They tore open a 5-0 lead in the second period on 2G and 1A each from Duncan Keith and Marion Hossa.  Patty Kane added one and thus went Roberto Luongo into the cold dark night for the second game in a row.

I need earmuffs for this.

Can you believe it?!  I’m trying not to get too excited, they’re still one win away from the brink of destruction.  But what a week it has been.  Duncan Keith is absolutely tearing it up, carrying the load for injured Brent Seabrook and plenty of other weight.  (And the ladies LOVE him.)

You know what HRH Queen Elizabeth II wanted for her 85th birthday, which was also yesterday?  Besides to stop hearing about the Royal Wedding and being asked to approve plates with Wills’ face painted on?

Duck, duck, SOUP.

Well she got it.  Now let’s see if we can get another one Sunday at 6:30 PM, when you’ll all be cracked out on Peeps and jellybeans and running around your house screaming about Tazer Cats.  We’re here for you.

Lunchtime poll: Will Letang wears a helmet or not? He’d need a headband for sure but it’s a sin to cover up that hair.  Maybe a baseball cap?

Exactly how I sleep on a plane.

The All-Star Skills Competition games are:

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
Is a race! 6 players from each team compete in heats.

BlackBerry NHL Breakaway Challenge™
3 players from each team compete to deliver the most creative shootout attempt.  They get 4 shots a piece and we get to vote via text.

McDonald’s NHL Accuracy Shooting™
Like Crosby’s puck pyramid and Ovi’s weird Russian dressing mess, six players per team will shoot at foam targets in the four corners of the goal.

G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay™
New event and it’s a big one!  16 players from each team in four relays.  Each skill must be completed before the team can move on to the next.  Two relay groups per team.

• One-timer: shoot over an 8″ obstacle
• Passing: put a pass into each of 6 nets set up around the ice
• Puck control: Slalom cones while keeping the puck on the stick
• Stick handling: Keep the puck on the stick through a series of obstacles
• Accuracy shooting: Knock out four targets.

XM NHL Hardest Shot™
If you can’t figure this out, Chara gets to shoot at you.

Discover NHL Elimination Shootout™
Musical chairs for the shootout, like the Penguins have mastered.  Only they make people grow mustaches and run to the top row of a football stadium.  In this, it’s 1 point per goal and a lot of bragging rights for whoever makes it to the end. [Graphic from NHL.com]

We kinda hope Tanger and Tazer end up on opposite teams so they can showdown in the shootout challenge!

Mine. Mine. Mine.