Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Capitals, Lightning ready for Game 7

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the 2018 NHL postseason. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals will play Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Wednesday. It's the fourth straight season the Eastern Conference Final has gone to a Game 7.

What's on tap

-- Are you experienced? The Lightning certainly are when it comes to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, having lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 after defeating the New York Rangers in 2015. The Lightning are 5-2 all-time in Game 7s; the Capitals are 4-11. The winner plays the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.

Here's the story

'Biggest game in our life'
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is
one win from playing in the Stanley Cup Final
for the first time in his 13 seasons in the NHL. He doesn't want to waste the opportunity in front of him.
Been there, done that
Playing in Game 7 is
nothing new
to many members of the Lightning.
All night long
Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant doesn't have a rooting interest in Game 7. He just
hopes it's a long, hard-fought battle
, and he wouldn't mind if it went two or three overtimes.

Game 7 facts

Four Lightning players (Braydon Coburn, Dan Girardi, Alex Killorn and Chris Kunitz) have scored a game-winning goal in a Game 7. Kunitz scored at 5:09 of double overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.
Six Lightning players have at least five Game 7 wins in their NHL careers: Anton Stralman (7-1), Ryan McDonagh (6-1), Girardi (6-2), Kunitz (6-3), Coburn (5-2) and Ryan Callahan (5-2). Each has at least one Game 7 win against the Capitals with other teams.
The Capitals will play in their 11th Game 7 since the beginning of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's the most among all teams in that span.
Washington forwards Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are set to make their 11th career Game 7 appearances, one fewer than Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (12) for the most among active NHL players. In addition to Chara, five other players in NHL history have appeared in more Game 7s: Patrick Roy (13), Scott Stevens (13), Glenn Anderson (12), Ken Daneyko (12) and Stephane Yelle (12).
Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, who enters the game Wednesday on a nine-game point streak (14 points; six goals, eight assists from May 3-21), scored the winning goal in the Capitals' most recent Game 7 victory, a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders in the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round.

Game 7 trends

Of the 171 all-time Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
The team that scores first is 127-44 (.743), including 1-1 in 2018.
Home teams are 100-71 (.585), including 1-1 in 2018.
Forty-one have required overtime (24.2 percent). Home teams have a 21-20 edge.