What else is there to say? The Ducks were in search of a franchise record on Friday, but instead, were demolished 5-1 by Detroit. Justin Abdelkader scored a hat trick, Datsyuk was good, dumb fights occurred, and other scary things happened. And to add insult to injury, it was out first regulation loss since February 25.
The loss fed into the mainstream media narrative that the Ducks were "due" for a loss after victories against Chicago and San Jose earlier in the week. For others, it even seemed to confirm that the Ducks were not the "real deal." While my first instinct is to tell the Ducks to shake it off and move on, I want them to remember the humiliation when they play tonight.
Now, I don't want them to do what some Detroit fans expect, and pick more stupid fights. I want them to channel that rage into some smart, focused hockey. There is a lot at stake today, namely, the series. With a win tonight, the Ducks will win the series 2-1. Regardless of last night's performance, this is an accomplishment, especially against a team that has dogged the Ducks since our inception.
This is the Ducks' opportunity to silence the Detroit fans that will inevitably/unfortunately be in our building tonight. And don't we all want to silence those people?
FOWL!