Chicago/Boston Series A-Bruin? Wait One Win-ute

In the dozen or so predictions that people provided (including my own), not a single person predicted Boston making it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Not even my friend Tim, who is probably the biggest Boston Bruins fan that I know.

None of my friends had this as a possible 2013 picture

Everyone was on the nuts of the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance from the East, and rightfully so. Their offense in the regular season and into the first two rounds was explosive. In their two series before playing Boston, the Penguins lit the goal light up a total of 47 times in 11 games, an astounding amount, especially in the playoffs.

However, that all changed when they faced Boston. Two goals. No, I'm not talking about goals that the team set before their series against the Bruins. I'm saying that they actually only scored two goals. Two stinking goals in the four-game series (275 minutes in the series), averaging a goal every 137 minutes of game play.

To put that in perspective, the Bruins had to score 3 goals in less than ten minutes just to force an overtime in their Game 7 miracle comeback against the Maple Leafs in the first round. For fun, to calculate that pace over 275 minutes, that's.....a lot of goals. Actually, the Bruins would score about 82-83 goals at that rate.

Speaking of a team who made a comeback...

Instead of coming back from a 4-1 in-game deficit, the Blackhawks rallied from a 3-1 series margin to down the Red Wings in a thrilling and almost controversial Game 7 win at the United Center. Now, they sit in the reverse position, up 3 games to 1 against the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, who've only won one road game out of eight chances in the playoffs so far.

Before worrying about the Bruins, Hawks (and their fans) need to worry about beating the Kings one more time

There's plenty of optimism that the Blackhawks will close it out today, but they need not forget the comeback that they made themselves to know that it's certainly not impossible for a team to run off three straight deciding games to steal a series. And it certainly won't be easy to close out the defending champs.

I don't blame people for being optimistic about Saturday being the end of the Kings' reign as champs, but as always, there should be a cautious optimism as fans entering the game, not a cocky "ha ha, we got this wrapped up already" feel.

Always respect your opponent, especially if your opponent is the champion. To use another sport's example from a current sport, there's no one who respects Rafa Nadal, the master of the clay court, more than Novak Djokovic, who had Nadal on the ropes in the fifth set but eventually lost to the Spaniard (as all but one opponent can lay claim to in the past nine years).

A picture I captured at the Blackhawks rally. Can they do it again? Maybe, one more win for them to have that chance.

Even when you think you have everything in front of you, a Stanley Cup appearance within your grasp, you first must win one more game. And what a better way to do it than to eliminate the champs and face one of the Original Six for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup in a few weeks.

Before that happens, respect your opponent, the reigning champ. Cheer on your team. If/when they win that next game, then put your energy towards the Stanley Cup.