Arce 755 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) Now that the wildcard round is out of the way, the stage is set for the Conference Semi-Finals. Moscow already knew that Malmo would be their opponent, since they blew their first place lead in the final 2 games of the season. Moscow thought they would be cracking open some cold ones and seeing if they would play Riga or Warsaw, but instead they would have a date with Malmo. Frustration was definitely brewing in the locker room as they thought a 1st place finish was under a lock and key. "We are definitely not happy with how the season ended." Ronan Lavelle said, who led the team with 40 goals in the S87 regular season. "If there is one positive it changed up our attitude. We were getting ready to cruise the past few days and just see who we would play. Finishing 2nd and now playing a good Malmo team re-shifted the focus. We had a few team meetings, and added a practice on our day off just to keep our focus up. We can't be caught by surprise like that again in the playoffs." Lavelle concluded. The Menace finished 3-2 against the Nighthawks in the regular season where the goal differential was, you guessed it ZERO. These two teams played another close all season long. The big question for Moscow is which team will show up? The one where their dynamic offense/defense lights up the scoreboard, or where they get held to 3 goals or under despite putting up a load of shots? All eyes will be on rookie Matt Murdock, who will make his post-season debut. Murdock had a fantastic rookie season, and is well within the ROTY discussions. Murdock had a .939 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA while tacking on 4 shutouts. Malmo goaltender Boris Tsezar will also be making their playoff debut in their 5th VHL season. Tsezar was apart of a long awaited Malmo rebuild. Tsezar had a .928 save percentage, 2.52 GAA and 5 shutouts of their own. So it is believed a goaltender battle could ensue in this series as it did in the regular season. Moscow point leader Nico Pearce with 91 points says he is expecting big time production from the Moscow offense. Pearce is a career point per game playoff player. He has a lot of experience in the playoffs, and is looking for his first Continental Cup. Pearce is re-united with former Titan teammate Hammar Voss in the post-season. This will be Voss' third run with Pearce. Voss tore up the playoffs in S84 with Helsinki, recording 11 points in 7 games. If Voss can elevate to this level again with this core, Moscow's offense will undoubtably be a problem with Voss' two way play. He is arguably the best puck carrying defenseman in the VHL. Career Menace Tomas Sogaard is believed to be the dark horse key to victory for Moscow. Sogaard has been apart of every Moscow run since S83, and his hot and cold play could mean the difference if he is able to hit one of his hot streaks in this series. AK92 Wit da Hoodie voiced frustration all season long about his performance. Hoodie is a point per game playoff player through two playoff runs. It does always seem talented players who had an average season stat wise have a way of elevating their game in the playoffs. Could this come true for Hoodie? The playoffs, depth is so important. The Menace had a 30 goal scorer and 2 20+ goal scorers on their second line. Fraser Wallace and Kyosti Karjalainen's production will be critical to relieving pressure off the Moscow 1st line. If they are on as they were during Moscow's big win streak, this team will be very difficult to stop. Karjalainen, the Moscow captain has a ton of experience when it comes to the post-season. He has been apart of the heartbreak for 3 of Moscow's 5 finals losses under GM Euron Leonidas. The captain seems ready to be on the other side of history as he said he expects nothing short of Moscow to hold the cup. Expectations are high in a very competitive European Conference with a few big titan North American teams waiting on the other side. Can the Menace make it through? Edited March 6, 2023 by Arce Spartan, KaleebtheMighty and BOOM 3 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom 1,445 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 Molotov vs Lavelle fight incoming soon! Arce 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/#findComment-975028 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartan 4,531 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 21 minutes ago, Dom said: Molotov vs Lavelle fight incoming soon! Maybe it's not the best time for the boomer who just got his first career hatty this season to also attempt his first career fight win against a group that has beat the shit out of opponents in fights Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/#findComment-975032 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemorse7 1,021 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Dom said: Molotov vs Lavelle fight incoming soon! I will call drake so he bet on Lavelle so you win I got you Dom 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/#findComment-975037 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator samx 1,175 Posted March 6, 2023 Moderator Share Posted March 6, 2023 who is ready for Moscow to lose first round?? KaleebtheMighty and Dom 1 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/#findComment-975040 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arce 755 Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 1 hour ago, samx said: who is ready for Moscow to lose first round?? Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/133709-moscow-prepares-for-malmo/#findComment-975060 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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