Do Or (Pretty Much) Die

Pre-Game Skate:  Welcome back to the NHL playoffs where tonight the (your) Detroit Red Wings are in pretty much the same boat--make that exactly--the same boat in which they were in one year ago:  down two games to none to the San Jose Sharks heading into game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals.  We were talking about this last night at Comerica Park (where the Tigers finally snapped their 7-game losing streak, yay, I guess) and it was there that I learned that my memory had failed me.  I thought the Wings had won game 3 then lost a 3-1 third period lead to lose game 4 which meant they were down 3-1 to the Sharks going back to San Jose, where Detroit was eliminated in game 5.  That's not the way it went down.  Yes, the Wings did lose a two-goal lead at home and wound u losing in overtime, but it was in game 3, not game 4.  The Wings thus faced the toughest situation you can face in playoff hockey, trying to come back from 3 games to none down.  Detroit did win game four 7-1 (as I recall Johann Franzen scored 4 goals but we've already demonstrated the limits of my memory haven't we?) but that was their only win in the series.  The Wings have now lost six of their last seven playoff games against the Sharks and the thing is, each of those six losses have come by one goal.  Mike Babcock, the coach of the Red Wings, promises line-up changes tonight and as soon as they let us in the Auxiliary Press Box know what they are, we will pass them along.  The building is filling, it was be, with apologies to the United Center, a madhouse here tonight.  The Auxiliary Press Box is, just for your information, the last row of the stadium seats covered by a table top.  In other words, I am right in the middle of the crowd tonight.  We'll do our best.  And, for now, we'll see you face-off, set for 8:15 pm Eastern Daylight.