After the disaster that was Game Six, the magic of Game Seven beckons as both the Red Wings and Coyotes face elimination.
In Game 6's preview I spoke about the Red Wings dominance in special teams. That's certainly something I won't be doing again as everything went the 'Yotes way on Sunday when both up and down a man (or two), going a long way to helping them tie the series at three.
While still not a certainty, Shane Doan is considered more likely to play on Tuesday night but it's difficult to be sure as Dave Tippett is keeping Doan's health a very close secret.
Chicago's win in Nashville last night means that one Western Conference Semi-Final series will be between the Blackhawks and the Canucks. This means the other will be San Jose and the winner of this game.
After the 5-2 loss on Sunday, I've thought a lot about losing the series. As disappointing as it will be, it'll be a much easier loss to take that last year or '07. This year's team, while very good, probably just isn't Cup-winning material if they can't get by the Coyotes. Phoenix is a great team and very well coached -- but they're not the benchmark of a Stanley Cup Champion.
I can't help but feel this series would've been over in 5 or 6 if Detroit of 2007-09 was playing. This series, not unlike the Wings' habits all season, opportunities have been missed and again it has resulted in putting Detroit in a rather undesirable position.
But maybe a big 7-game series win will drive some energy and hunger into the team and the Wings game will pick up for later rounds. The problem is, even if they do, can they really win the Cup after series' in Phoenix, San Jose and possibly Vancouver? A travel schedule like that makes for a very favorable match-up for any Eastern Conference team in the Finals.
In any case, first round losses always stick in my craw, so let's pull this one out and get to San Jose.
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