(Almost) Daily Briefing 05-02-2013

The two days since Game One have been interesting. People who have approached me about it have had strange reviews of the game. More or less, I've heard things as mild as "that's too bad about Game One" and as harsh as "that game was brutal."

In reaction to even the mildest of Debbie Downers I kept finding myself shocked and saying, "Really? I'm pretty happy with how it went." Obviously, pulling out the win in OT would've made me happier, but biking wobbly-wheeled away from my buddy's garage that night I felt awesome about the game--and it wasn't just the belly full of craft and that weird Italian sausage- and cheese-filled, bacon-wrapped chickenball that I'd gotten from the Byerly's deli. As I left, I heartily congratulated my buddy on the win since he's a Hawks fan--an Illinois native a lifer Hawks person, so you can't blame him. I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the series had to tell.

With the story that played out Tuesday night, aside from the game of inches in OT playing out in the Wild's favor, the game couldn't've gone much better. There was so much going against the Wild--playing like assholes down the stretch, Chicago being the juggernaut they are, and then Bax goes lame in pre-game--that the way the guys played was inspiring, and no one deserves more credit than Josh Man Stallion Harding.

This is how I react to games:

• If you don't play like you deserve to win and you lose: good. GFYS. Prepare to receive blithering F-Bombs.
• If you don't play like you deserve to win and you win: good. But stop playing like assholes.
• If you play like you deserve to win and you win: good. That's what you're supposed to do, you dumb MFers.
• If you play like you deserve to win and you lose: it's cool, bros. You and I know how you played. 

And, sure, maybe I'm just content after building up such a loser lather heading into the series. I still didn't see too much to be ashamed of. Even if we go on to lose this 4 or 5 game series, as most of the hockey world (including MN) has the series pegged at, at the very least their effort on Monday gave me a little hope that the series could be entertaining as fuck... Barring they can replicate it.

I don't mean to keep looking past the playoffs already. Really. It's just that this series is the perfect precursor to next season's new divisions. Familiarity breeds contempt, and familiarity in the playoffs breeds contempt like rabbits.