This hurts. It was such a great opportunity for a team no one expected to be this good.
They got outplayed in this series. The refs were atrocious. Guys who got hurt at the end of the year (Riley Nash, Backes, Chara, McAvoy) never seemed to fully return to the level they were at earlier in the season. A perfect storm of things gone wrong.
There's lots to be excited about next year. The first line is still on arguably the 3 best contracts in the league. DeBrusk is a stud. There are a couple more kids to potentially add to the lineup. This certainly feels different than, say, the loss in '14.
This was one of the most exciting seasons we've watched in a long time. Always a pleasure to share it with you all