Seventh Cup Heaven

Sadly, unless otherwise noted, Jessica Biel won't be in Raleigh for Monday's game. Of course, with the NHL trying to get celebrities in the seats, I wouldn't rule anything out.

Now, I'm not sure if it was Beckett Magazine predicting the Canes victorious in the Cup finals or the momentum coming back home to stave off elimination, but the Oilers looked like a vicious team out on the ice in Game Six. They had the intensity turned way up and really looked great. If not for penalty troubles, the Canes could have hung with the Oilers, but that's not always the case. All the best players for the Oilers were the best players on the ice. From Chris Pronger to Fernando Pisani to Ryan Smyth were all out there on a mission.

The Canes didn't seem to want to come out and play like they are known for. Even the re-emergence of Erik Cole into the line-up didn't really boost things, though Cole looked fairly well in his '06 playoff debut. Yet, when you have seven shots through two periods, you're not going to win many games unless the goalie is a complete sieve in net. I don't think Doug Weight's absences helped the team's morale, but they had to move past that. However, Eric Staal, Cory Stillman, and Rod Brind'Amour were all invisible on the ice. The good thing for Carolina is that the last time they lost two games in a row, they won seven in a row after that. It's not much, but if they blow a 3-1 series lead, I'd be surprised if this team is the same next year.

The good thing is that coming out of a lockout, it'll take one game to decide it all for the Cup. The question is, will anyone outside the hockey niche fans watch the game to decide it all??