Open Letter: You Know I Still Love You, Right?

Dear Lovelies, Duckies, and Boos,

I know I've been MIA for the last few weeks, and in fact, this entire series. The thing about it is, I love you, I really do. But things in my "real" life have been exceptionally hectic as of late. I may have been neglecting you, GwaP lovelies, because I simply haven't had time to scribble a whole lot about the games. I have, of course, been keeping a finger on the pulse of our playoff hopes.

I've seen bits and pieces of the games, but not the entire thing. I've been exhausted working in my 'real' life so I can fund things like... oh, feeding myself. So, in light of all that, I haven't had a whole lot of time to re-watch the DVR'd games. I've barely had time to read up on other people's thoughts on this series.

I've only had time for placing a wager. Against my boss's boyfriend that my boys would win over his ultra-beloved Detroit Red Wings. Tomorrow night, we'll know who owes whom dinner!

As for this series... it's as I expected. Long. Hard. With at least one excessively long OT session. Oy.

And to cover some old news, the Nucks were outed by the 'Hawks earlier this week - a game that featured my hockeyheart Shane O'Brien's first playoff goal. On that very same day (Monday), I recieved a response from a fan letter (yes, I shamefully admit I write those from time to time... okay, okay, once a year, jeez) I sent his way. I got one of those standard player autographed cards in response. Sweet, automatic, and (for Shane) a painless process since I'm pretty sure the Canucks have other peeps handling this kind of stuff. Still, my exhausted spirits were buoyed by this. I actually happen to try to collect these things sometimes. I never got one from Tampa Bay when he was there, though I did write. But when Paul Kariya was in Nashville, I got one. And when I was a child, I got one from Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya (and I still have them!).

So, here's one more for the collection! :)

But, just so we're clear... despite my insanely busy schedule as of late... I hope you know I still love you guys.

Come what may tomorrow at 4pm.

Always busily yours,
Finny.

goal by Finny at 3:29 PM 2 cheers and jeers  

"Sharks Drown in Pond!"

That's what my friend C said post-game, as we ran around the Honda Center triumphantly. She carried the above sign with great pride as the San Jose fans trekked out, dejected.

Of course, the sweetest win is the one that seals your ticket into the next round (or seals your fate as the Cup Champion, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself here). I know I've been a bit MIA these last few games, but don't think it was just because of my schedule! Oh, no, sistah (and bros), I've been keeping tabs on how these games have been going, but I just haven't had much time to settle down and write anything.

Why? Oh, because I've just purchased my first car! Meaning, this is the first car that I'll be paying for out of my own pocket! Oh, the scent of adulthood. The pain of seeing a chunk of your check go towards paying that off.

So, now that I've settled that business, I've returned my attention back to the series just in time to attend last night's series clinching game against our Northern nemesis. This game opened with a fight, closed the second period with a fight, and finished with the Sharks having to face the ghost of playoffs past.

They'll be asked, time and time again, to provide a suitable explanation for their playoff misery and early exits. And once more, they won't have many answers. In fact, they might be asking themselves a number of questions, with the worry that management may make some summer moves and deal some star Sharks for proven playoff performers. But that's not a worry for me to delve into. Head on over Fear the Fin or Battle of California for more on what the Sharks will look forward to.

Down the 5 freeway, Anaheim will prepare for their battle against the much-despised Detroit Red Wings while San Jose preps to play 18 holes.

More on THAT series to come.

goal by Finny at 9:20 AM 1 cheers and jeers  

Ducks Get Come-Uppance in Sharks' G3 Win

"In that situation, that's dumb, a dumb time to put your stick in, and it cost us. I take full responsibility for that one. I was just trying to make a play, but I was trying to do too much."

--Corey Perry, Ducks forward

quote courtesy: OC Register

You betcha, kid. In fact, my response to that penalty (and the goal that resulted from it) was tweeted as "Pears, I owe YOU a facewash for that one!"

Up until that penalty, things were sailing along pretty evenly. Sure, we had thrice trailed the fast-moving Sharks, but we had thrice matched them. Most everyone could feel it in their bones, that the next goal would be the decisive one. And when San Jose notched it, well... I had just about had it.

Not with my team, don't get me wrong.

With my cable TV. See, somewhere in the middle of period 2, things started to go a little haywire. Then, by the middle of period 3, there was nothing for me to even see anymore (if you looked at my picture in last night's liveblog, you'll see what I mean). Thanks to fellow blogger Eric McErlain for pointing me in the right direction to an online live feed that let me watch the rest of the game on my laptop. That's just about when Corey Perry took the costly hooking penalty got called.

I should've known then. The omens had been there from the start. This game didn't start the way the ones in SJ had. The Ducks were spinning wheels trying to keep up with San Jose, and for the first period, they did a commendable job of holding on. They kept it close, evening up the score twice in that period alone, but San Jose moved faster, striking first on a lucky bounce off Andrew Miller then breaking their PP scoring drought about two minutes after Bobby Ryan had leveled the field with a goal that had bounced off Evgeni Nabokov's skate. For the superstitious out there (ahem, yours truly, ahem), having a goal go in off your team happens, but it isn't a good omen when it's the first goal of the game. But, I kind of thought the karma had leveled out when Nabby accidentally potted one in Anaheim's favor, so I didn't think about it that much.

Until my audio went out, then my picture soon followed. Surely, your TV shutting the game down on you is not a good sign. Clearly, some higher power was trying to tell me, "Don't watch, Finny, don't! You won't like it!" But I stubbornly persisted.

And what do you know. The next thing I see is Pears in the box and Patrick Marleau celebrating his to-be GWG, SJ's second PPG for the night.

:Le sigh:

Once again, Anaheim lost in the face-off circle (47%) and the SOG count (30, SJ had 35), but thankfully the margin was much closer this time 'round. While tempers were raised and insults were flying freely in the first, both teams had negated a number of the penalties doled out and ended up with fewer PP opportunities. San Jose managed to revive their ailing PP and nailed Anaheim for 2 of 3 PPs while Anaheim only made 1 of their 3 chances count.

Hopefully, the boys take this one as a wake-up call. They can talk all they want about penalties. When they start paying for them is when they might start changing their bad Duckling ways. Now, knowing San Jose has a chance to shovel their way out of the 1-2 series hole their in, Anaheim has to regroup and bring back that rock-solid defensively sound play that stifled the Sharks efforts in the first two games, and play smarter than they did in G3.

"A few little mistakes, and that's all it takes."

--Scott Niedermayer, Ducks Captain
quote courtesy: OC Register

In the playoffs, those mistakes will cost you your playoff-life. With SJ revived and the naysayers changing their tune to praise the superior play of their team, the margin for error is about as thick as the skin of a shark's teeth.

goal by Finny at 12:38 PM 1 cheers and jeers  

Liveblog: WCQF Game 3 - Sharks Sink or Swim?

With the Ducks leading 2-0, and the Sharks reportedly not looking to change their game plan, the Battle of California resumes tonight in SoCal, where the heat is soaring and the Sharks are in danger of dropping to an 0-3 hole if they can't find a way to swim through this one.

The puck drops in a few minutes, but VS. has yet to start the Anaheim-San Jose coverage. So, until we get started, hang tight!

First Period
- 19:43 - Penalty on Patrick Marleau to open the game. If the Ducks can capitalize on this penalty, a double minor for high sticking, this will bode very well for Anaheim!
- 19:25 - Wow, tempers are already flaring early on in this game! Anaheim blows their chance and Ryan Getzlaf takes a seat. Lame. Ducks waste the first two minutes of the double minor.
- 17:26 - Jonas Hiller makes the save and holds on. High flying hockey is out tonight. You can tell the boys are totally jazzed for this one to get going!
- 17:16 - Back on the PP! Let's go, Ducks! Can't break into the zone. Sharks are doing a good job holding the line.
- 16:37 - Teemu can't get the shot off, has a second chance but Nabby stops it. Looks like SJ is collapsing on that puck at every opportunity.
- 16:03 - LOOSE PUCK!!! No one can pot it! Ughhh!
- 15:50 - OMG, why don't you go home, pucky? Don't you wanna go home? (a la Happy Gilmore to a golf ball!)
- 14:35 - Hiller gloves it, SJ gets physical and everyone's getting involved in a scrum. Every whistle = new scrum, it appears!
- Replay shows SOOOO many good chances for Anaheim, but the Sharks are circling and keeping it tight. Props to them for staying on their guys. Props to Anaheim for keeping that effort going!
- 14:26 - San Jose scores off a lucky bounce when it goes off Drew Miller. :( SJ up 1-0 early. Plenty of time left in the game, though.
- 14:10 - The penalty parade starts early with Pronger headed into the box. C'mon, guys, play smart! Rare 4-on-3 for SJ.
- 12:41 - SO CLOSE! SJ's shot ricochets off the post and back to Hiller, who falls like Goliath onto the puck to cover it up and get the whistle! OMG, he is UNDER FIRE right now on this PP. Ducks finally clear the zone and work it into the SJ zone, trying to kill some time. Anaheim kill successful, Sharks remain 0-for-13 on the PP.
- 10:33 - Ebbett, stop turning over that puck! Last time, it led to a Sharks goal!!! (g2)
- 10:05 - Miller draws a penalty and Ducks go on a PP. Might've been lucky on that call, but I don't care.
- 9:25 - OMG, GET CONTROL OF THE PUCK!!! This is YOUR PP!!!
- 9:00 - Anaheim getting set up, can't get a good SHO---there it is! A garbage goal for my new boy, Erik Christensen! The puck got caught in the skate of Nabby, who just turns his head, not knowing where the puck is, and Christensen put it in behind him! Sweet! I don't care how they come, as long as those goals keep on coming. MercSharks (the SJ newspaper) tweets that Nabby kicked it in. I need another replay. -- UPDATE: B-Ryan gets the goal credit, so Christensen doesn't. :( boo. Oh, well, glad to have at least one goal.
- 8:30 - Anaheim takes another penalty. I've already lost count. Grr.
- 7:30 - PK doing a good job boxing out SJ for now. Off the post and in... Dammit. Now the Sharks finally get a PPG. SEE? THAT OUGHT TO TEACH YOU TO STOP GOING TO THE BOX!!!
- 5:32 - Sharks continue to outshoot Anaheim, 15-7 so far. C'mon, boys, pick it up!
- 5:10 - James Wisniewski gets a goal top shelf. Robby Neidermayer provided the screen and we're all even at 2!!!
- 2:00 - this game is moving sooooo fast! I love it!
- 1:02 - PARROS TAKES ON DOUG MURRAY!!! Fight in the playoffs? Some messages need to be sent out, apparently! Sweet! They keep going and Parros is not giving up. Go get 'im, buddy! The refs step in and you can just see how gassed these boys are!
- 0:00 - omg, I can breathe again. That was just... eye-popping.

First Intermission thoughts: Um, I need to breathe. This game is so fast, you can't blink because someone is either scoring or going to the box! (Okay, so it's mostly Anaheim going to the box). So, for the second, I'm going to look for a bit more controlled play. Not that this topsy-turvy rollercoaster isn't fun and all, but I can't even keep track of how many penalties were doled out, and then to finish with a fight? I almost feel like I'm watching a Pens-Flyers game! I joke, I joke. Obviously, San Jose came with some fire tonight and they are fighting with every ounce of power they've got. They've managed to score on the PP and they managed to score first. They're using their speed to really get around the Ducks, and they're back to their puck pelting ways, outshooting the Ducks 20-8 in the first. In the second, I think the Ducks will look to control the puck and the game better than they did in the first. -- Interjection: they just showed Marty Brodeur totally losing his cool at the end of the NJ-CAR game where CAR scored the GWG at the very end of regulation time to win. Totally awesome clip, btw. -- Also in the second, look for Anaheim to cool their jets on the penalty parade since this game is apparently not following suit after G1 and G2! One thing I won't be looking for? I won't be looking for this game to get any less intense or any less crazy. It's going to be a bumpy right throughout! Stay tuned!

Second Period:
- 18:55 - Dan Boyle scores. What the heck?! I was washing my dishes and didn't hear the game back on! :( Anaheim has yet to get ahead in this game.
- 17:27 - my audio just went out! WHERE'S MY AUDIO?!
- 15:32 - and my grammar has gone out the window. And now my screen keeps screwing up. DON'T DO THIS TO ME NOW, TIME WARNER, OR YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM ME DURING THE NEXT WHISTLE!!!
- 14:05 - B-Ry tries to stuff it, no luck.
- 12:33 - scrum breaks out and a couple of guys go down in a pile up. Ex-Ducks Travis Moen holds former teammate Ryan Getzlaf back from joining in. B-Ry is running his mouth and the ref is showing him back to the bench. SJ's Mike Grier takes a seat for two. So far, no Ducks penalty. I'm amazed. Ducks on the PP.
- 11:04 - Anaheim can't get set up! Scotty (aka god) tries from a bad angle, no luck. PP with 10 secs left and the play gets whistled down off-side. SJ PK is going to get this job done once more. Anaheim needs another one still!
- 9;50 - SJ continues to pressure the Ducks. They're cycling the puck well, get a shot off but Hiller gets a kicksave.
- 8:23 - Wiz takes some punishment along the boards. Ouch!
- 8:10 - Chris Pronger pulls through and nails one! Ducks even it up 3 all! A beautiful one-timer!
- 7:42 - a note passes on the tv saying 5 of the 6 goals scored in this game have been scored by d-men. Interesting!
- 6:13 - Anaheim needs to turn up the heat and get ahead! No more waiting to get ahead, it's time to pull up those bootstraps and dig in!
- 4:41 - Miller's line gets a fast shot off, but Nabby nabs it. Ha! "Nabby nabs it". :)
- 2:19 - my TV is getting those weird digital hitches. I'm about to scream.

Second Intermission Thoughts: Well, it slowed down a bit and the penalties were substantially less this time around, so good stuff there. I need Anaheim to get ahead first, so I'll be looking for them to drive the net in the third. San Jose's fast-wheeling still. I'm just more frustrated that my cable connection is going screwy with the audio going out, then the picture getting screwed up. I'm calling the cable people now.

Third Period
- 17:23 the image on my screen had deteriorated immensely. So awful is the picture that I can't even make out which man is wearing which jersey! :( The audio is halting thanks to some area outage happening and so I've tuned into the radio coverage via the Ducks website. I am still trying to decipher the puzzle on my TV that's passing as "picture".
- Sometime in this period, San Jose scores the GWG and I am bemoaning the fact that my TV looks like this:
I have to stop and write up thoughts tomorrow. I'm just speechless right now. I should've understood - my cable going out was a bad omen. Tomorrow, we'll analyze. Today, I'll just absorb.

Until then, go Ducks!

goal by Finny at 7:19 PM 0 cheers and jeers  

OT: Double Duck Daddies

Per the OC Register, Francois Beauchemin and Todd Marchant were missing from this morning's practice.

Apparently, both men were accompanying their wives as they each welcomed a new addition to their family. GwaP congratulates the new Ducks Daddies and welcomes the new Baby Beauch and Baby Marchant to the team.

And in case you missed it, ex-Duck Chris Kunitz's new baby was briefly shown on NBC's coverage of the Pens-Flyers game yesterday as well. Delayed as it may be, GwaP would like to congratulate Kuni and his wife Maureen.

goal by Finny at 2:44 PM 0 cheers and jeers  

Lucky Ducky, Up 2-0 in series against Sharks

Anaheim youngsters, coupled with Jonas Hiller’s ovation-worthy performance, yielded a 3-2 win over the Sharks and granted the Ducks a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Goals from Bobby Ryan, Andrew Ebbett, and Drew Miller helped Anaheim secure their second straight win on enemy ice. Of course, having a netminder turn in a Herculean effort didn’t hurt either.

Much is being made of Jonas Hiller’s outstanding performances between the pipes, but Duck fans – like Ducks players themselves – are unsurprised by his ability. We all know he can match up, man up, and make enough saves to give the team in front of him a chance to score some goals. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long before Anaheim potted one to go up 1-0 in the first period, but he did have to make a number of good saves just to ensure that one goal stood up and carried on into the second. Once again, just like in G1, the Ducks and Sharks came out pretty even. Anaheim took 2 penalties to the Sharks’ 1, and Anaheim managed 14 SOG to counter the Sharks’ 15 SOG.

But then came the second period.

And then came trouble. For the second straight game, Anaheim took another 3 consecutive penalties – two from Chris Pronger and a sloppy one for too many men on the ice. Forcing the PK unit to elevate their play for the second frame once again gave San Jose a chance to possibly rejuvenate the lethal power play they’ve been lauded for coming into the series. This time, the Sharks came out with a stronger, more aggressive posture as they attempted to end the playoff scoring drought that’s plagued them since last season’s post-season party, but it was to no avail. Anaheim managed to kill off the penalties, but didn’t walk away unscathed. Ryane Clowe managed to fire one past Hiller to even up the score at one apiece.

Having spent much of the second period in the box, Anaheim couldn’t get their offense rolling and managed a measly 3 SOG for the entire second period.

Mirroring G1, Anaheim came out with a stronger and smarter effort in the final period, coming up with two goals from the 9 shots they put on goal. San Jose pelted Hiller with 12 more shots, but only got one goal and one near-goal that clanged off the pipe.

So, despite San Jose’s better efforts, the result was the same: Sharks outshot, outhit, and (at least for the second period) outplay Anaheim, but still come up empty-handed while the Ducks skate off back to Orange County with a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Ducks’ defense has once again stymied San Jose’s goalscorers, though they collectively managed more shots that they were able to generate in Game 1. Jonathan Cheechoo, a Duckhunter with a penchant for nailing his shots against us, buried one of his 4 SOGs and burst a bubble for a prematurely celebratory Anaheim that had just barely managed to go up 3-1 before Cheechoo scored, narrowing the lead to 3-2. That little wake-up goal put Anaheim back in a defensive posture, making sure they simply held on to that margin and wound the clock on down to 0:00.

Props go out to Anaheim penalty killers and d-men, who managed to block 21 San Jose shots. Without their increased efforts to shut down the Sharks, the score could’ve easily favored San Jose. Major kudos belong to Jonas Hiller, who was excellent in net, saving 42 of 44 shots fired at him.

For G3, I’ll be looking for a stronger second period from the Ducks, and I’ll be holding my breath for fewer penalties. Give the PKers a break; they’ve successfully shut out SJ 0-for-12 on the PP, but they can’t count on that stat holding indefinitely.

Without a doubt, Anaheim pieced together back-to-back wins with marginally more luck than San Jose is being given. If they don't work harder at pulling through a full 60 minute game with reduced penalties, the question is: How long will that luck hold out?

But on the other hand, if the Ducks bring it all night for a full 60 and stay out of the box, the question becomes: Who can stop us now?

The difference between asking the first and second question is simply how the Ducks choose to play. Come Tuesday, I want to see their A-game run nonstop from puck drop, and at the night's end, I want to be leaning towards the second question rather than the first.

Let's go, Ducks!

goal by Finny at 11:37 AM 0 cheers and jeers  

Do Or Die, One Game at a Time

Not so fast there, experts. Anaheim's not going to throw in the towel that easily. We're not going to roll over and let San Jose swim right past us in this race.

Granted, it's just one game. Just one win. But it's one less than the Sharks have currently and for the moment, that's satisfactory.

As for the game itself, well... there's a lot to be improved upon.

The most obvious point? Penalties. The boys didn't rack 'em up like they have in the past, but neither did they heed my warning yesterday to "be aware of your position, your man, your elbows, sticks, and skates [...] at all times." What happened instead? Rob Niedermayer, hockeygods bless you, child, for your many blunders, but you can't control your stick or arms to save your life. I don't know how many times you've taken a holding, hooking, or high-sticking call in your career, but for some reason, it always seems to be at a much higher rate than any other member of the team. Don't get me wrong. You're not too shabby at what you do when you're playing keepaway and protect the puck, but this is post-lockout hockey, Robby. You've got to cut back on all the obstruction calls. In last night's contest, Robby took three penalties, all in the second frame, for high sticking, holding, and hooking. He thankfully shaped up in the third, though Anaheim would take two more penalties in the final period when the Ducks were able to do some damage while at even strength.

The second thing that's got to change is the SOG. Anaheim was outshot 17-35. They came out fairly strong, both teams playing smart defensively and things were pretty even for the first. Anaheim couldn't convert on their one PP chance in the first, but then gave San Jose three consecutive PPs - severly limiting their opportunities to score since they had to run defense for much of the second. San Jose played a tough game, spent a lot of time in the Anaheim zone, and generated plenty of shots but not a ton of scoring chances.

“We didn’t create too many second opportunities; they did a great job around their net and us doing a poor job. Their goaltender swallowed a lot of pucks. We obviously have to better in that area.”

--Todd McLellan, Sharks Head Coach
quote courtesy: San Jose Media Quick Notes

In fact, of the 17 SOG we had, everyone except Bobby Ryan, Erik Christensen, and Andrew Ebbett managed 0 or only 1 SOG. B-Ry had 4, Christensen and Ebbett had 2 SOG each. Teemu Selanne, credited with only 1 SOG, had two golden opportunities to put the puck behind Evgeni Nabokov but couldn't get the job done. The big guns have to shoot the puck more if they plan on making a difference in this series. We can't always squeak by with a lucky post, or put all the weight on Jonas Hiller to stop every single shot. He gave the Ducks a chance, and Scott Niedermayer capitalized on a PP to put the Ducks up 1-0 before Ryan Getzlaf, fresh out of the sin bin, managed to beat Nabby and give the Ducks the insurance goal.

Lastly, I want a bit more consistency. The first was great, the second was terrifying, and the third was much better. That middle, like a novel, can't sag. There are no opportunities for being lax when you're playing playoff hockey. You have one shot. One game. One goal. Make it all count.

Finally, I'll close with this. Anaheim did a great job killing off the six penalties they took. They capitalized on their chance and shut down SJ's. If they can minimize taking penalties and maximize their own chances, they'll have a sweet shot at getting the next win, bringing them that much closer to the next one. In playoffs, it's always do or die.

For opinions on the other side of the rink, visit Sharkspage, Fear the Fin, and The Chum Bucket. Also check out Mike Chen's thoughts on game 1 on Battle of California, and read up on Earl Sleek's take. Want more Ducks' takes: go here, here, here, or here.

Since I'm already delayed with my bracket this year, I wrote it up on my work board in my office and took a picture of it. Here's my take on this year's playoffs:


Yuppers... I pick Chicago. But, I'm still torn. I kind of want Pittsburgh to take it. But to be fair, I picked Pittsburgh first, then changed it. We'll see. I'm usually wrong about these bracket things anyway.

goal by Finny at 9:20 AM 3 cheers and jeers  

Pep Talk: Opening Round Playoff Edition

Playoffs. It's like a drug. Once you taste it, you're hooked. Even the very hint of playoffs trigger hunger, salivation, and a deep-seated craving. Tonight, welcome to your first taste of playoffs, boys -- California style.

San Jose is not fooled. They do not believe they've got this locked up. Use that bit of caution to your advantage. Press, push, play your hearts out. If you don't, and the Sharks start to smell blood, they'll exercise no mercy in ensuring their dominance of California continues.

Do you want this, Anaheim?

Then I'll advise you to be aware of your position, your man, your elbows, sticks, and skates (Prongs, I'm looking at you) at all times.

Those of you were we part of last year's squad, recall the epic failure of your first round exit. Do. Not. Repeat. You have a new team around you, a new dynamic. Same coach, same formula, same goal. Stay focused. Keep your sticks down, your head up, and your eyes open. Don't be goaded into a pointless fight. Put a leash on those tempers and keep it in check. Tonight is not the time to go willy-nilly all over the ice.

Tonight is the night for spearing Sharks. Tonight is the night for the blood feud to begin. California brethren? No. The sibling rivalry transforms into a ball-busting war as soon as those jerseys come over your heads. Friends, comrades donning teal-and-black? At puck drop, those friendships --including mine with SJ bloggess McPhizzle-- are null-and-void until someone clocks four W's and moves on to the Western Semifinals.

To the newer ducklings, I've never formally welcomed you on-board and the formality is long delayed. Those of you who've been in this race before know what you're about to face. Those of who who haven't entered this rodeo before, know this: it's going to boil down to one win at a time. Don't get overly excited. You have to get one, then another, then another, and finally, the finishing win. With every taste, your hunger and thirst for that prize ought to grow. If you haven't hit fever pitch yet, playoff rookie, you're already behind. Keep your head in the game, and play it like you've played your last 10. Build that fire, fan that flame, and for the love of pucks, step it up to a level you thought was beyond you.

Show me that monstrosity I call the blueline special. Pot those impossible goals, those garbage goals, those beauty goals, those goal-scorer goals, those goals that you never thought you'd see (Parros - give me a game winner, and I'll grow my hair out and let people shave cut it next December!). Give me superhuman ice time, smart plays, and Herculean goaltending.

Tonight, I want to see fire in those eyes, light speed on your feet, [legal] hits that rock the momentum in your favor, and an absolute commitment to getting past this first mission: get the first goal, get the first Win. Then, get the rest.

Are you hungry yet, Anaheim?

Are you prepared for the grueling up-hill battle you're about to face?

You better be, because I'm already prepping the war paint and getting my armor on. For more info, check out my bits on the NY Times' "Hockey Night in Blogdom"* segment and my preview on Cycle like the Sedins*.

Depending on numerous factors beyond my control, I may or may not be liveblogging the game from a private watch party in Anaheim. (Technology, will you work with me tonight?)

*Special thanks to Jeff Klein, NY Times, and James T. O'Brien, Cycle like the Sedins, for the opportunities they've given me this post-season.

goal by Finny at 3:44 PM 0 cheers and jeers