This is the game I believe. There has been a lot of panic in here since the game 4 L, and I get it on some level. It is VERY frustrating to continue to get beat in games where we can take a 2 game lead in a series. Game 2 and game 4 we had a chance to put the hammer down, but failed both times. In honest reality though, if we win today we are in great shape. In honest reality we are where most thought we would be, tied 2-2 with home ice for a best of 3. Yes most experts picked us, but they did so in 7, and maybe a few in 6, and I bet just about every single one of them had this series tied 2-2. So we are where many thought we would be. We are in a great spot if we win today. BUT make no mistake about it, I feel we really MUST win today. If we don't we'd be in big trouble as they would have won 3 of 4, and would be 2-0 with Mason in net as they go home to try and elminate us. So simply put a HUGE game today. One I am confident we will win, but quite honestly am not as confident as I would like to be. There is a part of me that has this feeling that Philly is sitting on this big effort, and we will be a little flat after the L in game 4. Reading some of the comments of how the guys looked in the locker room after the game concerns me a touch. Hopefully they are over that, and the crowd can lift them as well. Huge game today. No reason to panic right now. This is when home ice starts to matter, game 5 and on. Protect our home ice, play a strong game today, get a win, and we are in great shape to win this if we are up 3-2 with game 7 at MSG in our back pocket if needed.
Chuck, what we're all waiting to hear is which number ranger goal gets us the chuck guaranteed win today so as soon as it happens we can pop the champagne corks. LOL
Get 3 we win. That simple to me. Like I said during game 3 when I said next goal wins, and then Girardi got it which was the 3rd goal, that is the key goal. Game 2 we never added the 3rd goal and lost. Game 3 we added the 3rd goal and won. Last game we stuck on 1 that we scored early, and 3 wins that game. That is the key goal IMO. Also weird that the team scoring 1st is 1-3 in this series. I do think it is more important for us to get the 1st goal today than it is for them. To get the crowd going, to beat Mason, and to show we have no game 4 hang over.
Anyway, back to the game...let's get it done today. This is the series IMO. Whichever team wins this game wins the series IMO. HUGE game. Let's hope we are sitting on our best effort and set the tone early. Need to win this one in front of our crowd. 12 start or not, let's hope the crowd is crazy loud today and can help this team get over the hump in this monster game.