BROKEN PROMISES - RANGERS ADVANCE TO EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

After losing Game 5, Washington Capitals superstar Center Alex Ovechkin told NHL media,  that he guarantees a Capitals victory in Game 7 over the New York Rangers. Unfortunately, this prophecy did not come to pass. The Capitals lost Game 7 to the New York Rangers by the score of 2-1. Ovechkin made his contribution early, scoring the first goal of the game in the 1st period but afterwards though, Ovechkin was denied on several shots by Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist has given up a 1.6 goals average over the the last three games to top off a Rangers three game winning streak in the Game 7 win and series close out. For the second consecutive season, the Capitals are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the semifinals round. They'll spend much of the off-season evaluating how they allowed a 3-1 series lead to vanish away within a week, costing them a shot at the Stanley Cup.

The New York Rangers will move on to face the Tampa bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals. The Lightning defeated the Rangers all three times they faced-off against each other in the regular season. Though this fact is quite promising, it's relevance will only surface if a similar outcome is to manifest in the post-season. The Lightning averaged a impressive 5 goals per game in the season series and will look to carry that over into the eastern conference finals. The Rangers on the other hand, would like to keep the momentum built from overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the semifinals round to thrust their way into the Stanley Cup Finals. 

Game 1 of the Lightning vs. Rangers eastern conference finals will showcase live from Madison Square Garden Saturday May 16th 1:00 p.m. E.T on NBCSN. NHL fans worldwide can agree that the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been a complete thriller. THE BIRTH LLC supports the NHL and will provide continuous updates throughout the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.