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NHL: 30 best series winning goals in NHL Playoffs history

By Nick Villano

St. Louis Blues left wing Pat Maroon (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game winning goal in double overtime in game seven of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Blues left wing Pat Maroon (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game winning goal in double overtime in game seven of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Derek Stepan
Derek Stepan (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
21. Derek Stepan beats the Capitals

Back in 2015, the narrative for Alexander Ovechkin was that he couldn’t win the big one. He had never been past the second round of the playoffs. Then, he saw himself with a chance to finally make it to the conference finals. The Washington Capitals were playing the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the second-round series. Braden Holtby put up a masterful performance, allowing just one goal in regulation. Ovechkin scored a first-period goal to give his team the lead. Everything was going right.

Then, Kevin Hayes scored in the second period to tie the game. Those same feelings of past playoff failures started to bubble up. That stress got worse when regulation ended. It’s a Game 7 overtime for two franchises that have been full of disappointments, but at least the Rangers have 1994. The Capitals never won a championship in their 40-year history. Oh, before we forget, the Capitals held a 3-1 series lead at one point. They blew a series lead, and now it’s overtime.

The Capitals put up a huge fight at the start of overtime, but nobody could beat Henrik Lundqvist. He just had their number. Holtby was good too until a wrist shot came off the stick of Derek Stepan.

Stepan won the faceoff, got himself in position, watched a shot off the stick of Dan Girardi, and took a shot while Holtby was off-balanced. The Rangers were on their way to kill their demons (which they couldn’t) while the Capitals were going home again. Now, since then, Ovechkin and the Capitals finally won their first Stanley Cup Championship, but at this moment, Capitals fans could only see pain and darkness.

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