VHL Final Showdown Between Moscow and Toronto

[dstevensonjr 395]

The Continental Cup Final matchup is set, and S94's Championship will see the Moscow Menace take on the Toronto Legion.

 

The regular season series between these two teams was incredibly close, with both teams winning 2 games in regulation each, 1 at home and 1 on the road. The combined score in the 4 games was 12-12, and the shots were 161-152 for Toronto. If the Final series maintains that level of closeness, we're in for a dandy of a Final.

 

Here's a breakdown of how the regular season series went:

Game 121
Toronto    2  (38 SHT)
Moscow   4  (42 SHT)

First star: George Richmond (MOS) - 2 G, 6 SHT, 2 HIT
 

Game 137
Toronto    3  (32 SHT)
Moscow   2  (30 SHT)

First star: Mac Atlas (TOR) - 1 G, 1 A, 10 SHT, 2 HIT, 2 SB

 

Game 227
Moscow   3  (38 SHT)
Toronto    2  (53 SHT)

First star: Jimi Jaks (TOR) - 1 G, 1 A, 8 SHT, 4 HIT, 1 SB

 

Game 329
Moscow   3  (42 SHT)
Toronto    5  (38 SHT)

First star: Mac Atlas (TOR) - 1 G, 3 A, 4 SHT, 1 HIT, 2 SB

 

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The important note is that these teams haven't played each other since mid-season, so the changes to rosters and lineups that the teams have made over the back half of the season haven't been shown head to head.

 

Moscow leads the playoffs with 11 wins (11-4 overall), having won their opening round Wildcard series against Warsaw 3-1, and following it up with a stunning sweep of London 4-0. Continuing their team of destiny vibes, the Menace fell behind Riga 3-1 before a remarkable comeback to win the series in 7 games. The strength of Moscow's playoff run has been the offense, as they are averaging just over 4 goals a game, and they currently have the top 7 point getters in the playoffs. Moscow's offense has also seen balance, having 8 players average better than a point per game so far. Not to slight the goaltending, as Olober Syko has the third best goals against average in the playoffs at 2.63.

 

Toronto's game in the playoffs has been vastly different from Moscow's. The Legion strength has been in net as Joel Castle has the highest save percentage (.943) and lowest goals against average (1.78) in the league. The Legion have won 8 games in the two rounds that they've played (8-1 overall), after sweeping Vancouver 4-0 and defeating Seattle 4-1. The Legion offense has been a little more top heavy than Moscow's has, with the Legion having 6 players averaging better than a point per game so far.

 

The series will possibly come down to special teams, and Moscow holds the advantage in these playoffs so far. The Menace powerplay is running at a VHL best 22.39%, while the Legion have struggled to a third worst 11.11%. The penalty kills for each team are very close, with Moscow at 83.33% and Toronto at 83.72%.

 

Hopefully we're in for a fun Final!

[OrbitingDeath 3,181]

Go moscow!

[animal74 1,808]

Game 6 tonight!