The paranoid part of me really, really hates how many people favor us to win this series. It feels wrong after years of us being the underdogs.
I get it, I really do. But at some point we as a fanbase are going to have to let go of that mindset. A couple of people on here would probably not believe this, but I have always been a paranoid, expect the worst kind of fan, regardless of what team I am pulling for. So I definitely get it.
But having said that, any Preds fan who says they are scared of this series, or are not sure if we can win, or are not sure what to expect- that is just flat out irrational "fan fear".
Is an upset possible? Of course. In the NHL any playoff team is capable of beating another.
If the Avs were full strength it would be a lot more reasonable to be more worried. But I think many are forgetting that they are without their #1 goalie and their stud #1 defenseman. It would be like us not having Rinne and Josi.
Look at it this way- if we had the Avs roster, without Varlemov and Johnson, and were facing a team with the Preds roster, how would we be feeling? There wouldn't be one fan on here giving us a prayer of even winning one game.
And one final thought- when a series like this Preds/Avs comes along, inevitably someone will point to us beating the Hawks last year as an example that "anything can happen". I have heard a ton of people doing that, even hockey media.
But I have thought about this alot- and I think our sweep of the Hawks last year was an extreme outlier- I think it was a perfect storm of circumstances- the Hawks were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Preds were supposed to be a cup contender going into the season but for a variety of reasons underachieved and limped into the playoffs. But the Preds finally found their footing and became the team they were supposed to be at the best possible time. It is easy to see looking back now that the Preds were ready to break out and become an elite team, and the playoffs was the beginning of that. On the other hand, the Hawks were a team that was teetering on the edge of a cliff and though no one knew it at the time were close to beginning a steep decline. They had a great record but were kind of a paper tiger and were not nearly as good as their record.
Bottom line- Hawks could not have faced a worse opponent and did so at worst possible time. A perfect storm of circumstances- and the rest is history.....
Again, don't get me wrong- I am absolutely not saying that it is impossible for us to lose this series. Far from it. But we could not ask for a better situation. Of all the other 15 playoff teams, there isn't another team we should have wanted to play than the Avs. And that is the reward for being the #1 team in the league.......
Sorry- did not mean to be so long-winded- lol- just some food for thought.......
