PITTSBURGH - Game 7 starts at 8 p.m., which gives Pittsburgh Penguins a whole extra hour to worry.
There's plenty to worry about as the deciding game in the Stanley Cup playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning looms tonight.
A lot of fans seem to be putting the heat on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn't been at his best, but he's not getting a lot of help.
Defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek, so reliable for so much of the regular season, seem to be watching.
Lightning players are being allowed the time and space to make plays and to work the front of the net.
The power play has been so awful, it's almost time for the Seinfeld-ian philosophy of doing the opposite of everything they've been doing.
They can't get much worse than 1-for-30. Considering that goals often score with accidental deflections, 1-for-30 is almost impossible.
The Penguins don't have enough scoring to make up for defensive lapses.
If they can pull Game 7 out, they're going to have a lot of work to do to prepare for another series.
Less is better
Major League Baseball seems to be headed in the direction of expanding the playoffs to include two more teams.
Bad idea, but there doesn't seem to be any way to stop it.
Since going to three divisions, MLB added a wild card team.
Now there would be a second wild card in each league.
If their team is in it, fans will buy the chase for the second wild card, no matter how artificial it might be.
It's been proven that wild card entries can win the World Series, so it's an accomplishment just to reach the postseason field.
An extra round of playoffs is another selling point for broadcast partners. The TV networks carry the regular season games because they have to.
They want the postseason, even if it spills into November.
Ready to pick
The NFL draft is approaching, and the Steelers' pick remains a mystery.
They're picking at the 31st spot, which has something to do with that.
It's hard to predict what might happen above them in the first round.
That means the Steelers will go for the best available player when their turn comes.
But there's a good chance that player will be a cornerback or an offensive or defensive lineman.
Those are the areas of greatest immediate need for a team that expects to be a Super Bowl contender again.
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.
