It's a little like the Stanley Cup.
Ed Markey is the Bruins: he's ahead, and has momentum.
Gabriel Gomez is like the Blackhawks: he looks like he doesn't know what hit him.
If he doesn't figure it out fast, his campaign season will be over.
So Gomez has to take it to the limit…and take every shot he has left. So far, Markey has avoided or ignored virtually all of Gomez's charges. Tonight, he has to make one stick.
And Gomez can help himself by telling us more about his business background. He promises it's a plus, but he should prove it!
What Ed Markey needs is a charm offensive, because he's living proof that being a congressman for forty years doesn't mean people like you.
Markey's biggest problem is that he sounds like he's reading a script, instead of saying what he actually thinks. That's why he needs to get real.
One bad move tonight could change the race, or end it.
Here are some moves Markey and Gomez don't want to make:
Lieutenant Gomez: we know you were a Navy Seal, because you've told us many times. Tonight, you must be more than a Sseal, or you'll seal your fate.
And give a thought to your future. There may another race in it. So don't go down with the ship tonight.
If all Ed Markey wants to do is parrot the Democratic Party line, he may not lose any votes tonight. But he won't win any, either.
Whatever he does, he shouldn't blow his lead. Markey has wanted to be a senator for decades, and he's never been closer.
As for voters, there's no hockey game tonight, and "The Voice" doesn't start until after the debate ends .
So there's no excuse not to watch.