First off, that place was deafening. I still am having trouble hearing. I was trying to have a conversation with a guy two seats away and, even leaning in, I had no idea what he was saying. What a game! Canes win! Canes win!
Pre-game, the place was buzzing. A lot of energy in the crowd. I met Dave from Red and Black Hockey and chatted a bit. Just like his pre-game post indicated, he was a bit nervous.
In the first period, the Canes controlled most of the play except for a little flurry by Buffalo. For all of that, the Canes only got one (Mike Commodore) off a flukey bounce.
In the second, it was even except for the fact that Buffalo scored twice - once off a shot from the point (Janek!?) and the second a flukey goal from behind the net. Both teams had let in a fluke, so I figured that was even and there was no room for complaint or bitching by either side.
In the third, it was all Canes. Dougie Weight tying the game with a big goal. That was actually kind of funny, because it went off the center pylon in the back of the net and the goal judge didn't see it. The Canes knew they scored and the horn operator was kind of indecisive about it, but it was definitely a goal. Campbell then flipped the puck out of play and The Captain capitalized on the power play by picking up a loose puck in the slot and absolutely burying it. JWill iced it with a goal in the last minute and the celebration was on.
Brindy brought the whole team over to pose with the Prince of Whales trophy but, to the crowd's delight, no one touched it. We all know the real trophy we want.
Let's review my keys to the game:
- Directed Emotion - Both teams will be hyped up tonight. Will there be stupid penalties? Has Lindy Ruff gone too far and pushed the wrong buttons? Which captain will carry the team on his back?
Only four penalties on the Canes and one was taken after the game was effectively over with 15 seconds left. The Captains: Briere (0-0 -1 0SOG 3-6 FO) vs. Brind'Amour (1-1 +1 3SOG 9-14). Brind'Amour by quite a bit, although his faceoff percentage was very un-Brindylike. Check.
- Special Teams - Goes without saying. By far, the 'Canes have had superior special teams this series. The power play has been hot and needs to continue to be so in order to win. They need to have a strong kill.
Carolina Power Play 1/5 - solid, although Miller made some great saves. The Game Winner was on the power play.
Buffalo Power Play 0/4 - completely ineffective and gave up a lot of short handed chances. Check. - Discipline - Stay out of the box!
Three penalties of consequence. Stillman's penalty (the fourth) was with 15 seconds left and meant nothing. Big check here. - Puck Possession - Faceoffs will be key tonight. Brind'Amour needs a great performance and the other centers need to pick up their game as well. The forecheck and turnover battle will be the story of the game for both teams.
Strangely, no check here. Brindy was awful in the faceoff circle, winning only 39% (9-14), but the other centers picked up some of the slack. Kevyn Adams won 87% (7-1), Cullen won his only draw, Weight won 41% (5-7) and Staal went 47% (8-9). The final was 30-31, so it was pretty much a draw. The Canes got away with a lot of sloppy turnovers in their own zone. Luckily, the defensemen recovered and Ward came up big. - Get a lead - The 'Canes would be better served by grabbing a lead early. Making the Sabres play the desperation game opens them up a bit and makes them more vulnerable. When they collapse and block shots, it's tough to come back.
We got the first goal and ended the first period 1-0, but surrendered two goals in the second, including one with 4 seconds left (cardinal sin!). We regained it early in the third and then took advantage of a vulnerable and worn down Sabres team to ice the game late. Half-check.
3.5/5 is enough for a trip to the Cup Finals. It didn't go to overtime, much to the delight of the capacity crowd. Now we await the arrival of Edmonton.
Post-Game Quotes
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