Game 4: Near Disaster

Well, I had a post written to bemoan tonight's game, but then they scored the two goals down the stretch to almost pull it off. Still, a 5-4 loss is still a loss, and for most of the game the Sharks were better again. You could make a case that they took their foot off the petal and let us back in, so I still don't think we played that well. We're being outplayed in every facet of the game, including special teams and coaching, in much the same ways that I wrote about in Game 2. The main difference is tonight is that it was Mark Eaton who was playing the quality hockey. And, even though Mason could be playing better, we would likely still be down 3-1 with Vokoun. I really can't put a finger on why the offense only came to life in the third period tonight. Even though it was a bit better, the lack of energy on the team is shocking.

The second intermission included an incredible interview, where one of the higher-ups on the team explained that a blackout of Game 5 is likely. Unless we can somehow sell 2,500 tickets by noon tomorrow, there will be no hockey on TV on Sunday in the area. He said (with a truly gruff tone) the local businesses aren't buying the tickets they were in the regular season, and I believe them. I know that there are no cheap tickets left; they are all lower bowl tickets. Local businesses aren't used to budgeting for a playoff run, and it's really cost us. There are a lot more people who would love to go to these games, but they aren't willing to pay $60+ for tickets. It's a dark day for Nashville hockey; I haven't felt this low since they cancelled last season.