Semifinal Game Day No. 6

Just got off the phone with Coach Ruskowski, and he said both Darryl Smith and Serge Dube will be in the lineup for tonight's game.

That's obviously good news for the team and for the fans among you, but the Jackalopes have beaten the Bucks with those two in the lineup before.

He also said he plans to start Sebastien Centomo, so I guess the alternating goalies thing has come to an end for now.

For my preview that ran in today's paper, I spoke to Steve Weidlich, the player who has played in the most playoff games in the Bucks sweater, and he made it pretty clear he does not want this year to be the one that breaks the team's tradition of success.

When I asked him if he thinks everyone on the roster understands this game's significance as much as those of them who have been around for a while, this is what he had to say:

"I’d like to think so. I’m pretty sure everybody does. I don’t think anybody wants to go home yet; it’s way too early in the season for me. We’ve been pretty lucky in previous years as far as at least making it to the second round. I don’t want to go home, and I’m pretty sure nobody else does."

And as far as going from up 2-0 in this series to down 3-2:

"I wouldn’t say it was bad luck. They’re a good team; they weren’t in first place for no reason. They’re a skilled team. It comes down to who makes the least amount of mistakes, and I think it’s just a matter of us focusing and playing our game. If we do that, we won’t have a problem."

I asked Ruskowski about the one-on-one meetings he had before the playoffs started and whether or not guys have been living up to their promises, and this is what he said:

"No, and that’s the sore spot that I’m facing. Some guys tell me what I want to hear, but they don’t show me what I want to see."

A short answer like that is a sure sign that he is pretty upset with the guys he's thinking of, but he is never one to call people out via the media, so you can make your own assumptions on that part.

The only other full and relevant leftover quote I have from yesterday's interview is this one about special teams:

"It’s always been a big factor. In every game we’ve played in the series, the power play and penalty killing have been a huge asset either for or against us. That seems to be the turning point, but above anything else, we need to start scoring goals 5-on-5. We have to generate more offense that way."

Obviously having Smith back should help in that regard, and as it has been noted, the Bucks have come back from worse series deficits before.

With their "backs against the wall" tonight, we'll see what the team that has had its ups and downs all year long is really made of...and if it gets to play on for at least one more game.

Don't forget to wear white if you are so inclined.