Roller Coaster

There is no roller coaster ride quite like the NHL playoffs.

Minnesota and Colorado went to overtime in the first three games of their series, with Minnesota taking two before suffering a 5-1 pasting last night that knotted up the series. The Nashville Predators, four minutes away from a 3-0 series deficit on Monday against the Wings, roared back with three late goals to win the game and serve notice that they ain't dead yet. And of course the San Jose Sharks, following an epic, sickening collapse on Sunday, came from behind to stun the Calgary Flames last night, with Joe Thornton getting the game-winner with 9.4 seconds left on the clock.

A day and a half ago the gloom hanging over Sharks watchers was so thick and black that not only had many written off this series, and therefore the season, but some even questioned the very future of the franchise. When the Flames went nasty on the Sharks on Sunday after falling behind 3-0 in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Sharks melted away into a pool of tepid, teal-tinted water. Calgary rallied to win 4-3, an outcome that honestly never seemed in doubt after the Flames got their first goal. That's what was so sickening about it--the sense that you could smell the disaster coming.

The reason the loss was so disheartening is that the failure to respond to the tough, dirty, physical challenges of the playoffs had been identified by the front office as the key weakness of the team in the offseason (and the offseason before, too, as long as we're lingering around the subject). This year, we were assured, would be different. And yet there it was, playing out right in front of us, just like the Edmonton series two years ago. I felt like Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back when the hyperdrive on the Millenium Falcon fails yet again--"They told me they fixed it!" I screamed. "I trusted them to fix it!" (This was followed by a wail reminiscent of the voice of the galaxy's most mournful Wookie).

The screams of joy that probably woke up my peacefully sleeping neighbors last night 'round 11:30 PM Central Time were therefore inspired not just by victory in a key playoff game ("key playoff game" is a tautology, I suppose) but also by sheer relief that finally my guys had shown some guts and heart at a crucial time. As I've said before, possession of these qualities is no guarantee of success, but without them ye will surely lose.

So: back to the Tank tomorrow. The Sharks certainly have the momentum right now, but last night's game could justifiably go down in history as a textbook example of just how quickly Big Mo can switch sweaters in the sport of ice hockey. When--it's not a question of if--the Flames sock the Sharks in the gut tomorrow night in an effort to get them to fold once again, how will Team Teal respond? Will this be the turning point in the history of the franchise, when the team finally starts living up to the potential of its talent? Is it truly darkest before the dawn? We'll find out in the coming days, as this particular storyline unfolds amongst a host of others in the NHL playoffs, an event that is unmatched for drama in the world of sports.

And this is only the first round.