View from the Pressbox - Aeros get tough, beat Griffins 3-0

Before I got to the Toyota Center, I really had no feel for the series one way or the other. The Aeros played well down the stretch, but lost the last game of the season to fall to the No. 6 seed. The Griffins only won nine of their last 20 games, but they won their division and beat the Aeros four times in the six regular season meetings.

But when I got to the rink, took the elevator downstairs and felt that sweet playoff Toyota Center humidity, I knew the Aeros would win the game.

It was hot as a mo-fo down there, and all the quotes from the past came flying back to me. Previous victims Peoria (three times), Milwaukee (twice) and Hamilton (twice) all hated playing in Houston this time of year. On the record they say they'll deal with it. Off the record, they use double hyphenated curse words about how much weight they lose and now crappy the ice is in the third period.

Fluids, IVs, fruit, carbs ... they try all the tricks in the books.

And all the while, Todd McLellan, Rob Daum, Kevin Constantine, Mike Yeo and John Torchetti have used it to their advantage to either advance in the playoffs or late in the season to pile up the points in March and April.

Just look at the record books. The Aeros are hard to beat in Houston this time of year. No, they're not perfect, but more often than not they way.

Having said all that, the Aeros played an absolutely magnificent first-round game. They came out hitting (Mikael Granlund!), throwing the body and putting pucks on net. Two timely goals in the second period sandwiched around Darcy Kuemper's Superman heroics while killing off the 4-on-3 penalty, and you've got a recipe for a Game 1 win.

There is still much work to be done, and the Aeros know they will get a desperate Grand Rapids team from the get-go on Sunday. It's the Griffins that have to win three of the last four games to advance. The Aeros are in the driver's seat, and if they play like they did Friday, they'll be moving on to round 2 soon enough.