The Washington Capitals beat the defending Cup champions Boston Bruins as Joel Ward scored in overtime of Game 7 giving Washington a thrilling 2-1 win.
The Capitals punched their ticket to the second round joining the Philadelphia Flyers in the East.
Two Game 7’s on Thursday night involve the 1. New York Rangers – 8. Ottawa Senators and 3. Florida Panthers – 6. New Jersey Devils.
All seven games during the Bruins – Capitals series were one goal games, setting a playoff record.
The star of the series was Capitals 22 year old netminder Braden Holtby who has come out of nowwhere to solidify the Capitals goaltending position.
Under head coach Dale Hunter, Washington has evolved into a defensive minded team, which has led to Alexander Ovechkin seeing less ice time than he did under Bruce Boudreau.
