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Muerto · 06-12-2018, 02:28 PM

The series between the Los Angeles Panthers and the Edmonton Blizzard is as close to a toss-up as there can be.

During the regular season, in head to head matchups, each team won 2 games in regulation, lost 2 games in regulation, and each had an OT win and OT loss. Goals for and against were even with both teams scoring 19 times.

In the standings, LAP got 2nd place in the west by 1 pt, basically EDM got third because they lost 1 more game in OT.

Both teams had great success with their top 2 lines, with Wachter from LAP and KNouse from EDM leading their teams in scoring and making great cases for themselves to be nominated for MVP.

But when it comes down to it, I believe EDM has the better defensive corps, their top 6 D match up much better than LAP's. SO, to me, as long as the forwards score as they had during the season, and the defense do a great job at shutting down LAP's top lines, the Blizzard should advance to the next round.

***Hallsy*** · 06-12-2018, 02:39 PM

Hamilton will come back and beat the Minnesota chiefs in 6 games. They struggled mightly in the first two games of the post-season but this season has been a lot of up and downs. They had a good 3rd game that will build momentum into the final 3 games of the series. We have yet to see Phelps,Odjick,Wozy,Abes,Dover and Westbrook break out and show the league why they are some of the best star players in the league. Plus depth scoring from the likes of Kennedy,Owens, Konig,Blackwell,Harrak, Vakarian are going to aid and bring goals in key moments of the league. Plus Jay Bae is a better goalie than what she is playing like in her first two games, she will bounce back and show the league that she isn't a sieve. This team is motivated to win and with the 2 game 7 loses to the chiefs in the last 3 seasons, they will not lose this series. They will win and breakthrough the chiefs curse and finally be the challenge cup caliber team that we all know they are.

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karlssens · 06-12-2018, 03:32 PM

Out west I believe most of the attention has been put on the series between Calgary and Winnipeg and for good reason as those two teams tend to represent the west in the finals as of late. However both Edmonton and Los Angeles have shown they can hang with the giants and both are willing to do what ever is necessary to move on to the second round.
While Los Angeles's top line is significantly more talented TPE wise, the depth of Edmonton on offense, and specifically on defense, give them the edge in this matchup. Through 3 games the difference maker for Edmonton has been their top TPE earner, goaltender Michael McFadden. His most notable performance so far was actually his game 2 loss in overtime as he managed to keep Edmonton relevant despite the Blizzard being significantly out shot. If he can continue to keep Edmonton within 1 or 2 goals against the high flying offense of the Los Angeles Panthers I predict the Edmonton Blizzard will win this series in 6 games at the most.

White Cornerback · 06-12-2018, 04:24 PM

Written Task: In at least 150 words, make some bold predictions for the first round (or second, if we are well into it for the back half of this PT being open) and justify your choices. Who do you think will win the series? Who will be the most important players from each team? Will there be any upsets? The question is open-ended, so simply put, what do you have to say about this seasonâ€™s playoff matchups? Must mention at least two playoff teams.

I think Buffalo will win the series against the West Kendall Platoon and will only drop 1, maybe 2 maximum games in the entire series. There's been a lot of salt lately from the Toronto faithful who for some reason have some real hate for anybody and everybody associated with the Stampede.

I think Buffalo have had a magnificent rebuild the last few seasons and for one reason or another I think some players are flat out jealous of the BuffalBro movement which is ongoing around the league.

But yeah I think FourFour will have a big playoff series and run for Buffalo, Similarly Buffalo will rely on Lavelle to pop in a few goals and assists here and there as Buffalo hopefully make their way into the depths of the playoffs.

Mafs is a young defender in the league and it will be interesting to see how he performs away from home. #Buffalbro's #Brojobs4all

***bluesfan55*** · 06-12-2018, 06:30 PM

My bold prediction is that Edmonton beats Los Angeles in 5. Pretty crazy, right? Well, not if you really think about it. Los Angeles has struggled a bit during the postseason. Evgueni Marmaledov, Russiaâ€™s top young goalie prospect, has failed to impress in the three games in the series so far. Heâ€™s kept a 0.880 save percentage and a 3.80 GAA so far. Yikes. He hasnâ€™t time to turn it around, but I canâ€™t see it happening. Another player struggling for the Panthers is Sophia Bennett. Sheâ€™s only scored one point so far, which is bad for a player of her calibre. On the other hand, Edmonton looks really good. Tigole Bitties is leading the way with 7 points, and Wollker, Nuck, Scholz, Rockefeller, and Redding are all averaging a PPG for a Blizzard team that should comfortably win in 5. I canâ€™t see the Panthers improving much, which is why I think EDM wins in 5.
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ty to @High Stick King @EvilAllBran and @Ragnar for the sigs

Mavfatha · 06-12-2018, 06:30 PM

I'm a buyer of the Edmonton Blizzard. I think they're the real deal for this year in the playoffs, and so far they're off to a 2-1 record in three games against the Panthers. Even with a shooting percentage that's not ridiculously high Tigole Bitties has been phenomenal so far and all indications are that it's a sustainable goal scoring pace. The real key is McFadden in goal; he's pretty much always a star there and looks to take his game to a whole new level in the series.

On the other hand, I'm selling the Chiefs. Thorstein and Nova are both scoring at a completely unsustainable pace, and unless someone else can pick up the slack they could find themselves with a lack of pucks going into the net very quickly. They were able to blow out the Steelhawks in the first two matchups but seem to be trending downwards with a loss in game 3. They may have been the first seed, but there really wasn't much of a gap between the Chiefs and Steelhawks during the season, and I could easily see Hamilton with the upset here.

**Rich** · 06-12-2018, 09:28 PM

I think the following teams will win their series: Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton, West Kendall. None of these are significant upsets. Winnipeg has the best roster in the league, clearly. Edmonton has a very good roster and maybe the best goalie in the league. Hamilton has outstanding skaters, particularly their forwards. West Kendall is a good all-around team and I think their roster edges out Buffalo’s. I think the only upset that could possibly occur that could be considered a significant upset is if Calgary beats Winnipeg, but that is extremely unlikely to happen. Outside of that, I think the rest of the matchups are too close to consider any outcome an upset. I think the safest bet in the West is Winnipeg. I think it is foolish to bet against them when their roster is so much better than the rest of the league. In the east, I would bet on Hamilton to be in the finals, but the east is quite close, so it could probably be any team.

majesiu · 06-13-2018, 04:07 AM

Most interesting matchup seems to be last season champions Calgary Dragons versus team that performed great in the Regular Season - Winnipeg Jets. I'd bet my money on the upset (even though definition of such is debatable, but last season champions are always the team to beat) to get upper hand in this series. Former MVP Joe Kurczewski might not be able to help aging Calgary squad reach the glory again. The games should be heavily contested, I think none of them ends in the blowout, and other than empty net goals they all should end within 2 goals difference. Though I expect a lot of goals since the offensive talent on the both teams is immense. Jason Visser, probably new Most Valuable Player, should be the important player in this first round series. The teams are so evenly matched, as mentioned before, that if series ends before full count of games that'd be surprise in itself. Having multiple overtime games would add even more drama and fit perfectly this outstanding first round series, which I expect to be mentioned a lot in the forthcoming years. Hopefully I'll soon join the flurry of playoffs competition in SHL.

***Tomen*** · 06-13-2018, 04:43 AM

Right now the Buffalo versus West Kendall series is tied at 2 but I firmly believe that Buffalo can make it to the eastern conference finals this season maybe even further and get to the cup finals actually. They have a good mix of young talent(Hamilton,Lavelle,Marius,Bayley,Gross,McGregor,MÃ¤kelÃ¤,Koening) and some seasoned veterans (Metzler,Tusk,Walker,Selich,Atmey,VorkÃ¤mpfer)to lead them. Most people thing that it is still too early for the Stampede but I think with some luck here and there it is definitely possible for the Stampede to advance to the finals. The goaltending will be one of the biggest factors against the Platoon since the Platoon has arguably better depth currently on offense. So it is in the hands of Jordin FourFour junior to have a good performance that will allow his teammates to do the job of winning the game.

Another bold prediction is that Hamilton will advance to the ECF by winning against the Chiefs in 7. I believe the Steelhawks didn't perform well in the regular season even though they have a really talented team. Another bold prediction of mine would be that an eastern conference team will win the Cup which kinda seems unlikely if you look at the dominance that the Jets and Panthers had this regular season.

Thank you all for the amazing sigs & player cards
Germany

3. Buffalo Stampede , Eduard Selich 5 (Maximilian Wachter, Alexis Metzler) at 16:25
5. Buffalo Stampede , Eduard Selich 6 (Steven Stamkos Jr., Brynjar Tusk) at 19:48
8. Buffalo Stampede , Eduard Selich 7 (Brynjar Tusk, Alexis Metzler) at 13:55
9. Buffalo Stampede , Eduard Selich 8 (Anton Fedorov, Mikelis Grundmanis) at 15:12
10. Buffalo Stampede , Eduard Selich 9 (Dickie Pecker) at 19:43 (Empty Net)

dankoa · 06-13-2018, 08:24 AM

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You know that feeling when a couple is on the rocks, and you're both just headed towards divorce? You know, neither of you really wants to do anything about it and you're getting closer and closer to the end. That's how I see the West Kendall Platoon. They're down, they're playing uninspired and you just think where is this going to end? But you look at the Buffalo Stampede and you see Dermot Lavelle? Thick, trunky, 6 foot 4, West Coast kid, coachable. It's just simple math. Now you know this prediction is going to get mocked because it's me making it but I'm going to come out and say it. Buffalo will win the cup in the next 2 seasons. Do you want small, warm weather, arrogant Karsten Kadinger or do you want thick, West Coast, trunky, coachable Dermot Lavelle? That's why Buffalo is going to win this series and they might win the cup. I'm not saying they will for sure but in the next 2-3 seasons, it's going to happen I have no doubt.

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Rabidsponge21 · 06-13-2018, 08:35 AM

I think this is the season of the Steelhawks should the Platoon not come back. The team has been on the cusp of doing something every season I feel with them knocking out the chiefs 1st round their biggest hurdle will be done with and they will play a much more dominante 2nd round to make their first challenge cup appearance in what feels like decades. Will they win it? Really it depends who they line up against. The Jets would require some STHS magic I feel to vault them into the winners circle, but some of the other match ups are more than doable in my mind. The team has had a slow burn to get where they are, but are now a fire. Dover/ Westbrook are going to have to continue eating up those big minutes for the team, and the dynamic duo from so many seasons ago in Phelps and Odjick will need to start to prove they can get things done in the playoffs as well, not just the regular season.

goilers · 06-13-2018, 10:56 AM

My bold prediction is that the Los Angeles Panthers are going to make it to the Challenge Cup finals led by winger Matthew Auston. So far in 5 games played he has 7 points leading the team. He will end up leading the league in playoff points. Right now the panthers are down 3-2 but they will come back and take the series to a game 7 upsetting the Edmonton Blizzard. Sure this is a reach but this is my bold prediction. My second bold prediction is that the Hamilton Steelhawks will make it out of the first round and take the series against the Minnesota chiefs and they will take the series to game 7 and finally win it. They have a strong roster and deserve to make it past the first round this season, sure they lost some key players on the defense but I can see them going far. I would also like to add that I believe they will make it to the finals and win the Challenge cup this season.

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Beaver · 06-13-2018, 11:16 AM

Well in my playoff predictions I made probably the boldest prediction already so I might as well write about it here. I predicted that West Kendall would win the east which flies directly in the face of all recent history and really history of all types both short and long. Season 28 was the last time the Platoon made the finals and since then they've advanced past the first round just twice so picking them to win any series at all qualifies as a bold prediction in a historical context. Obviously that doesn't matter this season, though, as they say in financial commercials "past performance is no guarantee of future success" it's just a talking point and narrative for people to run with.

Anyway, that prediction is not looking good as Buffalo is up on West Kendall 3-2. I haven't followed the series closely but each team has scored 21 goals so it's been incredibly close. Linna is carrying the day with 9 points in 5 games and if they do end up advancing to the finals it will likely be on Linna's back so that's good to see. Bojo's rocking a 0.876 so if he can get that back up to league average then the Platoon will really be cooking.

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GoonerBear · 06-13-2018, 12:29 PM

In the Steelhawks-Chiefs series, I think the Chiefs will come back from their three-game swoon to win the series in seven. At the time of writing, the Chiefs held home-ice serve in their first two games, winning 5-2 and 8-1, almost seeming assured to cruise. However, as the series shifted to Hamilton, the Steelhawks found their way win 5-3 and 1-0 wins at home, then a 6-2 blowout on the road.

Now headed back to Hamilton, I think Olli O'Koivu will be the key to sparking the two-time East champions' comeback. With a solid .909 save percentage so far in this series and shots being fairly even, the Chiefs have top scorers in Terrence Nova, Halfdan Thorstein and Lord Pretty Flacko who have stepped up for them so far.

The Steelhawks have been on this precipice before, one game away from knocking off the Chiefs and unseating them from their conference throne. Last season, in the S40 Eastern Conference Finals, the Steelhawks had a 3-2 series edge on the then-defending Challenge Cup champions. The Chiefs found their resolve to come back and retake the East. I predict the script for Games 6 and 7 only has nominal changes to alter how we get to the end - the Chiefs win both and advance over the Steelhawks.

***WannabeFinn*** · 06-13-2018, 01:23 PM

Through the first 5 games of the series, the Buffalo Stampede have a 3-2 lead over the West Kendall Platoon. Despite both teams scoring 21 goals thus far, the series hasn't been THAT close. Buffalo has performed better on the powerplay and penalty kill by a significant margin, Buffalo has averaged nearly 7.5 more shots on goal per game than the Platoon. Buffalo has committed considerably fewer penalties, has been the most physical team in the league this postseason, and has held their ground in the faceoff department. The only weakness to this point, and this most noticeable, has been the underwhelming play in net. However, the Stampede have risen to the challenge and have taken a commanding series lead despite their woes in net. I predict that the Stampede will win this series and move on to face the Steelhawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As far as the West is concerned, I think that Winnipeg and Edmonton will end up facing off in the WCF, with the Jets earning a chance to play for the Challenge Cup.

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