The Pressure is On, Two Game Sevens on the Schedule

But you will come to a place
Where the only thing you feel
Are loaded guns in your face
And you'll have to deal with
Pressure - Billy Joel

Four teams tonight start to feel the pressure tonight as the face off in two Game Sevens.  The Capitals and Rangers start at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center and Devils and Hurricanes start at 7:30 pm at Prudential Center.

There is nothing better than watching a game seven.  The hockey played has that extra level of intensity and the game has an added level of excitement.  Each team on the ice is playing for their playoff seasons and one team has to go home

The Capitals have the pressure squarely on their shoulders.  The Capitals were down 3-1 to the Rangers and have won their last two games to force a Game 7. Goalie Simeon Varlamov has played extremely well in net after Jose Theodore didn't play well in Game 1.  Varlamov is one of the main reasons that the Capitals are still in this game.  The Capitals were in this situation last season, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to force a game seven against the Flyers only to lose the game at home.

The Rangers are the team that seem to be written out of this equation.  After looking really bad in their last two games, both games they could clinch in, they end up in Game Seven.  The Rangers as a team have played the last two games well out of their disciplined element.  So much so that Tortorella was suspended after throwing a water bottle at a fan.  Heading into Game seven though, Tortorella says it best when it comes to the Rangers attitude to the game:

“I appreciate your honesty, but there’s no pressure on us. We’re going to go there and compete in a Game 7 because everybody thinks we’re done. And it falls back on them. … It’s funny what happens with the pressure.”

The Devils and the Hurricanes have traded wins for the last six games.  They have done it in many different forms: overtime, .2 seconds left in the game, and complete blowouts.  Both teams are evenly matched and the home ice advantage may play more of a role into this game as compared to the Capitals game.