The atmosphere before the game was electric. Fans of both teams were gathered, good-naturedly ribbing the other team. Jersies with Hasek on the back were by far the dominant ones for Sabers fans. Pittsburgh was represented heartily by Lemieux, Jagr, and Kovalev sweaters. Several fans wore their moose antlers while a man outside the Arena would fashion balloon antlers for those who wanted them.

Unlike the Washington organization, the Sabers flashed up a welcome to the Penguins and their fans on the JumboTron, which brought a chorus of boos from the crowd. The mascot, a saber-toothed tiger, made his way around the seats greeting people and cheering on the team.

I was able to sit to the left of Dominic Hasek and had an excellent view of him for two periods while the Pens shot at him. He is an incredibly agile goalie and made some great stops. Of course, Hedberg played well too, just didn’t get much help from the team in front of him.

Milan Kraft played some, but didn’t have a big impact on the game. When the first line scored the first goal of the game, I thought we were on a roll, but they weren’t able to hold on and eventually lost in overtime, 3-2. As Stu Barnes and his teammates celebrated, large black and red streamers descended from the ceiling.

While I walked back to the hotel after the game, the Sabers fans were in big time celebration mode, honking their horns all through the downtown area. Pens fans took the loss as good sports, saying we’ll win the next two.

I think it will be a tough job.