted them too. There were bars on the other side of the river back in the city at The Banks where people could grab food and drinks, and even back over in Kentucky with Newport on the Levee and Covington where there are more places to eat and drink. But nope, the team didn’t want that place for some odd reason. It was the logical place for the stadium and yet it wasn’t taken upon. I have to say if Newport really wanted them and West End didn’t, you have to go to Newport.

Why a stadium was needed as prerequisite to join Major League Soccer is beyond my comprehension as well. The city has proven it could handle a professional soccer team and it even has a huge fan base here. A stadium down the road is fine and I agree with, but just to get into the League is what I think is ridiculous.

With the expected announcement of getting a MLS team later today is great for the city, but when I attend the Announcement Party down at Fountain Square, there is definitely going to be a bad taste in my mouth after all what was discussed here. I feel like we have been extorted into getting a team and I also feel like that all sides were not heard before making the final decision.

Otherwise, I’m glad that all this drama is over. Bring on MLS soccer.

So here we are finally, the most improbable Stanley Cup Finals matchup possible. An expansion team in their inaugural season, Vegas Golden Knights, and a team that has always underperformed in the playoffs in it’s history, Washington Capitals, will be facing off against one another for their first championship in franchise history.

Outside of the fact of how unique this matchup is, this should be a great one. One of the key matchups will be the goalie situation as Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has had a historic performance in these playoffs while Capitals netminder Braden Holtby has been on fire with even shutting out a Tampa Bay offense that has a lot of fire power in both game’s Six and Seven of the Eastern Conference. Fleury does have history against the Capitals when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but whomever’s goalie is the hottest will most likely determine who wins.

The Capitals have been the best team in the playoffs on the road, but the Golden Knights also have been the best at home so that could be a huge factor right there.

Both offenses are good, but the Capitals might have the best one as Alex Ovechkin as been playing exceptionally well and Evgeny Kuznetsov has been on fire scoring 24 points in the 19 games they have played.

Outside of everything else mentioned, this is a very evenly matchup Final as either team could win. Both can forecheck well and both have lot’s of speed. The defenses are both great and there is a ton of depth on both teams. And another thing to look for is penalty killing as both teams have been exceptional at it. Both teams also grind it out which could make this the most exciting Final since Vancouver-Boston in 2011. Vegas did win both of the matchups during the regular season.

Predictions

James Rowe: Every time I bet against Vegas, they win. They keep proving me wrong. While there is a strong case to make for picking them, I just think the Capitals have been playing better of late. Vegas might be the better team, but the Capitals have been exceptional this postseason and as a native of the city, it feels like destiny. The Capitals will win in seven games.

Tali Raphael: Capitals in six. Too much talent working very well together, hot defense right now that seems unlikely to best.

It’s over. The stupidest drought in sports is finally over. A Washington D.C. sports team is finally playing for a chance at a championship. Pretty stupid right? That’s how us D.C. natives feel about it, but it feels awesome that we can finally see one of our teams advance to even see a championship round. Heck, it wasn’t even just playing in a championship round, it was to even contend for a conference/league championship. I wrote an article about the curse which should help if you’re not a D.C. Go ahead and read that if you don’t understand The Curse.

The irony behind this all is how the team that has given the fans the most heartbreak, the Washington Capitals, were the ones that ended the drought. It only seemed fitting. However, it didn’t come easy. The first part of the curse to be broken came against their arch-nemesis and back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion, the dreaded Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, the team that had given the faithful Capitals fans so many painful memories. This was as good as any of a time to exorcise some demons. While the series ended in six games, the sixth one, in Pittsburgh, was most certainly the most tense any fan had ever felt. The contest just had to go into overtime. At any given moment, the game could end depending on whoever scored first. The city had seen situations like this before and this caused many to become nervous. Scenarios started running through every fans’ head. What if the Penguins won and then won Game Seven? What if all our hopes were let down, yet again?

I was sitting on my couch watching nervously. I almost didn’t want to watch, but knew I had to. Suddenly, Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov slotted the puck underneath the legs of Penguins goalie Matt Murray and slid right into the back of the net. “The Capitals won? The Capitals won!”

I jumped in jubilation. They finally advanced to the conference championship. I was so overjoyed like as if they had just won the Stanley Cup. I finally could watch my hometown compete at for a chance at a conference/league championship. There was one person I immediately thought of, my friend Angie, one of my dearest friends and engaged to not only one of my best friends, but also my oldest friend. She had endured more pain and suffering than anyone I knew as she is the biggest Capitals fan anybody could imagine. I just had to give her a phone call. I couldn’t tell over the phone if or how emotional she was, but I could tell she was finally relieved that they actually advanced. She even said that she didn’t even care if they didn’t make the Stanley Cup, but the fact they actually broke through was all she cared about (though obviously she wants them to win the whole thing, but you get the point).

But, it was not over quite yet as they still had some work to do. They had to finally break it totally. Their next opponent was against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were the best team in the conference all year long. I didn’t think they would get past them, but the Capitals did just beat Pittsburgh so maybe it could happen. In the first two games, the Capitals won convincingly and took a 2-0 lead in the series. Maybe, just maybe they could do it. But in D.C., you just knew something bad was right around the corner. Tampa Bay would come back strong and win the next three games. Maybe the hockey gods decided that the series win against Pittsburgh was calling it even. Maybe the curse would never end. Every year we thought that it was going to be different, but it turned out to be more of the same. Losing that 2-0 lead in the series to fall to a 3-2 deficit just felt like it was more of the same. The Capitals would win Game Six 3-0, but there still had to be one more played. Another freaking Game Seven. That game had haunted so many fans in the D.C. area as that hearing it only makes them cringe. It just had to go to a seventh game. That entire game I was locked in. My adrenaline was jacked up and even every little pushing and shoving match that occurred had me pumped up. The Capitals were playing so well, the best I have ever seen them play at any point in my Caps viewing history. That showed, as so many shots that the players on the team went out of their way to block and even forward Tom Wilson showing some passion and leadership as he got into a fight with a Lightning player after coming out of the penalty box. It was simply incredible to see how they were playing. Despite being out played in the first two periods, the Capitals won 4-0 in convincing fashion. I sat there with the final seconds clocking down thinking to myself “Is this really happening?” It finally happened. Along with many others, I am finally going to see a team from my hometown compete for a championship for the first time in 20 years.

It was so fitting that the team that brought the most heartbreak to the city was the one who finally ended the curse. It was especially fitting that it was against the Penguins, a team that had haunted them in the playoffs so many times (and that Game Six ended in overtime at Pittsburgh in front of all their fans), against the Lightning who they had never beaten in the playoffs before, and they were able to exorcise two demons (the Penguins and Game Sevens). It couldn’t be any sweeter.

The pouring of emotions from everyone in the city was honestly one of the greatest moments I’ve witnessed as a D.C. sports fan as 20 years is a very long time. We’ve all have had to endure so many painful memories, but they all seem distant now. Yes, there is still one more thing to accomplish: a championship. However, the curse is over and we all can finally enjoy this momentous occasion.

One parallel that I could compare this to is the Boston Red Sox in 2004. While the length of a drought was nowhere near in terms of the D.C. curse and other reasons why it’s a bit different, it was more so the context how both teams got over the hump. The Red Sox had finally vanquished their Arch-Nemesis, the New York Yankees and even came back from a 0-3 deficit (Capitals beating the Penguins and them coming back from a 2-3 deficit to the Lightning) and then finally beat a team they had never defeated in the playoffs before, St. Louis Cardinals, to determine a championship (Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Championship) as they won the World Series for the first time since 1918. Red Sox fans had gone through so much heartbreak that when it looked like the baseball gods were finally going to give them something to celebrate, something bad always happened. They had grown accustomed to assuming the worst was going to happen and to have their hopes dashed (prime example of this was the ninth inning of the 1986 World Series). Sound familiar D.C.?

This is not the best team that the franchise has ever assembled, but it is now officially the most accomplished. We will never be able to finger point the reasons why the teams before always faltered, but it doesn’t matter anymore. We will never be able to understand why all four major sports teams in the city were never able to succeed in the playoffs when the teams that were assembled were very talented, but it doesn’t matter now. The curse is finally over. While there are three other teams in the city that still need to get over the hump, the people of the city can finally have a reason to celebrate. People from outside of D.C. will never understand the magnitude of this, but if you know someone from the city who is a fan of D.C. sports, you should ask them how they felt the night the Capitals won the Eastern Conference Championship.

How did I feel after all this? Disbelief. Excited. Overjoyed. While there are bigger fans of the Capitals out there than myself, I got emotional. Tears were shed. But they were happy tears. I immediately thought of all my friends who experienced more heartbreak. I thought about all of those moments we had gone through that were so painful. But most importantly, I thought about the city. I love my hometown to death and I am so proud to call myself a Washingtonian. I may not live there now, but if an opportunity came up for me to move back, I would take it. All I wanted was what was best for the city. Heck, even if the Capitals don’t win the Stanley Cup, just to see my hometown host a major championship is all I really wanted. The drought of winning a title is a different story, though in later years, if it continues, it could be something more to talk about, but for right now, let’s celebrate this.

Every year we said it was going to be different, but it was more of the same. This year? Even though we were cautious to say it, we all knew what we felt. This time it was different.

Here is a video that has shown all the heartbreak of D.C. Sports for the past two decades. If you never understood, this will help.

The Champions League might be one of the best sporting events in the world. My first experience watching it was in 2009 when FC Barcelona defeated Manchester United. I grew up a Lionel Messi fan and was, at that point, a casual fan of Barcelona (though however I became a bigger fan later). As the years went on and the more and more I watched of soccer, the more interested I became in the Champions League and I have to say, I absolutely love it.

Outside of the World Cup, it is my favorite competition in soccer (not including the regular season of the Premier League). It is so much fun to watch teams from other countries, the top ones in their respective leagues, and see them go at it. So teams like Barcelona facing against another top team like Inter Milan, Manchester United, Bayern Munich or even their arch nemesis Real Madrid is what makes the Champions League so great. It can’t get any better.

I am a fan of Everton so seeing both Real Madrid and Liverpool in the Final that will be played today is something I absolutely despise. That being said, I really hope that this will be a fun match as usually the Finals are the best games to be played at any competition in soccer. However, I wish it wouldn’t end as it truly is spectacular and so much fun to watch.

Here is the eighth episode of The Unlucky Irishman podcast. Music is A Taste Of Silver by Until The Ribbon Breaks. The Stats of the Day are provided by ESPN Stats & Info Twitter feed. Produced by Ashley Maciag and Boomer Dangel. Host is James “Preacher” Rowe.

Eastern Conference Finals

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning

The Washington Capitals have finally advanced to a conference final for the first time since 1998 after finally beating the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their reward? The best team in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning. After losing the first game of their series against the Boston Bruins, the Lightning came back to win it in five games. Tampa Bay might be the most complete in the entire conference as they are both physical and very fast. Their goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has one of the best save percentages in the conference, but the Capitals also have an elite netminder in Braden Holtby and has been playing very well of late. Both defenses have been very good in the playoffs as that could be the difference in this series. While the Lightning are physical, so are the Capitals including getting their enforcer Tom Wilson back from suspension and actually matchup well in that department. The biggest question will be if Nicklas Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky for Washington will be healthy enough to play in this series as those are key contributors to a potent offense for the Capitals. Tampa Bay also boasts a lot of fire power with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov leading the offense. The Lightning won two of three games in their regular season series this year.

Predictions

James Rowe: Tampa Bay. As great as it was to finally see the Capitals exorcise their demons, this magical journey sadly ends here as Tampa Bay is really freaking good. Even though the Capitals match up well in the physicality part of the game, they tend to struggle against speed and the Lightning have more of that than even Pittsburgh has. Though it could go seven games

Tali Raphael: Capitals. With the justification that the Capitals have a huge monkey off their back and a confidence surge.

Ryan Corbin: Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay lightning come into this series after handily smothering any attempt at offense by the Boston Bruins.  Tampa boasts the deepest and most talented blueline in the NHL featuring the likes of Victor Hedman, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, and Anton Stralman in their top 4.  Not have they smothered the life out of opposing offenses, they have one of the most productive lines in hockey headlined by Nikita Kucherov, and captain Stephen Stamkos.  To make things worse for the Washington Capitals, this is a well-rested Tampa team having dispatched both the New Jersey Devils, and Boston Bruins in 5 games each, where as Washington had a tough 1^st round match-up with the Columbus Blue Jackets, as well as extremely physical, hard-fought 7 game series with the reigning champs in Pittsburgh.  It’s nice to see Washington finally break into a conference final round, however I believe the train stops here.

 

Western Conference Finals

Vegas Golden Knights vs Winnipeg Jets

Not many would’ve seen this series coming especially seeing the Golden Knights make it this far. They keep surprising, but they are also riding a hot hand on Marc-Andre Fleury’s performance so far minding the net as he is putting up a historic like performance this postseason. The Jets have been playing extremely well however as they have Connor Hellebuyck guarding the net and faced off against a potent Nashville offense. They seem to play any type of game that is thrown at them and it might hurt Vegas in this situation. However, the Golden Knights have been surprising everyone and have momentum going into the series, so Winnipeg cannot take them for granted. On paper, it may not seem like an even matchup, but once they begin playing, it will be seen what type of series we are in store for. Vegas won two of three games played in the season series between the two. Also, whoever wins this series will be making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Predictions

James: Winnipeg. Watch me be wrong for a third straight time, but after watching Winnipeg this past round, they really impressed me enough to say that they are going to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Sure Fleury maybe having a historic like performance in the playoffs, but Hellebuyck has been awesome too and faced a better offense than Fleury did. I just think this incredible season for Vegas ends in this round.

Tali: Vegas. They have an immense amount of talent and a hit netminder in Fleury.

Ryan: I have been waiting for this matchup since the beginning of the playoffs.  In my opinion these are the two most well-rounded, versatile teams in the Western Conference bracket.  I have been naïve in the past and have continuously doubted the Golden Knights and wrote them off as a cute Cinderella story that had overachieved. Cinderella no more; these guys are for real.  I am a firm believer that a hot goaltender can not only steal you games, but entire series, and that is the type of netminder that Marc-Andre Fleury has been this postseason.  The last of this caliber that comes to mind is Tim Thomas who won the cup for the Boston Bruins in 2011 with a historic run of his own.  Both teams have similar high-octane offenses that are capable of scoring at a moments notice, and Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been on a brilliant run of his own, and that is what this series will come down to.  My prediction is Vegas in 7, but if Hellebuyck matches or exceeds the play of Fleury, it could go either way.