As I write this entry before game 7 of one of the best playoff series' the league has seen in the last decade, if not its history, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, I feel like many of the players probably do.
Anxiety.
Excitement.
Nerves.
Butterflies.
There's so much at stake, I almost can't stand it as a fan.
Yet, the key to a game 7 for the players, at least in this esteemed writer's opinion, is to stick with what you know and treat it like any other game.
You can't get too ramped up that you try to do too much out there. That's when mistakens happen. If you stick with your system and do what you do well, that usually gives you the best chance of success.
Despite his relative inexperience, that could be the best thing that coach Dan Bylsma brings to the Penguins before the biggest game of his early coaching career tonight.
Bylsma is a guy that wants to see his team dictate and believe in what they are doing, and there's no doubt that the Penguins are fully on board.
They know that they have outplayed the Capitals -- maybe not by a large margin, but by a margin nonetheless -- for most of this series. They've outshot the Capitals by nearly 70 shots over the course of this series. They believe that if they continue doing what they've been doing, that gives them the best chance to win, and they're right.
Yet, as in any game 7, there always are X-factors.
Who's going to step up and be the hero? Despite this series' star power, role players often take the spotlight in a winner-takes-all final game. I said before the series that those players would likely make the difference and I don't feel any differently about that now.
Still, if you're looking at star power, you have to like the Penguins chances in this one.
The 3 best players in the league are on the ice in this series.
The Penguins have 2 of them; Washington has 1.
And, while the Capital who fits that description, Alexander Ovechkin, is brimming with excitement for tonight's game -- his third career game 7 -- one of the 2 superstars on the Penguins' side, Sidney Crosby, is a picture of focused intensity.
This is Crosby's first career 7th game at any level of hockey and I can't wait to see how where his inner drive takes him in this one.
Personally, I'll take his focus over Ovechkin's exuberance any day of the week.
And in any game 7.
We've all seen Crosby just take over games with his raw determination and skill when he wants to. I don't expect tonight to be any different.
Then you have Evgeni Malkin, this year's Art Ross winner, who started quietly in this series but has picked up his pace in the last 4 games. If he finishes tonight's game with its best performance, nobody would be surprised.
There's one other note worth mentioning in advance of tonight's game.
Pens' defenseman Sergei Gonchar, believed to have an upper leg contusion following his knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin early in game 4, participated fully in yesterday's optional team practice, and supposedly looked fairly good doing it. He worked on the power play, took a lot of shots to test the strength in his lead right leg, and also worked down low 3-on-3. He'll be a game-time decision, but if he wakes up this morning feeling relatively well without a lot of swelling, look for him to be in the lineup tonight.
If Gonchar plays, Blysma will almost surely sit Alex Goligoski, but still dress 7 defensemen and use Philippe Boucher to ease Gonchar's workload. Do expect to see #55 on the Penguins' power play, however. That, his veteran presence, and all around intelligent defensive game will be the ways he contributes the most.
Dressing 11 forwards will also allow Bylsma to get Crosby and Malkin a little more ice time. They've played a lot the last few games as Blysma has gone with that lineup configuration for the last 2 contests, but in a game 7, you have to expect the adrenaline to carry them. And since you want your best players on the ice as much as possible in this one, that's just the card you play.
Before I go, here is some good reading in advance of tonight's epic affair:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090512.wsptroy13/BNStory/National/columnists
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4162443
While history is meaningless as it relates to what may happen to tonight's game, it's worth mentioning that the Penguins are 2-0 all time against the Capitals in game 7's.
It's also worth mentioning, I believe, that the Penguins are 3-0 all time on the road in game 7's in thier franchise's history.
The last game 7 they played on the road and won was in 2001 against the Buffalo Sabres.
On a goal by an unlikely hero, Darius Kasparaitis.
Against an unlikely goat, Dominik Hasek.
In overtime no less.
I could talk all day about the things which would really improve the chances of the Penguins winning tonight. Like getting production from guys who have been quiet, like LW Chris Kunitz and RW Tyler Kennedy, for example. Like not taking stupid unecessary penalties. Like goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury slamming the door and finally giving his teammates the game he owes them in this series.
But, while each game of this series has been closely contested, making it fairly likely that everyone is in for a game 7 as thrilling as the other games, the truth of the matter is that any and every possible storyline can play out in this one.
And that's what makes it so compelling.
Someone is going to be a hero and someone is going to be a goat.
Someone's dreams are going to end tonight, while the survior gets to continue chasing Lord Stanley's Cup.
There's nothing better in all of sport.
And there's nothing else to say.
It's time to play hockey.
Recap tomorrow.
LET'S GO PENS!
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