PITTSBURGH VS WASHINGTON
VERIZON CENTER – WASHINGTON, DC
7:30 PM EST. NBCSN
SERIES TIED 3-3
I couldn’t really sleep after game 6. It has been a long time since any of us had seen the Penguins wholly defeated in that way. The prospect of a game 7 looming seems both ominous and unbearable. The Penguins, like the Capitals the two games before, have reached the brink.
This will be the biggest game in the history of the Washington Capitals. The Verizon Center will be overflowing with fans praying for an exorcism. To slay the demon that has plagued their franchise. They will want blood. Lately they’ve got it, in the last 4 periods of this series, the Caps have outscored the Penguins 8-2. Everything is pointing towards the Capitals finally getting past the Penguins.
Except it isn’t done yet. The ink isn’t dry. There’s one more game.
Defiance is all the Penguins have left with so many already throwing dirt on their casket. This playoff run from the start was Fleury’s last stand, a band-aid defense must play it’s best game of the series and figure out how to move the puck up the ice to the Pens forwards. Any turnover could be the end of the run, any soft goal too. The Pens very well might have to play perfect to get this done.
But that’s the incredible thing about sports and fear and especially game 7’s. Great athletes and great teams have the ability to look at a situation that may seem nearly impossible and see only that sliver of opportunity.
To look at that moment and see nothing but that they will, because they can. We can all look at numbers and charts and see that the Penguins are the decided underdog going into Wednesday night, but none of us know what will happen.
50/50 is just as good a shot for me as it is for you.
You can choose to believe it’s over if that makes things easier for you. If you’d rather have a game 7 win be a pleasant surprise and a loss be a thing you already expected.
I say no.
Lines: Not much will be known until morning skate. Daley is day-to-day and didn’t practice Tuesday. Crosby was on the ice as normal causing Twitter neurologists everywhere light themselves on fire. Rowney may be in for Kuhnhackl but game time decisions and such,
Pittsburgh:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Kunitz-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Bonino-Hornqvist
Hagelin-Cullen-Rowney OR Kuhnhackl
Dumoulin-Hainsey
Cole-Schultz
Maatta-Ruhwedel
Fleury-Jarry
Washington:
Burakovsky-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Ovechkin-Eller-Wilson
Winnik-Beagle
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Carlson
Schmidt-Shattenkirk
Alzner
Holtby-Grubauer
Every elimination game (save for maybe the year both Sid and Geno were both out) I have the same thought – I’m not ready to be done watching this team play hockey.
We’ve got 60 minutes left to find out where this season goes. It’s going to be excruciating and your liver is probably going to be pissed Thursday morning. But in the end Game 7 comes for all of us.
Time to find out just how far this team can go. Until then, Fuck these guys.
Godspeed and I’ll see you all on the other side.
#Pensin7 DO IT
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