Game 5 - You Can Come Up With Statistics to Prove Anything - 14% of all People Know That

Well, now that the blog cherry has been popped, let's look ahead to Game 5, shall we?

We all know how important this game is. The winner has a chance to end the series, momentum is gained or lost, blah blah blah. I'm sure there's some ridiculous statistic out there explaining how many teams have won their series after winning Game 5. There will be talk about how many home teams have won Game 5 vs road teams, whether the team that won Game 5 also had to win Game 4, and all kinds of other bullshit stats. I'm too lazy to find any of those.

You know what? None of that matters. What does matter is that the Red Wings have been here before and the Coyotes haven't. The Red Wings have been in this exact position 3 times in the last 2 years - tied 2-2 headed to this crucial game. And guess what? They are 3-0 in those games. And only once did they not win the series (excuse me while I go vomit a little). The Wings know what it takes to get the job done, and they will. What's the most important game the Coyotes have played this season? I believe their high point was the comeback against the Wings in January. Remember that clusterfuck? I know they had a chance to get close to the Sharks towards the end of the season, but could not get it done.

I have no doubts that the Wings are going to win tonight. Everything the Coyotes have done in this series, the Red Wings have countered. The Yotes scored 3 PP goals in Game 1 - the Red Wings haven't allowed one since. The Yotes played physical (dirty) with Shane Doan hitting everyone in sight - the Red Wings outhit the Yotes in the last game and have been just as physical since Game 1. In Game 3 the Yotes scored an ugly goal on Jimmy - he responded by shutting their asses out. What do the Yotes have left? They might get Shane Doan back - whoop-de-fucking-do.

There is only one thing that scares me about tonight: Ilya Bryzgalov. He has not been great in this series. In fact, he's been mediocre. But, he's a Vezina-candidate, and didn't get to be one by accident. The one thing all Red Wing fans fear is the hot goalie - I still remember the Wings getting "Giguere'd" in 2003. Breezy hasn't stolen a game yet, and in the back of my mind the fear lingers that he could. The Wings need to keep up the pressure, and I still want to see more second and third chances.

Long story short - if Game 3 Detroit shows up, we're fucked. If Game 4 Detroit shows up, we're good. Let's get the lead in this series for once and put the Dogs behind the 8-ball. Let's see what they do when their backs are against the wall. Twice in this series the Red Wings have responded when they needed a win - tonight is even more important. I am predicting a final score of 3-1 Wings, with a chance to end the series on Sunday.

LGRW!