They would have changed it to a 3 day rest for the teams. I have no doubt of that. Stern would have been as stubborn as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJJA1vvMc4I
Geez, that was an awesome game last night. This is really all I asked for from these two teams. Hopefully this Game 7 won't be as anti-climactic as the Washington-Pittsburgh one.
Chutney just to be sure, how does Home Ice affect you; just with the refs? I've heard it isn't as important compared to other sports.
I might actually watch a Hockey Game for the first time since probably the Olympics. I'm kind of excited for Game Seven.
The crowd can definitely make itself a factor. Like any sport, the crowd can really impact a team's momentum. But in hockey, teams can quickly translate that momentum into something meaningful. With its constant line changes, hockey is especially conducive to a single rush creating a game-changing goal/play. Then there are technical issues. Different arenas have different quality ice (arenas that alternate between two sports tend to have poorer ice), that the home team may be used to. I know Detroit's boards are supposedly bouncier than most (the Red Wings scored a goal in Game 1, when they dumped a puck in Pittsburghs side, but it bounced off the board, off the back of Fleury's pad, and into the net). But I think the Penguins have gotten used to that by now. There really are no more excuses for Pittsburgh to flop on the road, and I'm hoping they come to play Friday night.