text



a. Despite beating Tampa Bay, Baltimore, and Hamilton which are three very good teams, FHM has proven time and time again that underdog stories don't usually end well in the playoffs. Even though micool is gonna win the cup one day, it seems like a battle against the top team in the regular season is going to be an uphill battle for the Inferno.

b. Locking down and focussing on defense is probably the best way to counter the many takeaways of Chicago. If you can't keep the puck away from them, the least you can do is limit the quantity and quality of their shot attempts. Biding your time and waiting for perfect moments to strike will be the only way to generate offense without having the puck stolen.

c. It feels like it's much more difficult to capitalize on powerplays in the playoffs. Keeping penalty minutes down is important, but the majority of the game is decided 5 on 5 anyways. If you happen to take a few penalties in a game just make sure that you put your best effort out on the penalty kill and limit their chances.

d. A balanced attack seems to work wonders in this league. While star players are still going to carry most of the weight of the team, a cup winning roster needs to be able to hold the fort down regardless of which lines are on the ice. Making sure that every minute of 5 on 5 play is of a certain standard is more important than making some minutes more critical than others.



a. Positioning and shotblocking will be key ways to defend against blue liners with a ton of points. If the defense of the other team are allowed to move the puck freely and take opportunities to shoot in open lanes, unfortunately that will result in them racking up a ton of points. Limiting their options and getting in the way of the puck will be important.

b. Make sure to play tight man to man defense against these players to really prevent them from getting any sort of quality shooting opportunities. If a shot must be taken by the enemy team, put in your best effort to ensure that the shot is taken by someone other than those three. Don't give them any open ice to find a perfect shot.

c. This sort of situation looks pretty bad for Quebec. If Newfoundland has been unlucky and has still found ways to dominate their way through the playoffs then just imagine what a lucky Berserkers squad would look like. It's very tough to maintain a hot streak against the best team in the league so Quebec cannot rely on their luck in this series.

d. When you're a team with as much success as Newfoundland, the mentality of this series has got to be one of confidence. They easily dispatched of the second overall seed of Colorado so the third overall seed of Quebec shouldn't be a worry for them. Quebec needs to stay strong against this goliath of a team but I wouldn't be surprised if they already assume their fate is sealed.



There's no better line to play on than a cup-winning line. To re-live the success of the past, I'd reunite my old line mates from the S58 four star cup winning roster.

F - Kev Kevens
F - William Salming @Salming
F - Zdenko Beranek @ztevans
D - Jasper Maximov @enigmatic
D - Yuuto Kira Cloudera Jr. @kentakira
G - Mat Smith @Matteo

The trio of forwards here is pretty self-explanatory since these were the exact three players who played together on a line during the cup run. William Salming especially was a linemate of Kev's for a very long time and each player has developed into a star player on their respective teams. Bringing back their chemistry from the J would be wonderful. Although Zdenko Beranek didn't end up having the SHL career that Salming and Kevens had, adding him into the mix would surely do good things and revitalize the same energy he had in the J league. The defensive options were slightly more flexible since my player didn't play directly on the same line with any of them, but picking Jasper Maximov and Yuuto Kira Cloudera Jr would surely result in the best line. Maximov was a superstar in Quebec and has continued that stardom in Baltimore. They're a key piece of any successful blue line. Cloudera Jr. on the other hand has had one of the most underrated careers in both the J league and the SHL. They've quietly been making an impact for 10 full seasons and would be a great addition to my dream lineup. Finally we have the multiple cup winning goaltender Mat Smith who has graced every team he's been on with success. He's been one of the best goalies no matter which league he's been playing in and has already earned a ton of accolades before even hitting regression. The word count here clearly paints a picture of how amazing this lineup was in the past and still would be in the present and future.



+2 https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3208696