Just a couple of thoughts
Goes without saying but what a gutsy, huge win. Coming off the Sunday disaster and then falling behind in the 3rd period? They easily could have packed it in but did not. After the first half of the first period, the Preds were the clear better team
It is a great, great win, but what I can’t get out of my head is if we do not win this series it is going to be right up there with some of the most painful and disappointing ones in Preds history.
Even taking off my Preds glasses, I think it is pretty clear the Preds have been the better team in the series. They have probably been the better team in the last 4 games, and the one that they probably weren’t was game 1 and we had a 3rd period lead in it.
It is just so painful thinking about the fact that at the very least we should be up 3 games to 2, but heck, we could easily have already won the series.
We have done a great job completely shutting Vancouver offense down. Excluding empty net goal in game 1, they have a total of 11 goals in 5 games. If you had told me going in that would be the case I would have said there is no way we are losing this series.
But what is even more incredible, of those 11 goals, almost half of them (5) came during our two spectacular meltdowns in Game 1 and 4. In those two meltdowns we allowed 5 of the 11 goals in a time span of around 4 minutes and 12 seconds.
Meaning- there has been 302 minutes played in the series. We allowed 5 goals in 4:12 combined in the 2 meltdowns. And just SIX freaking goals in the other 296 minutes or so. Uggghhh. The fact that we are down in this series is maddening.
Mentioned this previously, but there really should be no more of the attitude that “well, we overachieved anyway and probably shouldn’t have made the playoffs anyway so whatever happens is gravy”. No way- if anything, I think we have proved ourself as a quality team that has outplayed the #2 seed and should be either up 3-2 or already won the series.
Finally- I said this yesterday- if the Preds are going to come home Friday, get fans hopes up once again, and then just shatter them with another excruciating defeat- then just go ahead and lose in Vancouver and get it over with and don’t put us through another night of misery in Bridgestone.
It is going to be absolutely crushing if we all get fired up again and have a great atmosphere Friday and then the Preds have yet another home playoff failure. I feel like we fans deserve a great night Friday so here’s hoping the Preds can come through.
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