It was the same and it wasn’t, meaning Alex Ovechkin was in the house but not lifting the Stanley Cup above his head while gliding around T-Mobile Arena in search of celebratory cocktails to come, meaning the Capitals and their star were engaging the Golden Knights, but not with any sort of championship at stake.
Pride, however, is a different matter.
The last time we saw these teams in this building, Washington was winning Game 5 of a best-of-seven final, proving itself the better side while ending the dream season of a Knights team that defied all odds in reaching such a moment as an expansion side.