Nighthawks, Menace Battle for First With Torrid Runs

[tcookie 927]

The last few weeks have seen the Malmo Nighthawks and Moscow Menace start to pull away from the pack in what was once a tightly-contested European Conference, with the two teams now sitting first and second in the entire league.

 

The Nighthawks, at one point led by their defense and goaltending while their offense struggled, rocketed to the top of the EU once their offensive issues resolved, embarking on a phenomenal 32-game run in which they went 26-4-2. While holding a firm grasp on the European Conference lead, their ascent to the top of the VHL standings was a little slower due to strong play from Los Angeles and Calgary, but they eventually voertook the NA leaders. With 20 games to go, Malmo sports a 37-10-5 record, five points clear of second place.

 

Meanwhile, the Moscow Menace began an incredible surge of their own. Moscow was expected to be in contention for a playoff spot at the start of the year, but probably not as high up the standings as they currently are especially in a conference where Helsinki, Prague, and London all boasted very formidable rosters too. But at around the same time the Nighthawks got going, so too did the Menace, who had at one point won 15 in a row (and, incredibly, only managed to pick up one point on Malmo during that time frame as they had gone 14-0-1 over the same stretch). Though their streak would end in a shootout loss to Seattle, they bounced right back by defeating LA and have picked up points in 17 in a row. That puts them at 35-13-4, sporting the same record as Calgary, tied for second in the VHL.

 

There's a 10-point cap between Moscow and third-place Helsinki, and with a 22-point gap between them and Warsaw, both Malmo and Moscow have essentially assured themselves a playoff berth already. If the two teams continue playing at their current level, they seem destined to meet each other later on in the playoffs with much higher stakes.