When We Last Saw Them...

by Ryan



The Stars were celebrating a victory right underneath Al the Octopus. Dallas is the first away team to win at the Joe this postseason, and so the rage on Al's face is completely justified. Tonight the series shifts back to Dallas and its "college football" atmosphere, whatever that means.

Tonight's game is my favorite kind of playoff game, as I really have no clue what will happen. Dallas has won two straight while Detroit looks tentative and, quite frankly, scared. Turco is still playing lights out, and as good as Detroit's offensive output has been, if Turco keeps his game up the Stars will always have a chance in this series.

People seem to think this series is over, simply because the Wings went up 3-0. Now I'm not a proponent of the "every 33 years" theory, but when a team has clawed back to a Game Six, I think things aren't as clear cut anymore. Dallas is a streaky team that seems to be in the middle of a streak, and a home team in this situation always has an edge.

Detroit's overall strength lies with their rediculous depth, and Johan Franzen exploding is a perfect example of that. His absense is noticable while he deals with concussion-like symptoms, and is only lightly working out. Superstars like Zetterberg and Lidstrom will step up, but guys like Dan Cleary and Thomas Holmstrom are the ones that will make the difference. The defensive effort on both sides has been outstanding so far, and so the third and fourth line players become all the more important in big games.

This post is very Morgan-esque in analysis, but that's because I really have no idea what will happen tonight. That very fact is what makes it so exciting, though. Watching the Penguins crush Philly yesterday was fun, but I expected it to happen. Watching the unknown unfold in front of your eyes is really what playoff hockey is all about; and if it gets to a Game Seven with a trip to the finals on the line...

[shiver]

One thing I do know is that the pressure is on Detroit, and the weight of expectations may once again prove too much for a team on the brink. Hey, it's not like we know anything about that, right?