Alex Killorn Autograph Card

Alex Killorn scored the opening goal of Game 7 earlier tonight, which was enough to carry the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals, as Ben Bishop got his second Game 7 shutout of the postseason, eclipsing ''The King'' Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, who looked beat after the game.

Killorn has become an important part of Tampa's offense - clearly the best in the league - with 16 points in 20 games so far and getting better and more comfortable every game while Bishop has proven to not only be an elite goaltender but also able to beat those considered ahead of him in most people's rankings, and Tyler Johnson is the East's strongest candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy at the moment.

I'm still rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks, but I do feel the Anaheim Ducks will win tomorrow, making for a match between skill, size and goaltending (Bolts) versus size, grit and speed (Ducks). Probably a good series in the making, and one in which Montrealer Killorn and linemate Steven Stamkos will have to continue their formidable work from Round 3.

In the meantime, here's a Killorn auto I pulled last summer, from Upper Deck's 2013-14 SP Authentic (card #284 of the Future Watch sub-set, the Autographed insert version), showing him in the Bolts' blue (home) jersey, signed in thin blue sharpie (and numbered 770/999):

SP Authentic is usually a clean, white-based design where the only effects are shadows and blending the picture within the background, but this insert incorporates darker colours matching the uniform, so it looks even better.