Two shots, for the Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Brett Connolly took the first one, fed in the slot by linemate Andre Burakovsky, then Lars Eller got behind Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to shoot in the loose puck that trickled through Fleury’s legs.
That goal, 12:23 into the third period, will forever go down in Washington Capitals’ history – it clinched the Caps’ first Stanley Cup championship, a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday night in Las Vegas.
For the 26-year-old Connolly, a guy from Prince George who played his minor hockey in the city and went on to become a junior star for the Prince George Cougars, having a hand in the Cup-winning goal was sweet redemption. The veteran right winger had bounced around three NHL teams before he found his groove with the Capitals.
“It’s amazing, it’s such a good group of guys and they made it so easy to just come in and play and be comfortable, just friends I’ll have forever now,” said Connolly.
“It’s an amazing moment and I’m just so proud of everyone. These (Washington) fans have been dying for this. It’s going to be a great night.”
In the post-game scrum at T-Mobile Arena, Connolly spoke to Hockey Night in Canada’s Scott Oake, joined on the ice by Connolly’s wife Katrina, his mother Dawn, his father Pat, his brother Josh, and his grandfather from Newfoundland, Richard McDonell.
Oake asked Dawn Connolly for her take on the game and how it unfolded, with the Capitals scoring two goals in the third period to overcome a 3-2 deficit. Devante Smith-Pelly scored at the 9:52 mark to tie the game.
“I’m kind of lost for words,” she said. “It’s amazing, amazing, amazing. They were down by a goal with not a whole lot of time left and here we are. There was never a doubt. I had to take some rosary beads out when they were down by a goal and those rosary beads are getting framed.”
