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.

Misery loves company, literally, and nothing epitomizes that more than the professional sports team in Washington D.C. Some may even say they are cursed. You, the reader, if you’re not from D.C. or don’t know much about D.C. sports teams, you’re probably thinking that’s crazy talk. However, to the fans of these franchises, it’s very much something that gets talked about around town or just amongst the fanbases. Some people who are in their twenties or younger, haven’t even seen any sort of success. No D.C. team has seen a championship since the 1991 Washington Redskins and no squad has even played in either a league championship or a league/conference final since 1998 when the Washington Capitals were in the Stanley Cup Finals. Not a curse, eh? How else can you explain it?

Nationals

The newest of all these teams might be already one of the top heartbreaking clubs for the city. There was baseball in the city, the Washington Senators, from 1901 until 1971 (mind you that there were actually two incarnations of the Senators as the first one moved to Minneapolis to become the Minnesota Twins before the 1961 season and the second one after the 1971 season), but then laid dormant until 2005 when the Montreal Expos moved to the city and became the Washington Nationals. The problem with those 33 years without baseball was that people became fans of team from a city 39 miles to the North on I-95 with the Baltimore Orioles. The Nationals would have a tough task breaking into D.C.

It actually wasn’t too hard as many people seemed like they missed having baseball in the city. Even lot’s of fans of other ball clubs were showing up to games and adopted the Nationals as even a second favorite team. The club became popular and did so quickly. The 2005 season was actually a fun one as the team overachieved and made a run at the playoffs, however, they hit a mid-season swoon and fell out of the race, but finished 81-81. The club then had a few tough years between 2006-2010 where they were so bad, but that was part of the plan as it was a rebuild and things got even better when they hired Mike Rizzo as their general manager as they made some incredible draft picks like landing the best consensus prospect in the draft in Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010 with the number one picks. 2011 was a good year even though it was a losing season as there was promise and the youngsters were developing like Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann.

In 2012, their fortunes turned around as they won 98 games, the NL East Division, and secured the number one seed in the NL side of the playoffs. Their first round matchup in the Division Series was with the defending world champions, St. Louis Cardinals. The Nationals won their first game with the Cardinals, but then proceeded to lose the next two. In Game Four, it was a 1-1 score in the bottom of the ninth and everyone thought this contest was going into extra innings. Outfielder Jayson Werth worked a 13-pitch at bat, but the 13th one thrown was hit over the left field wall for a walk off home run and winning the game for the Nationals tying the series at 2-2. In the Game Five, it looked like the Nationals were headed to the National League Championship Series when they got out to a 6-0 lead. The Cardinals kept chipping away, but by when the ninth inning came, the Nationals still lead 7-5. With two runners on and two outs, it seemed like they were moving on. Closer Drew Storen had two strikes on St. Louis batter Daniel Descalso, but Storen threw a pitch that Descalso hit sharply up the middle and a ball that shortstop Ian Desmond could not handle. Tied game. Next batter was Pete Kozma who would proceed to rope a ball to right field scoring two more runs. Cardinals lead 9-7 in a matter of minutes when they were down to their last strike. The Nationals went down in order in the bottom half of the frame and their season was over. While it was heartbreaking, the fanbase felt hopeful for the trajectory of the franchise.

In 2013, manager Davey Johnson proclaimed that it was “World Series or bust.” The team seemed to even improve their roster by nabbing closer Rafael Soriano off the free agent market and traded for center fielder Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins. It looked promising and they even got off to a great start to the season. However, that would not be the case as they won only 86 games.

The next season, in 2014, the squad had a brand new manager in Matt Williams after Johnson retired and improved their roster with pitcher Doug Fister and their catching depth with Jose Lobaton, then making a trade for infielder Asdrubal Cabrera in the middle of the season to play second base when their up and coming star Anthony Rendon had to replace their franchise star Ryan Zimmerman at third base after Zimmerman injured himself. The team caught fire in the second half including having a win streak of 10 games, finishing the season with 96 victories, the NL East Division title, and the number one seed in the NL. Zimmerman came back in time to play as a vital player off the bench and it looked like they had the best squad in the entire league as they were hitting well and pitching lights out. The team they were playing was the San Francisco Giants who limped their way into playoffs and needed to have a first baseman, who barely played any left field, to start in that position. To say the least, the Giants were depleted and injury-riddled, so it was a perfect opportunity for the Nationals to advance the next round. It didn’t quite go the way they wanted it to go. They lost the first game 3-2, but the hope was still there. In Game Two, the Nationals had a 1-0 lead with two outs and it looked like the series was going to be tied. Giants hitter Pablo Sandoval hit a blooper to left field and tied the game at 1-1. The game would go into extra innings, but what transpired was one of the longest postseason games in MLB history as it went 18 innings. In the top of the 18th, San Francisco batter Brandon Belt drove a pitch into the right field seats to take a 2-1 lead and the game winner. The Nationals were down 0-2 in the series. They won Game Three, but Game Four was do or die. In a tight game, down 2-1 in the seventh inning, Bryce Harper punched a home run out of AT&T Park and the game was tied breathing new life and possibly shifting the momentum. That didn’t last long as the Giants took the lead on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the seventh. Two innings later, the Nationals season was over.

Then in 2015, the Nationals made a slew of moves including a blockbuster signing of the former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to be the ace of their rotation and it looked like they were the team to beat. Despite a slow start to the season, the Nationals went on a huge roll and seemed to be on pace to win the division and nab the number one seed especially behind a breakout season from Bryce Harper who showed how much of a bonafide star he was. However, when did anything ever go right for this team? The club decided to go get Jonathan Papelbon, a top notch closer, midseason from Philadelphia to help make their bullpen better, which had been struggling for a bit. That seemed to make a negative impact on the club as suddenly they started to struggle. The New York Mets then went on a roll and leapfrogged the Nationals for first place for good. The Nationals, however, spiraled into a tailspin that put them even outside of the playoff picture. What symbolized the disaster of the season was in the dugout when an altercation between Papelbon and Harper occurred where Papelbon choked Harper after he felt like Harper wasn’t running enough on a certain play. Papelbon was suspended for the rest of the season. But there it was, another promising season, another disappointing result. Matt Williams was fired at the end of the year and there was another job search for the manager position.

2016 felt different though. They hired Dusty Baker, an accomplished manager over the years with the Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds, to become their newest guy to take the reigns of a talented ballclub. They signed infielder Daniel Murphy, who had a breakout 2015 postseason for the Mets, to be their new second baseman and cleanup hitter. The team took off that season as they were clearly the most complete team in the NL East and won that division pretty convincingly. Deep bullpen, great rotation, phenomenal defense, and productive offense and the club looked like they were good enough to make the World Series as they had the most consistent season out of any NL team, even more so than the eventual World Champions that year, the Cubs. Even though the Nationals did not get the one seed, they had home field advantage in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of course it was a tightly contested series and it all came down to the final game. Scherzer was lights out and the club lead 1-0, but in the seventh inning, it came all crashing down when the Dodgers put four runs on the board as Scherzer and the bullpen seemingly forgot how to pitch. While a two run home run cut the Dodgers lead to 4-3, the Nationals lost once again collapsing in spectacular fashion. That feeling where it felt different? Well, it wasn’t different.

In 2017, the Nationals were clearly the best team in the NL East as every other team in the division was under .500 and the club nabbed the division title easily. During the season, the club suffered a lot of injuries, but even when they weren’t healthy, the Nationals still kept winning as they had a lot of depth. One by one each of those key players who were hurt came back and by the time the playoffs were about to start, the team was fully healthy. In the first round, the defending champions, Chicago Cubs, were their matchup. Though having a good stretch in the second half, the Cubs were clearly not as good as the Nationals. Just like the year before, it was a tightly contested series that came down to the final game. Even though the Cubs got off to an early 1-0 lead, the Nationals came back by putting up a four spot in the second inning. It looked like the franchise was finally going to breakthrough. All that agony Nationals fans had endured over the years seemed to finally be over. Well, what has been the common theme been here? Promise then disappointment. Yeah, that’s what happened here. Again. The Cubs cut the lead to 4-3, but then scored four runs in the fifth in what was a disastrous inning with a passed ball, hits batsman, and two errant defensive plays. It was a very bizarre sequence of events that it was so fitting. There were many chances for the Nationals to get back into the game, but it seemed like the baseball gods didn’t want them to as even though the momentum was on their side cutting the Cubs lead down to one run, it just wasn’t meant to be. In a wacky play in the eighth inning, Jose Lobaton was sliding back into first base on an attempted pick off play, but his foot at one point came off the bag and with Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo keeping his glove on Lobaton the entire time, he was called out when the Cubs challenged the play and the replay proved he was out. Then in the ninth, the Nationals were shut down in order. Once again, more heartbreak and in those bizarre sequences, it epitomizes what every D.C. sports fan had endured over the past two decades.

As one can see here, this is a fanbase that has endured a lot of tragedy, but with even all the promise, it just seemed like destiny was not to be had. But the Nationals aren’t even the most tragic sports team in the D.C. area.

Wizards

The Wizards hadn’t been very successful in 1990s and early 2000s, but once the team acquired guard Gilbert Arenas, it all changed. He and Larry Hughes formed one of the best backcourts in the league. They would make the playoffs in 2004-05 for the first time since 1996-97 and there was a lot of hope. Even though they fell 0-2 to start their series against the Chicago Bulls, they came back to win four straight and made it to the second round to face the Miami Heat where they would get swept. Then in their next three seasons they would make the playoffs and not make it out of the first round. It would take until 2013-14 to make the playoffs again.

In 2013-14, under a new star John Wall, led his team to the playoffs to take on the Bulls in the first round where they won in five games and headed to the second round. They would lose in six games to the Indiana Pacers, but the promise was there as they were an up and coming team.

The next season was even more promising as they picked up veteran player Paul Pierce to help the team grow, which they did. They made it back to the playoffs where they took on the Toronto Raptors and swept them. They took on their division rival, Atlanta Hawks, in the second round and they split the first four games of the series. In Game Five, it was a closely contested game, but in the final seconds of the game Paul Pierce drained a shot to give the Wizards a late lead and seemingly looked to take a 3-2 lead in the series. That would not be the case as the Hawks took the lead with a second left and they lost the game. The Wizards lost Game Six as well in heartbreaking fashion.

The club missed the playoffs the next year, but in 2016-17, they returned and there was a lot more hope. In the first round, they beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games and advanced to the second round. The Wizards played a back and forth series, but ultimately lost to a rising Boston Celtics squad in seven games. That, in and of itself, isn’t too bad. That Game Seven featured Celtics player Kelly Olynyk, of all people, scoring 26 points in a game the Wizards lost by 10 (though that margin masks how close the game was). The Wizards were leading late in the game, but they ultimately fell as D.C. just had two teams lose a Game Seven just within days of one another which made it even harder for the city (the other being the Capitals).

This year represented a fairly typical season for the current iteration of the Wizards (built around John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter): a lot of experts had this Wizards team as a dark horse Eastern Conference finalist and a likely top four seed in the Playoffs. Instead, the Wizards managed to barely squeak in as the 8th seed and lost to Toronto in six games.

What makes this experience frustrating is not that such success (or lack thereof) happened, it’s that it was entirely predictable.

The Wizards are also a mess of terrible chemistry. Wall and Beal famously dislike each other (or at least are reported to) and Wall feuds with random teammates in a very public manner from time to time. When the Wizards rolled out their “everybody eats” strategy of quick passing and off ball movement during Wall’s injury, Wall ended up in a Twitter flame war with his teammate Marcin Gortat. Nothing about this team functions as it should.

Even worse, the Wizards aren’t competently managed and refuse to change in that regard. The Wizards general manager is Ernie Grunfeld, who has held that position for 15 years. Grunfeld has almost nothing to show for that stretch. Grunfeld’s decision’s have also been leaving the Wizards perpetually bereft of draft picks, and spending on contracts that made little sense even in crazy spending years (i.e. Gortat and Ian Mahinmi’s contracts), the Wizards extended Grunfeld, in secret, before the 2018 playoffs began. The Wizards are content to stick with the guy that’s left them with no means of improvement; the team has almost none of its draft picks and little cap space. Keeping Grunfeld after such a humiliating season is the encapsulation of Wizards fandom: a perpetual dedication to the mediocre. While the Nationals and Capitals are underperforming contenders (which is worse), the Wizards can’t even build well enough around one of the NBA’s best backcourts to reach that tier. That is their contribution to D.C. Sports.

Redskins

The Redskins are the darlings of the city. Whenever the Redskins play on Sunday, there is no one out on the streets as everyone is packed at home or at bars watching their team play. Many people around the National Football League might not know this, but the Redskins have one of the most faithful, dedicated, and most passionate fans in the entire league. During the 1970s and 1980s, the team was a model franchise that was steeped in tradition and was rich of winning history. Joe Gibbs was the head coach from 1981 till 1992 and is thought of as a god amongst the fanbase as he took the club to eight playoff appearances, four Super Bowl berths, and three championship trophies. He retired after 1992, but the respect around the league for the franchise was high. Sadly, several years later, that would change. They are also the last team to win a championship for the city back in 1991, 27 years ago.

In 1999, the team was bought by Dan Snyder, a communications marketer with his own business. That was the day when everything went bad for the franchise. Of all the clubs in the city, the one that was most beloved, was the one that started all the heartbreak. The Redskins were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round of the 1999 NFL playoffs after winning their contest against the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round. The game was tightly contested (sensing another pattern here) and it was in the stages of the final seconds where the Redskins had a chance of kicking a field goal to win the game, but the snap was botched and the Buccaneers won the game. It was a 51-yard attempt so it might not have gone through the field goal post, but it’s sort of those weird and wacky plays that the city has seen over and over again in all their sports. The Redskins were the first ones to start that trend.

The next few seasons were bleak for the fanbase as Snyder tried to bring back the winning tradition by nabbing veterans off the free agent market like Jesse Armstead and Deion Sanders, but it seemed like they were all past their primes and never put up any productive numbers. In 2004, Snyder hired Gibbs again to bring back the team to glory, but team fell to another losing record and missed the playoffs. It took until 2005 for the Redskins to make the playoffs, which was a pretty decent team as they went 10-6, but they were never good enough to make a serious run as they lost in the Divisional Round to the Seattle Seahawks (though they did avenge their loss against the Buccaneers in 1999, when they beat them in the Wild Card Round).

The team then made a slew of moves to improve on their success of 2005 for 2006, but that was all for naught as the team went back to their losing ways. In 2007, the team made it back to the playoffs, but barely as they went 9-7. However, during the 2007 season, their prized young star Sean Taylor was shot and killed in a home invasion. It was a rallying cry for the team going into the playoffs, but they lost in the first round.

However, after 2007, the team fell back into oblivion and the team became irrelevant once again.

Then in 2012, it seemed like their fortunes had changed. In the NFL Draft, they had the second pick and decided to take Robert Griffin III, the Heisman winner, to be their everyday quarterback. The city thought that they finally had their franchise quarterback and that there would be long term success. While many didn’t think they would make the playoffs, no one predicted how bad of a start to the season that they had as the team went 3-6. Suddenly, the Redskins caught fire and rattled off seven straight wins to win the East Division title. Their matchup was against Seattle once again, but the Redskins were favorited. They got off to a 14-0 start and it looked like the team was headed to the Divisional Round. However, optimism never works out for people of D.C. and things quickly turned bad. The Seahawks started making progress and started scoring points including taking the lead. While down, the Redskins were still in the game until their prized quarterback, Griffin III (or RG3), injured his knee tearing his ACL, LCL, and meniscus. The entire fanbase held their collective breath as their future suddenly looked bleak after seeing their franchise quarterback go down with a serious injury. The Redskins also wound up losing the game, but the fans were worried more about RG3 than anything else.

The hope was that his knee would fully heal and over the offseason there was a lot of progress in his recovery. Optimism came back to the Redskins faithful, but things were not quite as good as everyone thought.

In 2013 and 2014, RG3 never developed anymore and was seen as a bust. By the beginning of 2015, he was relegated to third string quarterback. However, there was more hope as their backup quarterback, Kirk Cousins, was handed the reigns to be the starter and the team suddenly brought more optimism as they were a young and talented team and won the East Division. Their first round matchup was against the Green Bay Packers and even got off to a 11-0 lead, but because of the Packers experience, they rallied back and defeated the Redskins.

However, there was a lot of hope and the optimism was back, but where has everyone seen that?

Redskins management had a big decision to make, whether to sign Cousins to a long term contract or let him go in the free agent market. The team made the right decision to put the franchise tag on him to see if whether his strong 2015 campaign was a fluke or not. The team also let go of RG3 ending a forgettable era of a failed prospect. It was Cousins’ time to shine.

In 2016, the team got off to a 6-3 start and it looked like they were headed to the playoffs. That didn’t happen, but what happened in the last game of the season was what was even more painful. The Redskins were playing their division rival, the New York Giants who had already clinched a playoff spot and essentially played for nothing in the contest. For the Redskins, all they had to do was win. They played terribly and put themselves in an early hole though they rallied back to tie the game. The Giants took a late 13-10 lead and the Redskins had one last chance to rally again. They moved the ball well, but Cousins threw a ball that was picked off and the playoffs were dashed. While disappointing, there was more optimism that this team was on the right trajectory.

The Cousins contract saga continued as it seemed like the management were still not satisfied and gave him the franchise tag again. But that wasn’t the only other saga happening in the organization as the team decided to fire their general manager Scott McCloughan, who was thought of as a great evaluator of talent. They used his struggles of alcoholism as the reason why they fired him, but it seemed more like it was more of a power struggle than anything. Fans were outraged and many called for president of football operations to be ousted. That never happened.

And finally, in 2017, the team looked like they were off to a really great start and even one executive proclaimed the Redskins to be a really good team, but something happened to the team that hurt them. Literally. Injuries hampered the squad all season long as they signed so many players off the street in order fill in the holes and they were never able to fully play at the healthiest they could have been and not reaching their potential. The team fell to 7-9, but there still was reason for hope until the offseason when the club decided to move on from Cousins by trading for Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith despite three seasons of very productive years from Cousins. Fans, again, groaned about all the incompetent moves this franchise kept making. While there is optimism for 2018, fans are still upset over how the team let a productive quarterback like Cousins go.

Snyder on the other hand has been the absolute worst owner in all of sports even without all the incompetent football moves that were made. He once decided to sue some season ticket holders. He’s also had issues with how The Washington Post covered the team as he didn’t quite like how they were doing their coverage. He seems to not care about interests of the fanbase as he makes decisions that only he wants to see. He has taken this once model franchise into a laughingstock. Just another tragic story for D.C. sports considering they are darlings of the town.

Capitals

Ironically, the most tragic of all the teams in the city are the ones who last made it past the second round in the playoffs back in 1998. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, but no one knew this would be the last time any D.C. team would advance past the second round.

Where this story begins is during the current era of the Capitals, the Rock The Red Era as it’s called. It was started when the team drafted Alex Ovechkin to be their franchise player and what they got was something quite spectacular. He is one of the greatest goal scorer’s in this generation and it’s been awesome to watch. However, in his first few seasons, the team was awful. In the 2007-08 season, the team got off to a terrible start, but the team decided to fire their head coach and hired a man named Bruce Boudreau to be the man in charge. From there, the team then got off on a roll and rallied on to win the Southeast Division. Their first round matchup was against Philadelphia and it went seven games, but they ultimately lost. Game Seven’s have been a common theme for this team so keep that in mind. However, there was a lot of promise with this team.

The next season, the Capitals played some of the best hockey as they won 50 games and nabbed the two seed in the playoffs. They won their first round matchup with the New York Rangers and won that series. Their next matchup would be with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who would also be a common name in this section. The Capitals won the first two games of the round and it looked like they were going to the second round. However, they would lose the next three games and were one game away from being eliminated. The Capitals would win Game Six setting up a Game Seven showdown in D.C. for the right to move to the Conference Finals. The hype was there and many thought it was going to be a classic game, however, if been following along the common motifs of D.C. sports, it didn’t quite go that way as they lost 6-2.

The next season was even better as they won the President’s Trophy (the trophy for the best team in the league that season) with 121 points and the number one seed in the conference. They were leading 3-1 in their first round series against the Montreal Canadiens and it looked like it was they were going to the second round. Well, they didn’t as they would lose their next three games when goaltender Jaroslav Halak for the Canadiens suddenly became impenetrable and were ousted in the first round. The city drowned their sorrows as another promising season was wasted away.

In the 2010-11 season, the Capitals won 48 games, the Southeast Division, and the one seed once again in the conference. Their first round matchup was against the New York Rangers and won with ease as they took the series 4-1. But in the second round, it was once again all for naught as they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Just another disappointing season for the Capitals.

For the 2011-12 season, the Capitals didn’t play well enough to win the division, but they qualified for the playoffs and had a date with the defending champions, the Boston Bruins. It was a hard fought series, but the Capitals came out on top with a dramatic overtime winner from Joel Ward and they moved on to the second round. There they would play the best team in the conference, the New York Rangers, and it was a tightly contested series as it went seven games. The team relied on a young, but up and coming star to play as their starting goalie, Braden Holtby. In Game Seven, it was hard fought, but ultimately lost the game 2-1 and their season was over. However, the hope was that Holby would develop into a top notch goalie. And he most certainly did as he became a Vezina winner (award given to the best goalie that season) later in his career and earned the name Holtbeast.

The 2012-13 season was strike shortened as they would play roughly half of a season, but they would win the Southeast division once again and had the three seed. In the first round they took on the Rangers again and even held a 3-2 lead, but when was it ever easy for this team as they lost the next two, lost the series, ended their season, and another bitter disappointment for the fanbase.

Even more disappointment happened when the next season, the squad didn’t even qualify for the playoffs, but the next year, they came back stronger and earned the two seed in the Metropolitan Division side of the Eastern Conference. There they faced the New York Islanders and grinded out a series victory in seven games to take on the Rangers, who were the best team in the division. The Capitals would win the three of the first four games of the series and it looked like they were on to the next round. Then again, this is D.C. sports and this was seen before. The team would lose the next three games including a stunning 2-1 loss in overtime. Another opportunity to end the drought for D.C. teams and it was squandered.

However, there was more hope as in the offseason they traded for T.J. Oshie, a star player from St. Louis, to pair up with Ovechkin, and it looked like they had the best team in the league. That 2015-16 season proved to be that as they crushed their competition as they earned 120 points and won the President’s Trophy gaining home ice advantage in the playoffs. Their first round matchup was against Philadelphia and won in six games advancing to the second round. There they took on the Penguins for the second time in the playoffs since the Rock The Red Era started. It was expected to be an epic clash and the first game seemed like that was going to happen when Oshie scored a game winner in overtime in dramatic fashion. The hope was there, the optimism was through the roof, and the fans were excited. This seemed different, it didn’t feel like any of the other years. It had to be the year they would win and finally bring a trophy to Washington, D.C. Well, the next three games the Capitals would lose and fell into a 3-1 deficit. They would win Game Five, but would lose in the Game Six in such a crushing way. The season was over just like that.

In 2016-17, it was even higher expectations as they were even better and played better defense that led to another President’s Trophy. Once again they dominated in the regular season and even trading for defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk from St. Louis to improve their defense. Their first round matchup was against the Toronto Maple Leafs and they won that series 4-2. Who was their next round matchup with? The Pittsburgh Penguins, again. The Capitals lost three of the first four games of the series and it looked like the season would end in disappointment once again. However, the Capitals suddenly played like they did in the regular season and won the next two contests in convincing fashion to force a Game Seven, back in D.C. and with the momentum. It seemed like the time had finally come. However, it was just another tragic ending as they lost Game Seven 2-0 despite outplaying Pittsburgh. Just like the season was over, once again.

The Capitals have been the most tragic of all the teams as they have always brought the most hope and to the city, but always it ended with heartbreak. They have been the most successful and have gotten the best opportunity to bring a championship the last two decades than all the other D.C. teams, but have always lost.

What could go wrong always did go wrong for any of the D.C. sports teams. It almost seems statistically impossible for what these teams have done, but it has. And it’s not just only a championship drought, it’s not even being able to play for a league/conference championship that makes it even more hard to digest. Not a curse, eh? Seriously, how else can you explain it?

*As of this article being written, the Capitals currently hold a 3-2 lead in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

*Dan Nicotera contributed to this article in the Wizards section.

One of the most exciting races in our country will take place later today and from looking at the odds, this could be a very close race. Trainers like Bob Baffert dedicate their lives to this race, the creme de la creme of horse racing, and every year the favorites have a hard time winning at Churchill Downs. But with this year, the odds are so crowded that there isn’t a “clear” favorite.

As of this article written, the favorite to win this one is Justify, who’s odds are 7-2  and is in the seven post. While the horse is the distinguished favorite in the field, there are twenty horses. Here is the rest of the field:

2018 Kentucky Derby Odds

HORSE	POST POSITION	ODDS
Justify	7	7-2
My Boy Jack	10	5-1
Audible	5	6-1
Mendelssohn	14	6-1
Good Magic	6	8-1
Bolt d’Oro	11	9-1
Magnum Moon	16	13-1
Vino Rosso	18	15-1
Hofburg	9	25-1
Lone Sailor	8	32-1
Free Drop Billy	2	41-1
Promises Fulfilled	3	46-1
Flameaway	4	51-1
Enticed	12	54-1
Noble Indy	19	54-1
Firenze Fire	1	63-1
Solomini	17	64-1
Bravazo	13	69-1
Combatant	20	77-1
Instilled Regard	15	99-1

*Source: http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/22594819/horse-racing-latest-2018-kentucky-derby-futures-odds

As you can see, it’s a very crowded field and the odds are very close with horses My Boy Jack, Audible, Mendelssohn, Good Magic, Bolt d’Oro, Magnum Moon, and Vino Rosso in striking distance of Justify.

One thing to look after is the conditions of the track. As of this morning, the conditions are fast, which means it’s good running conditions. There is rain in the forecast which could mean the conditions could change and make it slower for the horses to run on. Keep an eye out on this.

So later on today I plan on just grabbing a pint of beer for the race (yeah, I know, it should be mint julep per tradition, but I don’t care for that stuff), kicking back, and enjoying what unfolds in front of me. Who is my favorite to win the race? As cliche as it sounds, I’m going with the favorite here Justify. While the odds are on his side, the conditions look favorable for him. I also suspect this will be a tight race so keep an eye out for that. And let’s see if any horse will lead to a Triple Crown last won by American Pharaoh in 2015.

Here is the seventh 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.

Now that we have moved on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we are down to eight teams, four in each conference as it’s the conference semi-finals. While the teams that are in the conference semi-finals have previously been previewed in our first article, let’s take a look at the matchups in each conference:

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins

This was the series everyone wanted to see. Two powerhouse teams going at it and also how intense the rivalry is between the two squads including their best players in the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, both being the best players in the entire NHL. This will be the third straight season that these two teams have met in the second round of the playoffs and in the two previous ones, the Penguins won. During the regular season, both squads split the season series 2-2. The Capitals are coming off a series where they were down 0-2 and then won four straight against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Penguins won their matchup with in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers in six games by scoring an incredible 27 goals. The biggest question about this series is whether the Penguins still have any energy left in them. It was a grueling series against the Flyers, so can they keep up? The Capitals seem to have more speed in them than they used to which pairs up well with Penguins style of play. Both are offensive juggernauts and this series will come down to goaltending. The Capitals had a small goalie controversy in the first round, but when Braden Holtby took over as the starter, he played really well. Matt Murray is a decent goalie for the Penguins, but Holtby is a Vezina Trophy winner and had a .932 save percentage in the series against Columbus. Having Holtby hot right now is crucial for the Capitals. This series is very even and it comes whoever has the better goaltending wins. However, can the Penguins continue in their quest for a three-peat?

Predictions:

James Rowe: Capitals. I pick the Capitals every year and they always falter. However, I feel really confident about the Capitals chances this year, especially with how Holby played against Columbus. I don’t think Capitals are taking this matchup for granted like they did in the past and will be more prepared than the previous two years. It just feels different, but this will be another exciting series. Is third time the charm for the Capitals? Is this the year the Capitals finally break through and advance and exorcise their playoff demons? Let’s find out.

Tali Raphael: Penguins. I’d rather see the Caps win but I have no faith in them until it all comes to fruition.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins

The Bruins held a 3-1 lead in their series against Toronto, but then lost the next two and were down 4-3 going into the third period. It didn’t look good for them until they scored four goals in the third period and they advanced to the second round. Their reward? The best team in the conference, Tampa Bay. The Lightning won their series against New Jersey in convincing fashion as they beat the Devils in five games. However, the Bruins have matched up well with Tampa Bay this season winning three of the four games played. The Lightning on the other hand have played extremely well especially with Andrei Vasilevskiy having the best save percentage amongst all goalies in the conference minding the net and with the fire power they have, it will not be easy for the Bruins despite a great defense lead by Patrice Bergeron. This could be a really great series as it might go seven games.

Predictions:

James: Tampa Bay. This was a tough decision, but honestly with how Vasilevskiy played minding the net and with just such an outstanding offense, I think Tampa Bay might just squeak by. The Bruins might have the defensive capability to matchup with the Lightning, but with players like Steve Stamkos or Nikita Kucherov leading Tampa Bay’s offense, I feel like might over power Boston’s defense.

Tali: Tampa Bay. So much offensive firepower and a hot Vasilevskiy is a hard combination to counter, and it’s a good combination for the playoffs. Although, it’s not hard to foresee a classical, stalwart Boston playoff performance.

Western Conference

Nashville Predators vs Winnipeg Jets

The President’s Trophy winners, Nashville, advanced to the second round, but they will take on the Jets for the first time in the playoffs. Nashville won the season series by nabbing three of the five contests played. Nashville got a bit of a smack to the face when they took on the Colorado Avalanche and played to six games, but maybe getting a challenge in the first round might help prepare them in their second round matchup with Winnipeg. The Jets might be the colossal matchup that the Predators didn’t want as they can play any type of game whether its a defensive struggle or scoring onslaught. They seem to matchup with anyone. This is also a matchup that shouldn’t happen as not only did both these teams have the best records in the Western Conference, but across the entire league. However, that’s how the system is and that’s what we are going to see. Though because of that, we might see one of the most exciting playoff series in recent memories. The Predators have an advantage with Pekka Rinne as their goalie, but the Jets have a great offense that might even shake up Rinne a couple of times. This might be an absolute classic.

Predictions:

James: Winnipeg. I had a tough time deciding who I thought would win, but after watching Winnipeg play different types of games in their series with Minnesota, I just think they are more well prepared and matchup really well against Nashville.

Tali: Nashville. This is one potent team, firing on all cylinders. Pekka Rinne is a class netminder, and the Predators boast a formidable defence.

Vegas Golden Knights vs San Jose Sharks

The Golden Knights made history as they became the first expansion franchise to win a playoff series in their inaugural season as they swept the Los Angeles Kings. Their reward? The San Jose Sharks who came out of nowhere and swept the Anaheim Ducks. So both teams have had a lot of time to prepare for this series and no one really knows how it will play out. Vegas surprised many this year as no one gave them a chance at being a serious contender. The Sharks added Evander Kane over the offseason, but they basically are the same squad that has been consistently making the playoffs every year except twice since 1997-98 (though obviously not all the same players). However, Kane might have been the answer they needed. How the matchup will be is still a mystery as Vegas has a great offense, but San Jose has awesome depth and defense. Will the magical season for the Golden Knights continue or will the Sharks show off their experience?

Predictions:

James: San Jose. I really want to see the magical run continue for Vegas, but realistically, they are about to play a really good Sharks team who I think was instantly better because of Evander Kane. He just seems to be dynamic and that’s what San Jose needed. Plus, there are a lot of questions about the Golden Knights for this series.

Tali: Vegas. They have been consistently strong at all phases of the game for the entirely of the season.