VSN Presents: S85 VHL Playoff Preview

[Alex 2,869]

@InstantRockstar

 

 

Welcome to VSN’s VHL playoff preview and predictions, in this article we’ll break down each series and discuss what players could be key to turning the tide of the series and potentially pulling off an upset. This was truly an incredible season and we could be in for a few upsets in the playoffs. While you’re here be sure to check out some of the other recent VSN articles.

 

Wildcard Series

 

 Davos (4) vs. Malmo (5) 

 

Both these teams took a small step forward this season, although Davos didn’t get the big leap forward in the standings they expected. During the regular season these two teams split a 6 game series 3 games a piece. On paper it is hard not to give Davos a significant edge with an offensive core built around their two top end forwards Vinny Detroit @dasboot and Alex Johnston @Alex, additionally Davos is the only team in the league with 4 defensemen that are all over 750 TPE, including Funk Candidate Jake Thunder @Thunder. Lastly Davos’s edge in goal is a big one with trade deadline acquisition Xavier Booberry @CowboyinAmerica, who led the league in SV% by a significant margin. The biggest question mark for this team is if their offense can get going in a short 5 game series, as they have struggled for the majority of the season. Malmo on the other hand will be relying heavily on their defense and goaltender Borris Tsezar @comrade cat to keep them in this series, and if Igor Molotov @Dom and company can get to Xavier Booberry they may be able to stun the heavily favoured Davos team. 

 

Prediction: Davos in 4 (best of 5)

VSN vote: DAV 15 MAL 1

 

 Seattle (4) vs. Chicago (5) 

 

Possibly the more interesting of the 2 wildcard series, although Chicago dominated the season series, Seattle is a team you cannot take lightly with them having made it to back to back finals. Chicago will be leaning heavily on their defensive core and goaltender in this series to try and keep Seattle’s big 3 of Sigard Petrenko @SlapshotBear, Jonathan Ori @ROOKIE745, and Hulk Hogan 2 @Hogan  off of the score sheet. This will fall heavily onto Bo Johansson @Shindigs, Alessandro Nano @leafsman, and Cole Pearce @N0HBDY. Both Johansson and Nano led Chicago at both ends of the ice and Pearce had a solid season in goal with a 0.918 SV% and a 2.56 GAA. This series should be very close, and either team could take it, we are in for a show.

 

Prediction: Seattle in 5 (best of 5)

VSN vote: SEA 6 CHI 4

 

Conference Semi-Finals

 

 Vancouver (2) vs. D.C. (3)

 

Vancouver took a huge step forward this offseason and bought aggressively and it has paid off so far, D.C. on the other hand has managed to remain a top team in the North American Conference despite losing several players in FA and to retirement. Vancouver’s biggest asset is in goal with Brandt Fuhr @Tate, who had the league’s 2nd best GAA and is a big reason why Vancouver had the league’s fewest goals against. For D.C. they are 2 players specifically that will need to be on the top of their game to get to Fuhr, they are future star Ronan Lavelle @Arce, and Tui Sova @v.2 . This should be a close series, Although we believe that Vancouver’s defense is just too much for D.C. to handle.

 

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

VSN vote: VAN 8 DCD 5

 

 Calgary (1) vs. Seattle (4) 

 

Calgary’s offense has been unstoppable and they should be able to outscore opponents easily in the early stages of the playoffs. On paper it is hard to ignore Calgary’s clear advantage in this series with Janser @Daniel Janser and Kotkakoivu @DollarAndADream leading the way. Seattle on the other hand will be leaning on sophomore goaltender Dusty Wilson @dustywilson22 who posted a respectable 0.923 SV% who could very well steal this series. While on paper it does look like Calgary could run away with this series, Seattle has proven time and time again that they can and will surprise people and the playoffs and there is no reason they can’t do it again.

 

Prediction: Calgary in 5

VSN vote: CGY 10 SEA 2

 

 Moscow (2) vs. London (3) 

 

This may very well be the final season we see Moscow near the top of the EU and their last chance to win a cup with franchise icons Hard Markinson @STZ and The Seabasstard @Seabass retiring at the end of the season. For Moscow it will need to be those 2 doing the brunt of the work to over power a London team with a chip on their shoulder. London has been led all season by defensemen Jerome Reinhart @MexicanCow123, who nearly single handedly willed London to the playoffs and could be an early favourite for MVP. This series could very well be closer than anticipated, but for now it’s hard to bet against Moscow.

 

Prediction: Moscow in 5

VSN vote: MOS: 13 LDN: 2

 

 Warsaw (1) vs. Davos (4) 

 

Davos and Warsaw have been going toe to toe all season in one of the closer season series out of all the teams in the league. All season Warsaw has leaned on their offense led by the leagues top duo of Zach Kisslinger @Kisslinger and Brendan Marner @MetalToday, both of who had over 100 points and at least 35 goals. For Davos their defense will be crucial in this potential series with their top defensemen Jake Thunder and veteran David Tavau @Ahma. Another player that will be a huge factor in this series is Xavier Booberry who posted ridiculous numbers with Davos this season including a 2.04 GAA, which in this day and age is remarkable. This series could be close but we believe that Warsaw’s offensive firepower could just be too much for Davos.

 

Prediction: Warsaw in 6

VSN vote: WAR 8 DAV 4

 

Conference Finals

 

 Calgary (1) vs. Vancouver (2) 

 

This series could be a very interesting one as one of the league's top offenses takes on the league's best defense. With that being said we could very well be in for a low scoring series that should put Calgary’s defense and Vancouver’s offense to the test. The biggest difference maker in this series could very well be AirRig GoodBrandSun @Rhynex Entertainment for Calgary who was previously the league's top defensive defenseman in their rookie season, and has really improved on the offensive side of the puck this season with 21 goals, and 66 assists for 87 points this season. For Vancouver they will be looking to get to Calgary’s goaltender early and often, a big part of this will be Nico Pearce @Spartan and Anze Miklavz @kelvi. This should be an interesting series that could really go either way.

 

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

VSN vote: CGY 4 VAN 6

 

 Warsaw (1) vs. Moscow (2) 

 

Possibly one of the more long awaited series as Moscow will be looking for revenge after last season where Warsaw ended Moscow’s finals streak. This series could be very different than last season with Moscow having a clear advantage in goal and on defense, as a result Warsaw will be needing some more solid performances from Wumbo @Fire Fletcher and B-WAR D 1, this past season Wumbo had a 0.927 SV% and a 2.59 GAA. For Moscow, they will be needing Papa Emeritus @Beketov to stand on their head and get the needed offensive output from their forwards which are built around Tomas Sogaard @Brandon and Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1. This series will be a close one, and it should come down to the wire.

 

Prediction: Warsaw in 7

VSN vote: WAR 7 MOS 5

 

Continental Cup Finals

 

 Warsaw (1) vs. Vancouver (2) 

 

Vancouver makes their first finals appearance since their 3-peat in the early 80’s, a win here could solidify them as the best team of the 80’s with the decade only being halfway over. This series could either be very high scoring, or a defensive battle as the league’s best offense takes on the worst defense. For Warsaw the main focus of this series could be their defense built around Brian Payne @Scurvy, Hari Singh Nalwa @Dil, and Tavish DeGroot @rory , all of whom were near a point per game this season. For Vancouver, their defensemen will have to come through to keep Warsaw’s offense at bay, specifically Nathan Powers @JB123, and Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk, between the two of them they contributed to 63% of Vancouver’s goals during the regular season. These playoffs should be one to remember as the teams are closer than ever, in this case we have Vancouver coming out on top due to their depth and high end talent.

 

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

VSN vote: WAR 3 VAN 7

 

Thank you to everyone for reading and best of luck to each and every team in the playoffs! If you have any predictions of your own feel free to post them in the comments.

Edited October 14, 2022 by Alex

[Lemorse7 897]

shit we have the VSN curse now 

[v.2 1,260]

GO DRAGONS!!!