Game Seven? No Problem

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Book your tickets for the next round. The Pens WILL WIN game seven tomorrow night at the Igloo. I thought about ripping everyone from Fleury to Yeo in this article, and if I wrote it last night i probably would have. But I took a day to settle down and as my fiance told me (with all the sports knowledge she could muster) "Be positive babe." Simple, yet insightful. I decided to really try to think of some reasons to be positive after game six. It was tough but I came up with a few. First and most obviously, we have Sidney Crosby. Remember him? Did anyone see him as the final seconds ticked down in Montreal last night? The man is amped up, and I personally don't know if there is any better performer is sports and an amped up Crosby. The Habs should know better. He's like the Incredible Hulk... You won't like him when he's angry. Sid will show why he's the best player in the game tomorrow night, especially without Hal Gill hanging on him like a jungle gym. I know that you Pens fans are worried sick, and trust me I am too. There are so many reasons to be. I'll give Marc Andre Fleury the benefit of the doubt and just call his play inconsistent thus far, excluding any adjectives I used during the game last night. You can quote me right now, the Flower is due. It's time for that bounce back, stand on his head, great playoff performance we've all been hoping and praying for. Going against his recent history and my better judgement, I say Fleury plays lights out in game seven. On the other hand is the Habs goalie. Jaroslav Halak is hotter than a cup of jailhouse coffee right now. I swear last night I dreamt that he wouldn't let me get my car in the garage. The dude has been a wall, but let's not forget game one when he was yanked after five goals. He is human. I think the Pens will feel the desperation, get in his face, and put the biscuit in the basket. This series will be won or lost tomorrow night on garbage goals. Also, in case no one has noticed, Geno Malkin, Mr. Conn Smythe himself, has been flying in the past couple games and I have to think he's going to find a way to light the lamp. Get the guy a big bowl of borscht before the game and you will no doubt hear his classic "I'm score" in the postgame interviews. My next theory, as much as I hate to admit it, is putting either Ponikarovski or Fedotenko back in the lineup. Not that Letestu has done anything wrong, I just think in game seven you play your forwards who have the best chance of scoring goals for you. I, personally, would play Poni because Feds had his second chance after being benched and did nothing with it. I think it may pay off for Danny Disco to Put Poni back in the lineup and see how he responds to some time on the pine. Another contributor to my over-confidence is that I have had a feeling that we're going to get a goal from one of our unlikely characters for a couple games now. Tomorrow, I'm feeling a goal from someone like Max or Kennedy. Perhaps Adams or Cookie. It could happen, and it needs to happen. The final reason that the Pens will undoubtedly win game seven against the Canadiens tomorrow night... home ice baby. We're not ready to tear down the old barn yet. Throw the stats out the window. The Mellon will be rocking, inside and out. Crosby will have a day and a half of fire built up and the crowd will only set him off more. Same goes for the Flower. The Guinnys will feed off the whited-out crowd and send the Habs packing. The Igloo has at least a few more games left in her. And if it makes you feel better I'll even throw in the fact that we handled both Washington and Detroit in game sevens last season. Don't even sweat it people. And if you're not really believing me, just think about this little piece of advice I was once given: "be positive babe."