Hello, Anxiety.

I knew that this series wouldn't be easy. Little did I know that my weekend would be filled with such heightened emotions. Frustration, anger, joy, panic, anxiety, and a general feeling of wanting to throw up (when I wasn't holding my breath). I tend to cross my fingers when I'm nervous during a game, hoping that somehow God Himself will answer my prayer "God, if you just let Chris Kunitz score..." My fingers were practically deformed by the end of the weekend.
Let's backtrack to Friday's game two. I was pumped (do people still say that?) that Crosby was back (see previous post), and we'd completely dominated game 1 on Wednesday. But despite Crosby's impressive two goal return, somewhere into the game, we forgot how to play. I often wonder if there are sometimes "too many cooks in the kitchen" with our supposed star power. Maybe Crosby's return means other players are afraid to shine. Afterall, Malkin's ridiculous season was sans Sid. He stepped up, while this season has been less than impressive. We looked flat, and the Isles looked good. After Niskanen's fight, everything seemed to go downhill.

 

We lost our precision and our confidence. Fleury seemed shaken and Nabokov was not allowing a repeat of game 1. The Isles had momentum and renewed energy. Despite the close final score, the Islanders were the better team. I went to bed in a serious funk and dreamed of Sidney Crosby. This was the second dream in the past week where a Penguins player was finishing their college degree (I happen to work at a college). My interpretation: the Pens got SCHOOLED.
I woke up cranky. I may have uttered "I can't believe it" a handful of times. I was nervous for Sunday, especially since the game was on Long Island. I was born on Long Island and have been there to visit family more times than I'd prefer. I don't like Long Island. I'm not even sure if people who live on LI like LI. Watching the pre-game (specifically the rowdy Islanders fans) had my stomach in knots. They were out for redemption blood. As the game began, the roar of the crowd in support of their Isles was incredible, and with every hit to a a Penguin, the cheers were deafening.
The Isles took an early lead, but the Pens were able to catch up quickly with two consecutive powerplay goals. The Pens started to look like the top-seeded Pens, and ultimately took the lead 4-2. Things looked good. However, like the game before, the momentum shifted once again and the Pens lost their focus and the game was tied 4-4. I worried that Fleury's confidence had once again disappeared. Islanders fans chanted "Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry," hoping this was indeed the case. Thankfully we survived regulation, and on a powerplay Kuni scored the game winning goal in OT. Of course commentators Milbury and Roenick were quick to disagree with the penalty. They argued that Crosby exaggerated the fall, and maybe so. But that's hockey and it goes both ways. Matt Cooke shouldn't have gotten a penalty when Isles defenseman Matt Carkner tried to hit him with his stick. From the bench.
I already have my sights on game four tomorrow. This Islanders team is not playing like an 8th seed, nor are we playing like a 1st. It's time to step it up.