I still can't make sense of that game last night. The ICE got off to a good start but after jumping out to a 2-0 lead, they played a very sluggish, reactive and defensively sloppy game. Too many turnovers. Shaky goaltending.
The Warriors are a good team and not one I'd consider beneath the ICE, they are a worthy opponent with an impressive array of star players. Some of those guys have stepped up huge, like Jagger Firkus, Brayden Yager and Ryder Korczak. But it feels like the ICE's star players have disappeared. No Geekie, Savoie or Benson on the scoresheet for two games straight. Hauser has been flat out bad in his last two starts, but one could argue he has been hung out to dry by his defensemen, Prosofsky in particular has looked like a liability and both Lambos and Zloty have looked like wobbly-kneed rookies instead of the poised veterans that they are. Only Sward has really stood out defensively.
It's do or die for the ICE tonight. They either win or it's pretty well over, based on how this series has gone I have a very hard time seeing them coming back from a 3-1 deficit if that's what it comes to. I really hope the ICE can get it together, because going out with a whimper in the second round would be a sad ending to a spectacular season. At least last season they lost in the conference final to a heavy favourite, and even then they played them really tough with some close games. This series has not been like that at all so far.
