After a brief lapse, Malmo back on track

[scoop 3,432]

Just under a third of the way through the season, the Malmo Nighthawks took possession of first place in the European Conference, and they have not ceded the position since. With just ten games to go, they currently have a 13 point lead over the Menace. While it seems almost a certainty that the Nighthawks will end up the number one seed in Europe, things recently were looking like they were going to get interesting, but Malmo got back on track and the Moscow came back down to Earth.

At the 47-game mark, the Nighthawks were at 74 points. They had been on a 15-0-1 tear in their last 16 games. At the same time, the Menace had 65 points and were winners of their last 13. The pressure was being put on Malmo was evident. They had to keep winning, or Moscow was going to catch up quickly. Well, the Nighthawks did not keep winning. They had a 2-3-1 record over their next six games, while Moscow, although their win streak did end at 16, went 5-0-1 in that same time. The lead in the conference was down to 3 points, and it was looking like we may be in for a tight race after all. The two teams would face each other in the next game, giving Moscow a prime opportunity to bring things within a point.

The Nighthawks shut out the Menace 5-0 in the game, and they haven't lost since. After the brief six-game stretch of a mediocre play, they are right back on track performing like the number one team that they are. Their current nine-game winning streak matches their season high. During this time, they have outscored their opponents 45-17. Granted, five of these game have been against sub-.500 teams (four against Chicago, who are fighting for a playoff spot in North America). In addition to the 5-0 win over Moscow, though, they do also have an 8-2 victory over London.

 

It has been a total team effort for the Nighthawks, who now have the most goals scored (217) and the fewest goals allowed (146). Five players have at least six goals during the win streak, with Yaroslav Bogatyrev and Savaisk Tzesar leading the way with eight each. Eight players are averaging at least a point-per-game. Defenseman Jacob Stone has been the biggest contributor, with 21 points, 27 hits, and 27 shots blocked. The goaltending has been stellar as well, as Ash Sparks has allowed under two goals-per-game with a 0.942 save percentage.

 

At this stage, the first seed in the conference seems all but wrapped up, and the Victory Cup is very much theirs to lose as well. The Stars are 12 points back with 11 games (one more than Malmo) left to play, and Calgary is tied with Moscow at 13 back with ten to play. If the Nighthawks can hang on to finish first in the overall standings, if would be the third time in franchise history (S79, S68). In recent seasons, though, the the top regular season team has not fared all too well in the playoffs. The last team to even make it to the finals after winning the Victory Cup was Moscow back in Season 83.

[UghSike 221]

Nice work! It just goes to show you that anything can happen in this league. We're all at the mercy of how effective our teams/players distribute their TPE, and how active team players are at acquiring those TPE. It would be interesting to see just how much people really start grinding out their efforts in the off-season. Reading these articles in full has been helpful in developing my own player build because most of these, if not all, showcase the better teams and players and it gives a reference for what people are doing to make their player build that much more effective.