Kings vs Blackhawks Game 7: Indescribable Joy

Holy shit.

How do you even put into words the unbelievable happiness and high that I’m feeling? The Kings were a game away from being eliminated just 3 games into the postseason, and yet, here they are, going on to the Stanley Cup Final. Let’s see how they got there.

The first period was a bit of a free-for-all bouncy goal fest. The Blackhawks went up 2 goals in the 1st 10 minutes, one from a Trevor Lewis angle, behind the net shot, and another from a Jonathan Toews power play goal. But no one fret because Jeff Carter is here to save the day on a weird baseball-like tap.

And in the true essence of how back and forth this whole series has been, Justin “Mr. Game 7” Williams scores to tie the game up…only to have Patrick Sharp retake the Hawks lead 12 seconds later on another weird bouncy goal. (Shoutout to Bob Cole being like “What. Is going. On?”)

Tyler Toffoli is left all alone in front of the net to tie it up in the 2nd period only to have Sharp once again, regain the lead with a minute and change left in the period. I’m sensing a horrible trend here.

After a second period that saw only 4 shots from the Kings, they came back swinging in the third with a great play by Dustin Brown to wait until Gaborik made it in front of Crawford and then throw a shot on net for Gaborik to scoop up and tie the game.

A last second flurry by the Hawks looked dangerous for a second, but was beautifully stopped by Jonathan Quick to force overtime.

OVERTIME. In all caps because this took years off my life. Wellness checks on Kings and Blackhawks fans everywhere. Every time the Blackhawks had the puck in the Kings’ zone, I was in agony and under a blanket. But in the end, it was another weird bounce (thanks Nick Leddy!), and history was made as the Kings became the 1st team in NHL history to win Game 7 in the first three rounds.

Also, this gif forever. It’s like “Where’s Waldo,” where you keep watching it, and you find something new and delightful each time.

What a game. What a series. Four more wins. Believe.

We recorded our podcast last night, but well after the final goal because we both needed time to collect our thoughts and feelings.