VHL Weekly - Playoffs Round 1 Review/Conference Finals Preview

[hylands 850]

Season 73 Playoff Preview - Round 1 Review & Conference Finals

Welcome to the first playoff edition of the VSN Weekly Review. We’ll cover a host of the recaps of the events happening in the Continental Cup Playoffs and any other important events that the VSN covered this week.

 

 

Speaking of other VSN content, make sure to check out the other great work from the VSN team! Here are a few handy links that can be used to access our other works such as weekly podcasts,  scouting reports, historical articles and more!

Under 250: VHLM Review | Ringless: S51 Calgary Wranglers | Deep Rewind: Century Men | The Next Generation: S74 | VSN Australia

 

The playoffs are underway and with that we bring to you the Round 1 Review as well as Conference Finals preview! We've had some excellent match ups so far, and we are in for a treat with the top 4 teams in the regular season battling it out for the Continental Cup. Without further ado, let's get in to it.

 

Round 1 Review

 

North American Conference

 

Seattle Bears (49-18-5) vs D.C. Dragons (37-33-2)

We jump into this review with this great match-up from the North American Conference, and it lived up to all of the hype. The Seattle Bears came into this as heavy favourites being the top seed and the Dragons making it in through the Wildcard round. Seattle took the first two games of the series on home ice, and things looked to be heading to an easy series win for the Bears. Game 3 was a tight contest that could’ve gone either way but the Dragons came out on top and made the series just that much more interesting. Seattle followed up that loss with a blowout victory that put D.C. on the brink of elimination and a series win for the Bears almost seemed like a foregone conclusion. The Dragons showed just what they were made of, and with their backs against the wall they pulled out an amazing win and forced a Game 6 back on home ice. Unfortunately for D.C. they came up just short, losing a heartbreaker in overtime and sending them packing. The Dragons can be proud of what they achieved this season though, and will be looking to come back even stronger next season.

 

Game of the series: Game 6, Seattle Bears (3) @ D.C. Dragons (2) (OT)

The deciding game was the obvious choice for game of the series, and what more could you have asked for than a double overtime thriller? The game started with an almost immediate power play for the Bears, but they weren’t able to take advantage of the early man advantage. It wasn’t until nearly exactly midway through the period that Seattle would open the scoring through a Berocka Sundqvist point shot off a nice feed from Uhtred. The 2nd period was pure action, with not many whistles and both teams taking turns on the offensive side with some great fast paced action. The period flew by in a flash and before we knew it the teams were headed for the dressing rooms. D.C. came out flying in the 3rd period and they capitalized on a defensive breakdown from Seattle and it was Benny Graves who got the equalizer. Off the ensuing faceoff, Seattle skated right into the D.C. zone and Ambrose Stark immediately restored the Bears lead. The Dragons seemed to be deflated after going behind so quickly and it was Luciano Valentino who lit the fire back underneath them and got into a fight with Randy Marsh. There was no clear winner but it was just what the Dragons needed. They found their 2nd wind and kept coming back at Seattle until eventually they found another tying goal, and of course it was the man who kickstarted everything, Luciano Valentino, who tied the game with just under 6 minutes to play in regulation. Both teams headed into overtime thinking they had the upper-hand momentum wise, but the first overtime period ended with the teams still deadlocked. Multiple players were above the 40 minutes played mark and they were looking gassed, but it was the man with the freshest legs and least minutes played, Aleelee Kiak, who wound up being the hero for the Seattle Bears. With just under 7 minutes to play, he fired a puck at the net that somehow found its way in and the Bears had booked their ticket to the Conference Finals. 

Series MVP: Berocka Sundqvist (3 G, 6 A, 16 Hits)

 

Calgary Wranglers (44-22-6) vs New York Americans (43-23-6)

The rematch of last season’s Conference Finals went almost exactly the same way this 2nd time around, if you can believe it. The teams traded wins last year and they did it again this time. New York managed to split the games in Calgary, and they headed home with the series at 1-1. We had the same result in New York, with the teams splitting games and it was clear we had the tightest matchup of the playoffs, with no game being won by more than two goals. Calgary would come back to their home ice and pick up a very important win to take the 3-2 series lead. With their elimination staring them right in the face, New York grinded out a 2-1 win in Game 6 to force an exciting 7th game. Unfortunately for New York, they could not hold on any longer and Calgary ended up with a blowout victory in Game 7 to secure a 2nd Conference Finals appearance in a row.

 

Game of the series: Game 4, Calgary Wranglers (3) @ New York Americans (4) (OT)

Another game in which we saw a double overtime, and it was the New York Americans who had the last laugh in this game of the series. The Wranglers were dominant in the 1st period, outshooting New York 14-4, but it was New York who struck first through Richard Penisson on the powerplay with just under 4 minutes to play. Just 23 seconds after that, Calgary finally found a way to the back of the net and it was Mikko Lahtinen who tied the game up at 1-1. New York would then take the lead again, and it was Bjorn Scoringsonn who picked up his 1st goal of the playoffs. Just 5 minutes later the Americans had doubled their lead with Julius Freeman who scored off a nice passing play. Calgary would not be phased by going down another goal, and their perseverance paid off when ACL TEAR managed to poke one home and crucially cut that lead back to just a single goal. The Wranglers used that goal to swing the momentum in their favour and they were all over New York in the 3rd period and they were able to find the tying goal through RJ Jubis just about halfway through the period. They continued with the offensive push, trying to get the win but A Red Guy brushed aside all of their shots. We headed to overtime with the score at 3-3 and the New York Americans were the team that came out swinging. They peppered the Calgary goal with 17 shots in the 1st overtime but they could not solve Jacques Lafontaine. The 2nd overtime had just barely begun when Jerry Wang stepped over the blueline and put one over the shoulder of Lafontaine to secure an important win for New York, and stop them from going down three games to one.

Series MVP: Jacques Lafontaine (.931 SV%, 2.05 GAA) 

 

European Conference

 

Helsinki Titans (49-18-5) vs Malmo Nighthawks (35-30-7)

The top seeded Helsinki Titans came into this match-up off the back of an extremely successful regular season which saw them share the Victory Cup with the Seattle Bears. Malmo, on the other hand, were fresh off a thrilling Wildcard Round victory over HC Davos. The teams split the first four games of the series, essentially boiling things down to a best of three. Malmo then shocked the entire league and pulled off a huge win in Game 5 to put Helsinki on the brink of elimination. With things looking bleak in the Titans camp, they proceeded to play their best game of the series and dominate with a 6-1 victory to send things back to Helsinki for Game 7. Unfortunately for Malmo, the Titans were just too strong and they were eliminated in 7 games.

 

Game of the series: Game 3, Helsinki Titans (4) @ Malmo Nighthawks (3) (OT)

We continue on the theme of wonderful overtime games, and this time it was Helsinki who came out the victors. Helsinki was the dominant team in the 1st period, starting off the game with some extremely fast paced play. It wasn’t until 14:28 into the period, while they were short handed, that Erik Draven scored the game’s first goal. Just a couple minutes later Helsinki was celebrating another goal, this time from Valtteri Vaakanainen. Their smothering play finally had paid off and they took that lead into the 1st intermission. In the 2nd, the Titans would get into a little bit of penalty trouble, taking 3 minor penalties and it was Tyler Walker who was the one to score for Malmo with a nice shot from the point. The Nighthawks would keep the pressure up for the remainder of the period but saw themselves still trailing as they headed into the 3rd. Now this is where this game really picked up and took the spot as the game of the series for me. Chris Hylands scored the game tying goal just over 6 minutes in, and they used the momentum gained from that goal to get their first lead of the game with a goal from Mickey Dickson. This was a phenomenal showing by the rookie core of the Malmo Nighthawks. However, the veteran experience of the Titans really shined here and they didn’t let the quick goals from Malmo break their spirits. With the goalie pulled, and under 30 seconds left to play in the game, Hiroshi Okada came through for the Titans with a clutch tying goal that would send this game to overtime. The Titans really didn’t look back after that goal, and they started the overtime period with all of the offensive play. Just 1:43 in, the hero from the 3rd period, Hiroshi Okada once again was the saviour and scored the game winner to give Helsinki a 2-1 series lead.

Series MVP: Jim Bob (7 G, 4 A, 20 Hits)

 

Riga Reign (46-23-3) vs Moscow Menace (40-23-9)

Another rematch from last year, just a round earlier this time, with almost the exact same result. Riga put in a dominant performance in this series and Moscow struggled to cope with their talent. Most of the games were high-scoring, but in favour of whoever was winning. Game 1 was an offensive showdown that went Riga’s way by a score of 7-4. Moscow’s only victory of the round came in Game 2, a game which they dominated from start to finish and wound up as 5-1 winners. That was all of the success that the Menace would be able to find though, as Riga tightened things up and squeezed the life out of Moscow. Games 3 and 4 were taken by the Riga Reign, and they out-scored Moscow by a score of 11-1 over both games. Moscow found their feet in Game 5 as they faced elimination, but they came up just short, losing by a score of 4-3 and sending Riga to the Conference Finals.

 

Game of the series: Game 5, Moscow Menace (3) @ Riga Reign (4) (OT)

Just like in the other series, this one was decided in overtime, coincidentally by the same score as well. Riga jumped out to an early lead, scoring just 26 seconds into the game. It was Phil Marleau who found himself all alone after some nice play right off the opening faceoff. Things slowed down after that quick opening goal, and it was Moscow who actually dominated the game for the majority of the period. With a power play opportunity, Oscar Lagesson scored the equalizer that Moscow felt they deserved. They kept that pressure up and just 2 short minutes later, Henrik Zoiderberg scored a nice breakaway goal to give Moscow a lead that they took into the 2nd period. The 2nd was evenly matched, with both teams getting plenty of chances, but it was the Riga Reign who took advantage. Just after the halfway mark of the period, Kyl Oferson tied the game after linking up with Guy Sasakamoose, and just 30 seconds after that they had the lead again with Marleau’s 2nd goal of the game. A quick lead change and suddenly Moscow found themselves chasing the game. The Menace kept throwing everything they could at the Riga net, and eventually Nate Telker managed to sneak one past the Riga netminder while he was screened in front of the net. Another overtime was beckoning, and that’s exactly what we got. After Moscow had nearly found the game winner from Lucas Brandt, Riga took the ensuing rebound down the ice on a 2 on 1, and Marleau slid the puck over to a wide open Pengu to seal the series win.

Series MVP: Phil Marleau (5 G, 5 A, 23 Hits)

 

Conference Finals Preview

 

North American Conference

@Zetterberg made both of these banners on super short notice, so thank you very much!

Seattle Bears (49-18-5) vs Calgary Wranglers (44-22-6)

 

The Calgary Wranglers have once again made it to the Conference Finals, and this year they match up with the top seeded Seattle Bears. The two top teams in the North American Conference will battle it out for the right to play for the Continental Cup. The season series was won by Seattle, they won 4 of the 6 games that they played against each other. Having said that, two of those victories came in the shootout, so they easily could have gone the other way. We can expect a very close fought series here and I expect that we will be seeing another seven games in this one. Seattle has been a great example of a team effort, and they are getting point production from all over the place. The top defensive pairing of Berocka Sundqvist and Hulk Hogan have been instrumental to the Bears’ success and that is clear because they are leading the way with 9 and 8 points respectively. Not to mention some absolutely heroic goaltending from the veteran netminder, Rayz Funk. He was lights out in that first series against D.C. and he will be looking to carry on where he left off. Calgary’s success has come in a similar fashion to the Bears, being a solid team effort and now you are starting to see just why these teams are in the Conference Finals. They have three separate players all with 9 points in Willie Dredge, RJ Jubis, and Kris Rice, and they are getting solid point production from the rest of the squad. Jacques Lafontaine was solid in the first round but he has a tough matchup ahead of him that will surely be one for the history books. 

 

European Conference

Helsinki Titans (49-18-5) vs Riga Reign (46-23-3)

 

The top two teams in each conference are facing off, and in the European Conference it’s the Helsinki Titans facing off against the Riga Reign. Back to back Conference Finals appearances for Riga will have them fired up and hoping for another Continental Cup. The 6 games that these teams played against each other in the regular season were split evenly at 3 games a piece so it’s very hard to choose a favourite in this matchup. The playoff experience of Riga will undoubtedly be a factor, the team they have now is virtually the exact same as last year. They will be looking to their star defenceman Lincoln Tate, who currently leads the way with 12 points, all of them being assists. In net, Greg Eagles has been solid, but not quite the MVP performance of last year. He has a very good .920 save percentage, and his 2.55 goals against average is very good as well, but I know Eagles will be looking to up his game in the next series. As for Helsinki, they are led by forward Jim Bob, whose 7 goals in the series against Malmo leads all players in the playoffs. On the blue line, they have been getting some excellent performances from Erik Summers, who has been a key factor in Helsinki’s success. I reckon if their core group of forwards keeps producing at this rate, we could actually see them topple Riga. Another series that almost looks destined for 7 games, but we will see just how that plays out once action gets underway. Since both teams are so talented on the offensive side of things, it will likely be a battle of the goaltenders, and in that case I would give the upper hand to Riga. One thing is for sure though, and that is we are in for a great series between two of the heavyweights of the European Conference.

 

Predictions

 

Helsinki vs Riga

 

Hylands: These teams are extremely evenly matched, and I expect this series to mirror that. Helsinki comes into this one with all of the momentum after that great comeback over Malmo, and their offensive guns are firing on all cylinders. Some solid goaltending from Samuel Ross to go along with that and you have a recipe for success. Riga will be looking to defend their honour as last year’s champs and they are looking so good. This team is built for playoff hockey and with a solid defensive core, along with last year’s playoff MVP in Greg Eagles, I think they have what it takes to win the series.

 

@PatrikLaine: I think this will be a hell of a series on both sides. Helsinki’s high flying offense has been dangerous all season and they have a solid goaltending duo in net. Riga has been no slouch either, they have an older but solid goaltender in the crease in Greg Eagles who can absolutely steal a series. This series can go either way, but I think Greg Eagles is just too good right now. I see it going the distance as a six or seven game series but I think Riga takes it with a chance to repeat.

 

Hylands’ Pick: Riga in 7

Laine’s Pick: Riga in 7

 

Seattle vs Calgary

 

Hylands: Two of the great heavyweights of the league in recent years, and further when you really dig into the history books. This matchup has everything you could possibly want in a playoff series. We have two of the best goaltenders in the league, along with some of the most talented forward groups as well. Seattle will be trying to prove that last season’s first round exit was a fluke, and that they really are one of the greatest dynasties of this era. Calgary, however, are aiming for a second straight appearance in the finals. This time, they will obviously aiming for that Continental Cup that eluded them last season, and I think they have a great chance of doing just that. They have gotten hot at just the right moment, and everything seems to be going their way. I predict we will be seeing a rematch of last season’s finals this year.

 

Laine: I think this is a very balanced matchup. Seattle has been playing great in hopes of raising their 4th Continental Cup in 7 seasons with the soon to retire Rayz Funk leading the charge in the crease. Calgary is a similar story, looking for redemption after losing to Riga in last year’s Continental Cup Finals. They have played great down the stretch and into the postseason. I think Calgary will fight hard, but Seattle’s offensive and defensive starpower will just be too much for the Wranglers to handle. Setting us up with a Riga-Seattle showdown for the Continental Cup Finals. One team looking to go back to back, the other looking to solidify themselves as one of the great VHL dynasties of their era.

 

Laine’s Pick: Seattle in 6

Hylands’ Pick: Calgary in 7

 

Spoiler

Players mentioned: @Berocka@leafsman@STZ@Banackock@Kekzkrieg@Grant@bluesfan55@Beketov@11 Eleven@rjfryman@Quik@Jubis@.sniffuM@SlapshotDragon@ColeMrtz@Jbeezy76@Jubo07@Advantage@Brewins15@enigmatic@Phil@fever95@HenrikZoiderberg@Nykonax@Cxsquared@Telkster@twists@Pengu@TXC@Rayzor_7@Speed@Ricer13@Tate@Greg_Di@Erik Summers

 

[Quik 4,113]

4 minutes ago, Hylands said:

Laine’s Pick: Seattle in 6

 

@PatrikLaine

[Phil 5,129]

1 hour ago, Hylands said:

Series MVP: Phil Marleau (5 G, 5 A, 23 Hits)

 

fuck ya! hear that @hedgehog337 ??Did I do gud?

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

 

fuck ya! hear that @hedgehog337 ??Did I do gud?

 

yeah you're solid.

 

should've scored 10 goals each game in semis though