In the playoffs the team that won the latest game seems to have all the momentum to keep on rolling, right to a series win. But hold on, put on the brakes, there are more games to be played and fortunes can turn around quickly. All it takes is a loss and panic becomes the key word.
Early Tuesday evening, the Calgary Flames could do no wrong. The were coming off a stunning comeback and life was good. Bam, Thornton scores and we now hear the Flames are in a nasty mood, bickering within the locker room has begun. Now what?
The Minnesota Wild were also on a 'high swing' before their last game. They had marched into Colorado and won a great OT game. But their next game saw a complete collapse and the Avalanche dominated them. Their fans screamed, the media took shots, it can't get any lower than this!
Four days ago, fans in Detroit were thinking sweep. Today, they are banging their heads against the wall. Yes, start Osgood in goal, that will change the tide - at least it should!
Now let me put the Minnesota and Detroit fans in a better frame of mind. Your series is now a best two-of-three with two games at home. You fought all season for home ice advantage and now it comes into play. The key now is for your team to show up at home and play the game the way it was meant to be played. Dominate on home ice, you know the road team is going to try to keep the game close going into the 3rd period, but your goal is to have the game out of reach by then.
Putting the recent past losses behind you is key to both Minnesota and Detroit. Win the home crowd back in a hurry, be aggressive from the first puck drop and carry that mindset with you through the whole game. Don't allow the finger nail biting to begin, put an end to the worry as quickly as possible.
For the Flames followers, your team must also do the above mentioned, but doing it on the road is much tougher, but also much more rewarding. The one good thing you can fall back on is you have won a road game early in the series and you can do it again.
Seven paragraphs into this story, and no, I haven't tossed the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators aside. The Avs have already defeated the Wild in Minnesota, so you can follow the "Calgary Plan'. The Predators have yet to win in Detroit this series but momentum is on your side, in a big way. Don't give it back to Detroit, keep the pressure on them is your goal, and then let the game play out.
After the above mentioned game fives are complete, one team is going to have to win two in a row to continue on to the next series. Can it be done is a question yet to be answered, but it sure will be fun to watch. That is if you can even bear to watch!