Claimed: Founder's Cup Favourites S56

[jvd 50]

We're through ~30 games of VHLM action and the three top teams have put some serious separation between them and the those struggling at the bottom of the standings. Today I'm not going to talk about the latter, this is all about who has the best chance to take home the Founder's Cup.

 

3) Saskatoon Wild:

Even after the illegally playing The Process was removed from the Wild's roster, they've managed to up their game. Their point % has improved to be comfortably above .500 and they've kept their differential on the right side of 0 (+10), largely coming from an impressive 6-2-2 run in their last 10 games. VHLM top scorer, defenceman Keaton Louth, has been leading the Wild's success of late. He's scoring at an astonishing rate of nearly 2 points per game and is playing the most minutes of any skater in the VLHM (avg 30.83 per game). Top centre Namestnikov is leading the forward group with an impressive 29 assists. His goal total is relatively low (6), but we believe his shooting percentage is unsustainably low at 6.82%. So if he just keeps shooting the puck, he'll get more goals. 

The Wild rely heavily on Louth, if he can keep up his play and stay healthy, look for Saskatoon to make some noise in the playoffs.

 

2) Las Vagas Aces:

Last week, we had the Aces neck in neck with the Lynx at the top of the VHLM, but they have slipped a bit. Now 11 points back of the league leaders (but with 3 games in hand), the Aces are more on par with the Wild than the Lynx. Las Vegas has the best forward in the league at the top of their line up (sorry Keller, not you). Komarov leads all forwards in the VHLM in points, he hits, he shoots, he plays both special teams, and is an incredibly well-rounded leader for the Aces. As good as Komarov is, there is some noticeable drop off in talent after him on the forward depth. On defense, Casey Jones has been excellent on both ends of the rink and is the clear-cut #1 on a well rounded Aces blueline. 

The Aces are the top road team in the VHLM, so going into the playoffs as the #2 seed might suit them well, provided the make it to the finals. They also knocked off the Lynx in their most recent game, proving they can keep pace with top. Look for Vegas to challenge for a return to the finals this year, and maybe come out on top. 

 

 1) Ottawa Lynx:

Ottawa has managed to gain a comfortable cushion on the top of the VHLM standings with an 11 point lead. They hold an outstanding +44 differential and average 1.5 more goals scored than surrendered per game. They are far and away the best home team with a 11-3-0 record, so entering the playoff as the top seed would be a huge advantage. Ottawa has been led by its deep and high-scoring blue-line all season, and there are no signs of that slowing down. Even with relatively low production from their forward group, the Lynx are our clear-cut favourite for the Founder's Cup so far. Look for the Lynx to be in the finals this year, as the team to beat. 

 

Edit: Opps, this should be under Media Spots, not Point Tasks

Edited August 26, 2017 by jvd