You know what's sick? At the time Nashville had a 2-0 series lead after blanking their opposition twice on the road, and had all the momentum at home after overcoming the only deficit they had faced thus far. Still, as I watched overtime last night I couldn't help but think that they were the team that desperately needed the win. It's like the Blackhawks have been so goddamn resilient over their recent stretch of playoff brilliance that they have defied situational assumptions. There was no reason to think that a loss would have derailed a series that the Predators took control of in Chicago. Being up 2-1 with the next game coming on home ice is as good of a position as you could hope to be in against a team that has won three of the last seven Stanley Cups, and - somehow - that would have felt like the waking of a sleeping giant. Obviously that's of no concern after Nashville prevailed in overtime, but it's actually infuriating that the Blackhawks have gotten to the point where they still get the benefit of the doubt after blowing a multi-goal lead that was built on their only two tallies in nine-plus periods. That being said, this moment right here is when Chicago should have known that this year is not theirs...
I know they scored shortly thereafter, but when your offense has been so unproductive that even the hockey gods' attempt at taking pity on you gets turned aside then you know it's not in the cards. That didn't stop me from being fearful that Kane, Toews, Keith and the gang could/would turn things around with one bounce of the puck. However, when the Predators put the finishing touches on 3-2 overtime win the desperation save that came at 0-0 just felt oddly representative of how this entire series has gone.
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