Donuts and coffee are fueling my morning after, so maybe I'm feeling a bit delirious. Plus I ate too many wings and onion rings at the Old Pro in Palo Alto last night. To the few brave Hawks fans that showed up there, I commend you for being pretty good sports in an unfriendly crowd.
It ain't looking good, but here's the (unlikely) path to victory I see.
First, note that the series could easily be 2-1 Sharks. I think everyone acknowledges that, even the Hawks fans I know. Couldn't the puck bounce one way instead of the other for a few games?
Second, Antii Niemi hasn't had a bad game yet. He's due.
So, how do we get this together? I always say that it doesn't matter how you get to a series score as long as you're there. So if you win Game 4 and it's 3-1, then you've got a chance. Then you can look at it as two individual series: win two in a row, then you've earned your extra playoff round in Game 7.
Maybe the hockey gods will mark 2010 as the year of the insane comeback. Maybe the puck bounces the Sharks' way for two games and Niemi finally has his bad game -- that's three games right there. If Joe Pavelski starts scoring again and the rest of the team keeps it up, it may, however unlikely, happen. If the Flyers behind their second- and third-string goalies can do it, why not the Sharks. POSITIVITY!
Whatever happens, for Christ/Buddha/Allah/The Force's sake -- re-sign Patrick Marleau.
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