Warning: Wild Card Ahead

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

 

Davos, Switzerland -- For fans of HC Davos Dynamo, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the rebuilding process has gone even better than expected, to the point that a team starting four rookies and three second-year players is being said to go "all-in" by VSN Magazine. Sitting at 89 points with three games left, the Dynamo currently have the sixth-best record in the entire VHL and have a chance to jump Chicago (one point ahead) for fifth.

 

The bad news: Even fifth in the entire VHL would still be just fourth in the European Conference, given the strength of Moscow, Malmo and Riga this season. That means a wild card matchup against the Warsaw Predators is ahead - and particularly, a matchup against star goalie Merome Dilson.

 

Early predictions have put the fifth seeded Predators over the fourth seeded Dynamo in that contest, with one prediction putting the series at a 3-1 Warsaw victory. But center Antonia Bucatini isn't putting much stock into the predictions.

 

"You don't get to 40 wins by accident. We've put the work in to get here," Bucatini said. "I really think we've got a team that can go up against anybody and take wins."

 

Does that mean Bucatini is predicting a series win against Warsaw? She stopped short of making any declarative statements. But in the battle between veteran leadership (Warsaw has three defensemen retiring at the end of the playoffs) and youth, it's not necessarily a predetermined outcome.

 

"A lot of people say you can't win in your first playoff appearance. But I say: Why not?" Bucatini said. "I've got a VHLE title, a lot of these players have different types of experience. To me, talent on the ice is the most important thing. And I definitely think we've got the talent to compete."