I don’t expect this to be a full “liveblogging” per se, but watching Game 3 of the Cup Final, I’ve got too many thoughts to not keep the window open.

Through 20 minutes, it looks like Carolina came out the same way they did in Game 1, but settled down much quicker. The start of the second will show alot, because if Edmonton goes up 2-0 in this situation, I don’t know if they’ll let it slip again. The Canes need more quality chances, but they also need to stay out of the box. You know, the obvious stuff.

That said, Mick McGeough is back to his Game 1 routine. Regardless of what happens on the ice, he will make sure everyone remembers that he was the referee in these games. He might even need to get a new whistle before this one’s over.

Over/under of when Pierre Maguire pulls off his suit to reveal the Oilers t-shirt is, say, 12:37 of the second period.

I understand the talk of “bad ice” in the Carolina-Buffalo series, and how Carolina can get a bad rap for “assumed” bad ice just by being in the South, but this Edmonton rink, said to be the best ice in the league, is more like a pinball game than a hockey game. I guess it comes down to true, flat passes and such, but my eyes are hurting.

I was going to say if Carolina could get to the third still down 1-0, they’ll win the game. Now I’m not so sure. Getting one in the first 5-8 minutes seems imperative now, Edmonton is just carrying the play and shutting down the defensive end too well right now. Still plenty of hockey left, but the Canes really have to show me more than they have in the first 40. Not nearly the calamity that Game 1 was in the first two periods, but not exactly comforting, either.

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Prepping for OT and that happens… do the Canes have any more magic left in their bag? We’ll see in the next 2:10. 

(Expletive deleted.) 

Good news is despite a crappy start, the Canes played tough, looked like they were gonna force an OT, where ANYTHING can happen, and then a fortunate bounce (from hard play, no doubt) like those they’ve benefitted from themselves all postseason winds up in the net, and this series takes on a whole new face.