After Game 6 victory, Red Wings are just one win away from making history

When Darren Helm’s empty netter and Mike “Doc” Emerick’s call of “scorrrrre” sealed the Detroit Red Wings victory over the San Jose Sharks on Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals I thought to myself “is this really happening.”

Just last Wednesday I felt like I was having déjà vu. When Devin Setoguchi scored 9:21 into overtime to give the Sharks a 4-3 win and a three games to none series lead I couldn’t help but think about Patrick Marleau’s overtime goal in Game 3 of last year’s Semifinals series that gave the Sharks a 3-0 series lead after two one goal games in San Jose.

The Wings would take Game 4 from the Sharks last year before falling in Game 5 in San Jose. So, after the Detroit’s 4-3 win in Game 4 this year I figured they will fight valiantly in Game 5, but will ultimately fall in five games as they did last season.

That’s when the feeling of déjà vu vanished. The Wings managed to keep the series alive after trailing by two goals early in the third period and pushed the series back to Detroit.

Then, after a lucky goal by Logan Couture 54 seconds into the third period last night broke a scoreless tie the desire and drive that no other team in the league seems to have reared its head, again, and the Wings found a way to score two goals and push this series to an unlikely Game 7.

But, how could this happen?

How could a team that looked like its days of being a perennial Stanly Cup contender had passed them by suddenly be on the verge of making history?

It’s quite simple; because they believe they can.

The Red Wings play with the mindset that they are never out of a game, or a series regardless of what the score or the series tally might be.

The core of this team, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Kris Draper have played in more combined Stanley Cup Finals then any team in the league. Plus, they have a general in Nicklas Lidstrom that has been with this franchise for every up and down it has experienced the last two decades.

So, when the Wings won Game 4 the Sharks allowed them to believe it was possible they could come back. When the Sharks coughed up a two-goal third period lead in Game 5 and allowed the series to come back to Detroit it gave the Wings the final push they needed.

The Wings knew they could win Game 6. At home, and with the a raucous crowd behind them a one-goal deficit early in the third period was nothing to the Wings have never seen before. Heck, with the way they were dominating the game they probably felt the game was still tied.

Now, the Wings are in their comfort zone with a Game 7, and one has to wonder about the Sharks current mindset.

Are they going into Game 7 feeling sorry for themselves and thinking how they failed in their previous three chances to close the series.

Are all the playoff failures of the last decade creeping into their psyche and casting feelings of doubt, or are the Sharks simply saying to themselves “all we have to do is win one game.”

What the Sharks mindset is going to be heading into Game 7, I don’t know. But, I do know what the Red Wings’ mindset is.

Just two words.

We believe.