If you were to tell me that the Lightning were under the most pressure to perform tonight, I would have to disagree with you.
Oh, sure… the Lightning are in need of a game 6 victory to bring the series back to Tampa and get one last shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup… But then again? Think of how it is for the Flames with game 6 and a shot to clinch the Cup tonight. You have 20 thousand fans in the building, you have the entire city riding on them, you have close family and friends in town wanting to see it happen, plus Canada is holding out hope the Calgarians can bring the Cup home and this causes the Flames to feel and added reason to perform…
…And to the potential to make mistakes.
The Lightning are the wounded animal – they have absolutely nothing to lose and that makes them more dangerous… It’s a type of Beast the Flames have not yet encountered during the playoffs – as they have been the one who has been in the underdog slot for the entirety of the playoffs.
If the Lightning react the way they did to the Game 6 loss vs. Philadelphia (angry), this game will not end in a victory celebration. There is no more need for the team mantra “Safe is Death” because there is little to no safety where they sit right now.
Calgary’s got to be hoping Game 5 was a loss the Lightning cannot bounce back from, because for the Flames to lose Game 6 with the amount of pressure to perform on them – there may be no getting up from that.
