2020 Playoff Preview
Mar 10, 2020 7:56:52 GMT -5
Oslo Mastodon, Simi Valley Kings, and 2 more like this
Post by Morweena Reimnoceri on Mar 10, 2020 7:56:52 GMT -5
Morweena's Playoff Primer
Hello and welcome to the postseason. For those who weren't able to join us for the next 4 weeks, I am sorry and wish you better luck next season. For those who have lived to continue the fight, buckle up.
In this primer I will set up the two first round matchups, check out those two lucky teams with the bye week, as well as dish out some end of season awards.
So without further adieu…
Round 1 - Quarter Finals
Morweena (11-10-1) v. Nebraska (15-5-2)
Regular Season Standings:
Nebraska - 2nd Overall, 2nd Whalers Conference
Morweena - 6th overall, 4th North Stars Conference
Head to Head record: Nebraska 2-0 (6.5 - 5.5 in week 7, 8 - 4 in week 18)
Players to watch:
Tyler Bertuzzi - if all goes well for Morweena, all players will be doing their jobs, the grinders will grind, the scorers will score and the goalies will be good, but then there are the wildcards. Bertuzzi is one of those. Playing on an awful team gives him plenty of opportunity to produce (see his 4 point game v. Tampa last week) but it also leaves him exposed to being lumped with brutal players to try to do anything. Hopefully for Morweena, the good scoring and hitting Bertuzzi will show up for Round 1 and be the slight edge that the Reimnoceri will need.
Michael Backlund - after a blazing hot couple of weeks Backlund has started to cool *slightly*. He's still producing at a higher rate than most figured he would and at a perfect time to do so, but he has cooled for sure. The issue here is that for the Round 1 matchup the Flames only have two games. Will Nebraska be forced to leave his white hot centre/winger in the minors in favor of a player who will simply put more skate to ice or will he be utilized for those two games as a late week push. Time will tell, but hopefully for Nebraska's sake the time off doesn't put any rust on those silky mitts.
Why Morweena will win: Morweena will win if his All-Star goaltending tandem plays to their potential and his skaters are able to eek out one or two categories. With Andersen and Hellebuyck primed to be playing important games down the stretch for their respective NHL teams, the Reimnoceri look to benefit.
Why Nebraska will win: The Buffalo didn't finish 2nd overall by accident. In fact, if we are going to nitpick, they actually tied for 1st AND had more wins, but lost the tiebreaker. But that's neither here nor there, the point is they're good. Very good. They score, they hit, they get STP and they have been a nearly unstoppable force all year. Why stop now?
Prediction: I believe that in the end, Nebraska will win an incredibly tight week. I think that Gibson's injury is a very big hit to the Buffalo but his strong team in the skating positions will overcome any woes in goal.
Final Score: 7 - 5
Haukiputaan (10-7-5) v. Oslo (14-8-0)
Regular Season Standings:
Haukiputaan - 5th overall, 3rd North Stars Conference
Oslo - 4th overall, 2nd North Stars Conference
Head to Head Record: Tied 1 - 1 (Haukiputaan won 7 - 5 in week 4, Oslo won 8 - 4 in week 15)
Players to Watch:
William Karlsson - after missing some time earlier in 2020, Karlsson has been pretty consistent for the Ahmat but there could always be more. The Golden Knights have been rolling recently and one assumed as they go, so does Karlsson and Co. So, Haukiputaan would then hope that with the surge Vegas has been on as of late, that will lead to the good stuff.
Anthony Mantha - this dude has had some serious injury trouble this season but he is without a doubt a bonafide fantasy asset. However, of late, he's been healthy and much like Bertuzzi mentioned above Mantha has been inconsistently chipping in lately but after a 4 point outburst, perhaps he's the key to victory?
Why Haukiputaan will win: the demon inhabiting Holtby's body will get exercised and he will play like an actual NHL goaltender. That or the Ahmat players will produce to their potential with a few here and there having particularly strong weeks. Though this may come across as a long-shot situation, I believe it is far from it. This is a strong team and goaltending is a complete crap shoot.
Why Oslo will win: being criminally underrated all season Oslo will flex the same muscle they've been flexing for most of the season only this time, as one of only two matches, people will notice. On top of that, the Mastodon will take advantage of a struggling Haukiputaan goaltending tandem to sweep those stats.
Prediction: The goaltending matchup will be bad this week, both teams have had woes in that area lately and I think it's going to get ugly. Based strictly on the fact that Oslo has rookie phenom Igor Shesterkin coming back shortly, I give Oslo the advantage here and in the week. While Haukiputaan has a deep and dangerous lineup, I think that the Mastodon have proven that they're not to be taken lightly.
Final Score: 8 - 4
Simi Valley v. BYE
What Simi Valley will do on their bye week:
Moscow v. BYE
What Moscow will do on their bye week:
End of Season Awards
Tony Stark Award (Most games played): Moscow 1,525
Carlo Colaiacovo Award (Least games played): Melbourne 1,291
Pocket Rocket Award (Most goals): Moscow 402
Jumbo Joe Award (Most assists): Moscow 710
Energizer Bunny Award (Best TOI): Oslo 20:05
Church Lady Award (Most STP): Moscow 349
LMFAO ft. Lil John Award (Most SOG): Oslo 3,619
Scott Stevens Award (Most Hits): Nebraska 2,013
Ian Laperriere Award (Most Blocks): Nebraska 1,349
Martin Brodeur Award (Goalie Wins): Oslo 50
Great Wall Of China Award (Best GAA/SV%): Penzance 2.24 GAA / .927 SV%
Mariano Rivera Award (Most Saves): Oslo 2,605
Congrats to everyone on the season - even though some of you are done earlier than you would have liked, the fact that all 12 managers stuck around for the entire year is an accomplishment in itself. Should those who no longer have a horse in the race still check back for the playoff and/or season wrap - I look forward to having your eyeballs. If not - catch you in the off season.