I've made peace with the fact that it's the first week of the playoffs and we're stuck playing outdoors in the Pacific Northwest against a team that registered four less wins than we did; I think we beat this same team earlier in the year as well...I'll have to double check.

In all seriousness though, take the regular season records and throw them out the window. They only serve to get to you the playoffs. We're here now as the #5 seed and we've got to make the best of it. Our first title defense starts in Seattle and I'm pretty pumped for this one even with the plague of injuries that just won't stop. We've still got No. 9 behind center and SP/GW on the sidelines.

I expect the Saints to come out and try to stamp out some long drives early, just to show them that we can get tough yards without some of our lead backs. Also, Shockey will most likely get a few looks on 2nd and 3rd down early. You now, because he'll probably be hurt by the 3rd drive. It could be windy and cool, so Colston will probably need to make some tough grabs tonight.

The biggest thing for us is to play a strong 60 minute game. I know that's cliche, but way too many times this season we've started strong then gone to sleep until the end of the game when Brees bails out himself and everyone else at the last minute. I think we'll be fine though.

Let's just hope that we don't need to see the new OT rules for this one and that it goes as easily as all the 'experts' say it will.

Should the Saints hoist the Lombardi Trophy tonight, what will you chug in bliss?

My personal choice will be Grand Mariner and probably a Cranberry Vodka or two. Grand Mariner is fantastic championship swish, trust me(Penguins in June and Giants in 2008). I might be in too much shock or whatnot for a while though. Or maybe I'll be crying. I don't know.

Side note: If the Saints lose, I'll probably still drink something. I'll call it a belated NFC Championship celebration drink. But...that won't be necessary. I think.

With the sun rising on Monday morning and the Pro-Bowl behind us, we can now look forward to the big game in Miami. I thought it would be great if as a community we could share our personal history as Saints fans this week and what this season and Super Bowl means to us. There are a lot of us here who bleed black and gold and have made this season even more special because of the passion we have for our team. So, feel free to contribute, or just follow along.

My start as a Saints fan began as a young lad of about 8 years of age. Born into a New York Giants household in upstate New York, I vaguely remember watching Phil Simms lead the Giants to a Super Bowl win in 1987. As much as I liked the Giants(mainly because my father was a Giants fan and that's how that goes), I wanted a team of my own to follow. In the Saints I think I saw a forgotten, ignored team that would take a unique person to root for. I admired their great defense and wished for them to rise to the Promised Land.

Unable to see most of the games early on, I could only watch the score highlights leading up to playoff appearances. I was excited every year, only to be heartbroken as the Saints fell every time. Then, things got really bad. Jim Mora was fired and the Saints tumbled into total dismay. Eventually my father accepted that my passion for this team wasn't going to go away and we would drive 30 minutes each way every Sunday just so that we could find a sports bar where we could watch the Saints play each week(and the Giants too, of course). Often times, we were the only ones watching the Saints. If others were watching, it was because the Saints were up against a more popular team. If the Saints somehow pulled off the upset, we'd have to withhold our happiness until we were out the door lest we get our asses kicked on the way out by a bunch of surly fans.

The Saints were an embarassment, a punchline. The Ditka years. The Ricky Williams saga. The Billy Joe Quarterbacks. Heath Shuler. They were the team that always found a way to lose, a team that never seemed to be on the right side of the refs. At times I considered giving up on the team entirely, but yet, I always came back for more. There was always next year.

In 2000, when the Saints finally had a good year again and played the Rams, I figured it would be another failure and disappointment. Then, the Saints took a huge lead and I was so hopeful. Finally! A playoff win. No way they can blow that lead...wait...no...this isn't happening....not again! And then, like a miracle, Hakim drops the ball and the Saints did the impossible. They won a playoff game. I was as happy as could be. I didn't even really care that they lost the next week to the Vikings. All I cared about was that the "super-loser" stigma was at least partially lifted.

Then things got crappy again. The bright spot of the Haslett era was Deuce McAllister, but ultimately the time period between 2001 and 2006 can only be described as gut-wrenching. Every year they would teeter on the brink of the playoffs only to find some horrible way to lose down the stretch and punch their ticket to the offseason early. Still, my father and I watched every game and shared in the misery together.

Enter Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Wow. For once, we got a coach, and we got a quarterback. 2006 was a magical year. The Saints were awesome and got a bye-week! They fought tooth and nail against Philadelphia in the Divisional Round and Deuce made the play that's my most memorable moment in Saints history to date. A five yard push of the pile with little more than heart. I almost cried at the time.

They would lose to the Bears, of course, and 2007 and 2008 were largely forgettable campaigns.

Out of nowhere, this season happened. I expected ten wins going into this year. They started 2-0, 4-0, 7-0...surely they had to falter somewhere, right? 10-0?! OK, this is getting weird now. They crushed the Patriots? 13-0?! Then...and only then, did the bubble finally burst. Two losses in a row to Dallas and Tampa. Faith in the Who Dat nation seemed to wane. We were dubbed "this year's Titans". Screw that, I said. Stay positive. Keep the faith. I'm not giving up on this team.

Now we're in the Super Bowl. The Saints....are in the Super Bowl. I still can't believe it. I used to joke that I would be an old man on my deathbed before I would ever see such a thing. And on a personal level, to share this game with my father win or lose means the world to me. We've been a rooting duo, shoulders to cry on and armchair GMs to discuss team matters with. Now we're in the Super Bowl. To me, that's as good as it gets.

A recording of Deuce McAllister as he appeared on Mike and Mike in the morning on Jan. 29th, 2010. He talked about the upcoming Super Bowl and the city of New Orleans in general.

Unfortunately, the damn feed dropped out from espnradio.com from 4:00-4:45 as I was recording this. Sorry about that, but it was out of my control. Anyways, I'll put up what I have. Nice to hear from Deuce, as always.

If you're a Saints fan, you probably get chills thinking about the picture above. The man on the bottom of the pile with the rock in his hands is the man leading us on the field this afternoon. I think for a lot of us, this moment stands out as one of - if not the greatest - moment in Saints history. People still talk about this play today, how Deuce carried a pile of ten plus men with little more than heart fifteen feet into the endzone. What an emotional moment.

So, as the curtain comes up on today's game against the Cardinals, I can only wonder, what will the next portrait look like? What fateful play will be captured and placed on the walls to be remembered for all time? Whose name will be uttered with praise as we look fondly back on January the 16th, 2009?

As easy as it would be for me to pick a hero like Brees, I think perhaps it'll be someone like Reggie Bush, diving out with his athleticism as sixty thousand fans immediately forget his past and embrace him. Perhaps it'll be a defender like Roman Harper, charging through the line on a sack to end the game. Or maybe it will be a maligned place kicker as he watches his effort sail through the goal posts to bring the game home.

Who do you think will be in the frame of "The Play - 2009 edition"?

Okay, I know we only do predictions on Saints games, but since this is a bye week and we can stuff our faces with popcorn and relax, let's predict the NFC action this week.

My predictions(take them to the bank):

Philadelphia 27, Dallas 24

Arizona 24, Green Bay 17

Why would I pick these teams given how things went last week? Because the analysts like Dallas and Green Bay. That's just how I roll.

Seriously. This team isn't done yet. I'll admit that I was pessimistic yesterday during the game(and was I not justified?). I've been rooting cautiously since the Rams game, wondering if this team would flame out as they neared the end. Playing at the level that the Saints were at in September for an entire season is impossible. There's too much film, too many injuries and way too much time for that domination to last forever.

I found myself surprised at how quickly Saints fans dumped all of the franchise's failures on this once "destined" team after Hartley sent a side-spinning ball wide of the left upright. Really? As a fan of the team for twenty years, I completely understand where everyone is coming from. Yes, this is the sort of the thing the Saints teams did in the past. But this is also the same team that set high-water marks for best start to a season, most consecutive wins, clinched a division title with a month to spare, etc. etc. They also brought energy to a city that needed something to believe in again.

I'm not blind to what's been happening on the field. I see horrendous run defense. I see a bulldog offense being told to stay on its leash so that it doesn't scratch its paw on a fence. I see a team that's only playing for 15 or 20 minutes a game when it badly needs to play for 60.

Keep this in mind though: a team can always surprise you. Dallas was written off as another December failure with no chance to win. What did they do? They smacked us in the face. Everyone was ready to crown Minnesota as the number two team in the NFC. Whoops. They've dropped two of three and are primed for another upset tonight(Chicago will win tonight, I'm like...80-85% sure). Philadelphia blew a 17 point lead last night too(but Akers made his clutch kick).

Maybe I'm grasping for straws, maybe I'm crazy, but I still believe in this team. Yes, their play has been bad for a while. Yes, they just lost to the Bucs at home after having a 17 point lead. Okay. I think this is exactly what this team needs though. Now they have doubters again. Remember when this team was fighting for respect that seemingly never came? 5-0? 7-0? 10-0?! You know how you really get respect? You hit a wall and you find a way to climb over it. This team is flat-out too talented, too hard-working to fold now. The gloves WILL come off when the playoffs come. No more vanilla defenses, no more conservative offenses. The injured will return and this team will bring all the doubters back onboard. 

And if you're still doubtful...THOMAS. FREAKING. MORSTEAD.

The Saints will host a team that won a playoff game in the week prior. Which team scares you the most? My pick is Philadelphia. I know we shredded that team to pieces way back in September, but something about that team scares me. Maybe it's the explosive offense, maybe it's the wildcat, maybe it's Michael Vick scoring touchdowns.

I'm curious to see what you guys think though.

(Clearly, Game 17 won't be against Minnesota, so that's not an option here.)

OK, since this is my first post here on CSC, just a quick intro about myself. Been a Who Dat fan since 1990, endured good and a lot of bad as a Saints fan over the years. The Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team(champs!) will always be my first sports love, but the Saints are a very close second. So, anyway, my article:

I've seen all 3 games thus far, and noticed among other things that Sean Payton is probably a really good coach. Why? Look at these splits as far as per-half scoring goes:

Week 1 vs. Detroit(maybe the worst example): Going into Halftime, 28-10, finished the game 45-27.

I would argue that the 17 points the Saints gave up in that 2nd half was largely self-induced. The defense still looked better as I recall and the offense became more balanced.

Week 2 @ Philadelphia: Going into Halftime, 17-13, finished the game 48-22.

Yeah...that's 31-9(thanks for the math headsup, Mtn) in the 2nd half by my count. They stole the ball off the opening kickoff in the 2nd half and scored. Then scored again. Then I drank a lot of beer and 48 was on the board at the end.

Week 3 @ Buffalo: Going into Halftime, 10-7, finished the game 27-7.

Buffalo looked downright punchless in that second half. The defense tightened up in a tough game and gave the Bills nothing. The Saints running attack went crazy and you know the rest.

So, let's see....carry the two....they've outscored their opponents in the 2nd halves 65-26. More than two to one. Whether it's an inspirational speech, a Reggie Bush breakdance or Jahri Evans just staring at people, the Saints come out of the locker room a much better team in the second half. This also means that the Saints are never out of a game. They've proven they can have things go bad early only to suck it up and come out on top in the end. Kind of exciting.

Updated July 3rd, 2:20PM: F Ruslan Fedotenko re-signed, 1 year, $1.8m 
D Nate Guenin signs 1yr 2-way deal, $500k/$105k

Updated July 1st, 5:02PM: Former NJ Devil Mike Rupp signs 2 yr deal, $1.65m

Updated June 29th, 9:14PM: Guerin re-signed, 1 year, $2m(plus incentives?)

Updated June 29th, 7:10PM: Adams re-signed, 2 years, $1.1m

The Free-Agent signing period is just about upon us, so I figured I would make a template to keep track of the comings and goings and show how all of it is affecting the Penguins' cap situation. I'll try and update this as deals are made, although I might be a little held up on Wed. afternoon. The cap number for next season is tentatively set at $56.8m, so I'm going to use that for now.

Signed Through 2009-2010(* = WB/S player):

Forwards(13+2):
Sidney Crosby - $8.7m
Evgeni Malkin - $8.7m
Jordan Staal - $4m
Chris Kunitz - $3.725m
Bill Guerin(re-signed 6/29) - $2m
Ruslan Fedotenko(re-signed 7/3) - $1.8m
Pascal Dupuis - $1.4m
Matt Cooke - $1.2m
Max Talbot - $1.05m
Mike Rupp(signed from NJ 7/1) - $0.825m
Eric Godard - $0.75m
Tyler Kennedy - $0.725m
Craig Adams(re-signed 6/29) - $0.55m
*-Luca Caputi - $0.833m
*-Dustin Jeffrey - $0.508m
Total: $35.425m

Defensemen(5+1):
Sergei Gonchar - $5m
Brooks Orpik - $3.75m
Mark Eaton - $2m
Alex Goligoski - $1.833m
Kris Letang - $0.835m
Nate Guenin - $0.5m
Total: $13.418m

Goaltenders(1+0):
Marc-Andre Fleury - $5m
Total: $5m

Team Total(19+3): $53.843m
Remaining Cap Space: $2.957m

Restricted Free Agents:
F Paul Bissonnette
F Tim Wallace
D Ben Lovejoy
G John Curry

Unrestricted Free Agents:
F Miroslav Satan
F Petr Sykora
F Mike Zigomanis
*-F Connor James
*-F Chris Minard
*-F Janne Pesonen
*-F Jeff Taffe
*-F Bill Thomas
D Rob Scuderi (Los Angeles)
D Hal Gill (Montreal)
D Philippe Boucher
G Mathieu Garon (Columbus)

Not a week after their Stanley Cup victory, the Pens front office is back to work. Earlier today, Ray Shero re-signed RFA Goligoski to a 3-yr, $5.5m deal. This was reported elsewhere on Pensburgh. What's shocking is that with GoGo's new contract, the Pens '09-'10 cap hit is currently at $48.67m out of the estimated $55m cap for next year.

This leaves the Pens with only $6.5m of space to work with, and they still have Scuderi, Gill, Guerin and Fedotenko to look at. I think it's safe to assume that players like Sykora and Satan will not return, but it's entirely possible that virtually all of their UFAs will be wearing new colors next year.

Also, that $6.5m is probably more like $5-5.5m, since they can't leave themselves without any wiggle room. So, instead of "What UFAs(plural) should the Pens re-sign?", we should say "What UFA(singular) should the Pens re-sign?".

Such is the price of having Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Gonchar...etc, etc.

Don't be surprised if #17 is back in the lineup tonight for Game 6 in Pittsburgh. All indications are that his injuries have healed enough for him to be able to play tonight, and it's up to coach Dan Bylsma and the Pens management as to his playing status for this one. At first, his return sounds rather insignificant. After all, the guy was mostly non-existent in the second half of the regular season and in six playoff games this spring he managed only one assist, seven shots on goal and a less-than-stellar -3 rating.

Well, hear this, puckheads: the man was playing hurt. Clearly, he was not the high-slot gunner in the playoffs this year that he has been in the past due to his injuries. But this is no fourth-line, border-line player whose return should be largely ignored. Sykora(or 'Peter Gun' as FSN Pittsburgh's 'Staggy' likes to call him) has scored 53 goals and 109 points in the 157 regular season games played wearing the Penguins colors. He's played in over 100 post-season contests in his career with a whopping 9 game-winners, none more memorable to Pens fans than the 3OT winner against the Wings in the summer of 2008.

So, let's take this for what it is, a chance for a man who's been great for the Pens to be great one last time in the Pens final game(s) this year(Sykora is a UFA this offseason and will most likely not return). Let's hope Petr 'guns' his way to a Game 7 and another Stanley Cup ring.

The Merriam-Webster definition of momentum that pertains to the sports world is as follows: 'strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events'. I think it's fair to trim some of those words out and describe it this way: 'force gained through the development of events.' Let's take a look back through the games in this series and see what forces were gained and lost and what events developed.

Game 1 in Detroit: Events in this game revolved around puck bounces. A pinball-like action sent a puck screaming back off the end boards behind Marc-Andre Fleury, into his pads and then in the net. Then it happened again. Finally, a puck deflection lifted the frozen piece of rubber skyward and left Jordan Staal bewildered as to its location. When it landed, Staal was of no help to his goaltender and the Wings' Abdelkader jammed it in the top shelf to cap off a 3-1 victory.

Momentum result: Detroit - weak to moderate. It was only one game and a better Pens effort in JLA than in Game 1 of the previous year. The Pens felt like they only lost on account of bounces and a questionable non-call on Zetterberg's glove action in the crease.

Game 2 in Detroit: A closer game than Game 1, the Pens avoided most of the endboard calamity and instead were victimized by a sharp Chris Osgood and another questionable non-call when Pascal Dupuis' stick was shattered by an oncoming Marian Hossa following a Penguins penalty kill. Still, the defending Cup champs were strong here, and rookie Abdelkader once again tallied the 3rd and final goal of this game.

Momentum result: Detroit - strong to very strong. Pens fans were extremely frustrated after this one(including yours truly). No matter how much better the Pens had played in the first two games than last year, the result was the same, down 0-2 going home. The JLA felt like a house of horrors for the Pens and things looked extremely bleak. On the other side, the Wings had shown they could handle the talented Crosby and Malkin and Osgood was in top form.

Game 3 in Pittsburgh: Finally back in the confines of the Mellon Arena, the Pens struck early with a Max Talbot goal that energized their team. The Wings showed great poise and answered back with two goals of their own, only to see Kris Letang fire home a power play goal that tied things up before the buzzer rang ending the first period. The second period was a trail by fire. The defending Cup champs dominated for twenty minutes, showing their top form. The Pens bent, but somehow didn't break. Sergei Gonchar's game-winning power-play goal in the third period ignited the team, the fans and the players and gave the Penguins life.

Momentum result: Even. Detroit played strong in a losing effort and still held a 2-1 lead with a chance to split on the road. The Pens staved off an impossible 0-3 hole and were halfway home to tying the series up.

Game 4 in Pittsburgh: After some trading of red-lights in the first period, the game was tied at one goal a piece. Brad Stuart's goal for the Wings early in the second was quickly erased from memory when a storm of white, black and goal crashed over the Mellon Arena in a six-minute deluge that resulted in a 4-2 Penguins lead and eventual victory that would knot the series at two games even. Jordan Staal's short-handed tally - the Pens second goal - was a forceful blast that turned the entire game on its head. For once, the Wings looked human and beatable and the Pens surged forward with confidence.

Momentum result: Pittsburgh - weak to moderate. After suffering defeat in well-played efforts in Games 1 and 2, the Pens showed heart and toughness in tying the series up. They looked strong, calm, and ready to revisit the JLA and come out victorious coming back home. The Wings looked a little tired, a little demoralized without Pavel Datsyuk ready to play, but still comfortable that they were not done in this series.

Game 5 in Detroit: After a six-minute opening that saw zero whistles and up-and-down action that favored the upstart Penguins, an early penalty was called on Detroit. The Penguins would misfire and stutter in the face of a strong Wings penalty kill. Following shortly after, the newly-returned Datsyuk fed a pass across to Dan Cleary, who flicked a wobbly puck through the legs of defenseman Brooks Oprik and behind Fleury. A soft goal, perhaps, but it counted. A quick goal for the Wings in the second period to make it 2-0 and this one was over early. The Pens came wildly unglued and the result was a 5-0 defeat that resulted in a quick exit for Fleury, a total lack of control and poise and a feeling that they were mentally unprepared for this Wings retort.

Momentum result: Detroit - strong. The Wings proved once again that they own the JLA ice and that a couple of losses on the road weren't going to de-rail their confidence. They jumped on the Pens early and were more than willing to capitalize on all the power plays handed to them. For the Pens part, they played their worst game of the season at the worst time. Now, they return home down 2-3 knowing that a Stanley Cup victory necessitates another victory on home ice in Game 6 and the elusive road victory in Game 7.

The moral of the story? Playoff momentum can be strong, but it must always be maintained, because it can be lost in a heartbeat. Here's to hoping the development of events in Games 6 and 7 lead to a Penguins force that cannot be contained.

With the Cup Finals rematch coming soon, I thought it would be interesting to take a by-the-numbers look at how these teams compare to their 2008 counterparts. Keep in mind that this year's stats are 'to date' while last year's stats encompass all of the 2008 playoffs unless otherwise indicated.

Last Season's Record Entering Cup Finals: 12-2

This Season's Record Entering Cup Finals: 12-5

Entry Path last year: Ottawa(4), New York Rangers(5), Philadelphia(5).

Entry Path this year: Philadelphia(6), Washington(7), Carolina(4).

Scoring Leaders last year: Crosby, 27 points(6+21); Hossa, 26 points(12+14); Malkin 22 points(10+12).

Scoring Leaders this year: Crosby, 28 points(14+14); Malkin, 28 points(12+16); Guerin, 14 points(7+7).

Goaltending last year: Fleury, 14-6, 1.97 GAA, .933 Save Pct., 3 SOs.

Goaltending this year: Fleury, 12-5, 2.62 GAA, .906 Save Pct., 0 SOs.

Special Teams last year: PP @ 22.8%, PK @ 87.1%.

Special Teams this year: PP @ 19.3%, PK @ 83.6%.

Goals For/Goals Against last year: 61/43(+18).

Goals For/Goals Against this year: 65/47(+18).

Players in last year's Finals no longer with team(9): Marian Hossa, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu, Ryan Malone, Darryl Sydor, Ryan Whitney, Adam Hall, George Laraque, Ty Conklin.

New arrivals(9): Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke, Miroslav Satan, Craig Adams, Mattheu Garon, Philippe Boucher, Mark Eaton(DNP in last year's finals).

Last Season's Record Entering Cup Finals:12-4

This Season's Record Entering Cup Finals: 12-4

Entry Path last year: Nashville(6), Colorado(4), Dallas(6).

Entry Path this year: Columbus(4), Anaheim(7), Chicago(5).

Scoring Leaders last year: Zetterberg(Playoff MVP), 27 points(13+14); Datsyuk, 23 points(10+13); Franzen, 18 points(13+5).

Scoring Leaders this year: Franzen, 19 points(10+9); Zetterberg, 18 points(9+9); Cleary, 14 points(8+6).

Goaltending last year: Osgood, 14-4, 1.55 GAA, .930 Save Pct., 3 SOs.

Goaltending this year: Osgood, 12-4, 2.06 GAA, .925 Save Pct., 1 SO.

Special Teams last year: PP @ 18.9%, PK @ 85.7%.

Special Teams this year: PP @ 25.7%, PK @ 73.7%.

Goals For/Goals Against last year: 72/41(+31).

Goals For/Goals Against this year: 59/34(+25).

Players in last year's Finals no longer with team(2): Dallas Drake, Dominik Hasek.

New arrivals(7): Marian Hossa, Chris Chelios(DNP in last year's finals), Derek Meech, Johnathon Ericsson, Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino, Ty Conklin.

Things that jumped out at me:

1. Crosby has a lot more goals this time around. Nice to see him calling his own number more.

2. Malkin is just as good as #87 this year and has clearly cemented his 'superstar' status.

3. Fleury's numbers are down from last year, but 7 games against Washington will do that to a netminder. Not sure that MAF '09 is worse than MAF '08.

4. Quite a few personnel changes for the Pens this time around. Take into account that Sykora and Dupuis will most likely stay no-shows and more than half of the Pens that take the ice on Saturday night will be newcomers to this rivlary.

5. Both of these teams have good depth scoring. Hossa's 12 points in this year's playoffs aren't overwhelming, but the emergence of players like Cleary and Filppulla(14 points each) for the Wings makes them a balanced, dangerous team. On the flip side, the Pens may have lost Hossa's huge production last season, but look at the production of 3 of their additions: Geurin(14 pts), Kunitz(12 pts), and Fedotenko(11 pts). These teams certainly have top-end talent, but the effectiveness of their secondary players could decide the series.

6. Franzen is becoming a force. 'The Mule' continues to pile up points and has become a notable physical presence with timely hits and screens.

7. Osgood is really damn consistent.

8. Penalty Killing is noticably worse across the board. Is the new defensive zone faceoff rule having that much of an effect?

(Promoted from Fanposts - FrankD)

It's been said ad nauseum: 'Anything can happen in a Game 7.' Yes, I suppose that's true, any number of things could happen. Alexander Ovechkin may be held shotless. Jordan Staal could complete a pass. Alexander Semin might remain vertical for more than nine seconds. Craig Adams might score a goal this season. Will any of those things happen? Doubtful.

If nothing else, this series has been tremendously consistent. Pittsburgh has outshot the Capitals in every game, generated more man-advantage chances, and generally appeared to be the slightly better team in a stream of nail-biters. Alexander Ovechkin has been disgustingly good every night and Merriam-Webster might as well paste his picture next to the term 'MVP'. Sidney Crosby has shown a level of competitiveness and heart that any true hockey fan should respect. There's been goaltending quality stretching from 'Save of the Playoffs' to 'Glove as Leaky as a Teabag' and so much scoreboard mayhem that I'm wondering if having a lead is going out of style.

Let's talk turkey though. What will it take for each team to come out of the Verizon Center victorious?

1. Marc-Andre Fleury must be better. He backstopped the Pens through their first-round series against the Flyers with huge, timely saves and has since looked shaky and porous. While it's true that he's facing one of the league's premier offenses and a very dangerous Alexander Ovechkin, MAF must be great in Game 7 if the Penguins are going to win.

2. Evgeni Malkin needs to play a solid 60 minute game. I'm not saying he needs to score a goal necessarily, but he must be a dominating factor on the ice. If he can't find a way to get to the net with power and manufacture a goal or two, the Pens will be spending next week on the golf courses.

3. The Penguins need to stay out of the penalty box. 5-on-5 is where the Pens have looked best this series, and the Capitals power play is clicking at over 30%. The Pens' Tuesday practice should probably include a 30-minute session on how to complete legal line changes.

4. Ovechkin must not take the game over. This is sort of a given, but if AO gets the crowd rolling with a vintage goal or two the Pens are in huge trouble.

1. Ovechkin must take the game over. This is sort of a given, but if AO gets the crowd rolling with a vintage goal or two the Pens are in huge trouble.

2. Their depth players must be better than that of their opposition. The battle between the teams' third and fourth lines has been an important undercard in this series. For the Caps, when the Steckel line has produced, they've won. It will be interesting to see if the momentum from scoring the game-winning goal in Game 6 will carry through for David Steckel and his line in Game 7. If it does, the Caps will cruise into the third-round.

3. The Caps D must be sharper. Outshot in every contest, the Caps must find a way to slow down the Pens top forwards. They did so in the 2nd period and OT of Game 6 and must continue to do so. Cutting down on the defensive turnovers and limiting the Pens forechecking will be crucial to a Caps victory in Game 7.

4. See #1.

All in all, I expect a close-fought game and I honestly can't predict a winner, other the fans, of course. I only hope that regardless of the outcome, both fanbases can respect the tremendous hockey we've been lucky enough to witness and handle losing and winning with dignity and respect.