Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Round 1 Playoff Preview

Hey folks,

Back at it again with some media content just in time for the best time of the season -- PLAYOFFS!

Myself & @GhostxBearx will provide you guys with some round by round content during this 4 week run. Ghost will take care of the Western Conference, while I'll stick with the East.

Without further ado, showtime!



(*) = Division Rank


(4) vs (1)

SEASON SERIES TIED 2-2

QUICK THOUGHTS:

Nice little 1st round matchup to start us off here! The Providence Bruins will be looking to add its 3rd straight Calder Cup banner into the rafters. Meanwhile WBS will be looking to crash the party and show the rest of the league that they are still a threat to worry about. While its well known WBS has definitely cooled off from their hot start at the beginning of the season, this is still a team that could ruffle some feathers for teams along the way. This series could be a little closer than Providence might expect coming from a 4 seed, but LG OG @premierplayer & his staff have built a very good, deep team that should be able to handle these pesky penguins.

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR:

For WBS, @Cornect57 will be relied on to lead this team. He has been around the league a long time, and scored a lot of goals, maybe even the most in league history. He scored a team leading 41 goals this season, and will be counted on to score some big goals in this series if they are to win. WBS also features Calder winning (and losing) @bluedevil631 on LW, who never shies away from the big moments. On D, look for @iamTano to try and shut down the high scoring Providence lineup. A sparkling +5 GA/TA and 88% passing, WBS can only hope this transitions into a successful play run.

For Providence, this team boasts 4 40-goal scorers (@Kebec-Gamer , @xPhisty9x , @MyNamesMino , @SeanieMack ), and lets not forget @LaMachinee23 who is also a serious threat out there. The WBS defence will be in tough almost every period they play because the firepower is no joke in Providence. Their defence is lead by reigning Eddie Shore winner @CFairman7 , as well as @Moception who just finished his 3rd 20+ win season in the AHL. I also feel Providence has the edge in net with @Cotachoda7 who had a very good season and is no stranger to playing deep into the playoffs.

PREDICTION:

WBS has been a very good defensive team all season with a low GAA, and they will need it to slow down a high powered Providence team. Normally I would go with defence first, but I like the depth on Providence (and I'm secretly hoping for a 3peat).

Providence wins series 4-2




(3) vs (2)

SEASON SERIES 3-1 CHECKERS

QUICK THOUGHTS:

Last season Hartford lost out on a tie break for a playoff spot with 105 pts! This season they didnt mess around, and finished with 113 to secure the 2nd seed in the division. The Checkers meanwhile proved me wrong, and not only made the playoffs, but finished 3rd in the division! Not surprising when I look at the roster, they have a lot of guys who have been around and know how to win. Charlotte had very good success this season as the Checkers won 3 of 4 against Hartford. Charlotte should not be taken lightly if Im Hartford.

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR:

As mentioned, lots of household names on Charlotte. @CLXXK , @xBoldukov , @ViLLvoN_10 all with a 3-0 record against Hartford this season, and could continue causing havoc for the Wolfpack during this 1st round matchup. @chadkillz134 also with a 3-0 against Hartford, and is the kind of goalie who can can shut the door every game, watch out for him. Sprinkle in your vets like @OcEaNtOmBs55, @Horvxt- ,@koztomade , @Rob1nsky , @AgedQuod , and this is a very nice looking team that could surprise.

The Wolfpack's top scorer @Felehh with 85 pts will look to continue racking up the pts & wins in this series. The Checkers will also have to keep an eye on @Planty_x77x who was sent down and has accumulated 33 pts in just 9 games (8-0-1). @TK_I98I & @Yeet4TheWheat will anchor a defence that was top 10 in goals against all season.

PREDICTION:

The Wolfpack made some moves before the roster deadline and now its time to see if they were the right moves. Charlotte has been a much better team 2nd half of the season and their record shows it. With the success they've had this season against the Wolfpack, they should go into this series feeling good. The series should be another close one, and although the community is favouring Hartford, I think i'm going to lean the other way.

Charlotte wins series 4-3




(4) vs (1)

SEASON SERIES TIED 2-2

QUICK THOUGHTS:

For the record, the season series was really 3-1 Sens, as their last win was overturned (cheaters!). Anyways, this series is honestly the easiest to write about. You have the juggernaut Baby Sens going up against the Toronto Marlies, a classic Davis vs Goliath matchup. Belleville just showed no mercy for any opponents this season, never letting off the gas (Belleville's point whores had a field day this season). I believe the Baby Sens will try and become just the 2nd Presidents Cup winner to win the Calder Cup on the PSN AHL side of LG. No pressure guys....

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR:

Wow where to begin with this roster. 9 different players with 22 or more wins, including @SAK-KA with a lovely 27-0-1 record. 5 players with 80 or more pts. A ridiculous 76 goals by @Brxndamour. 3 Dmen with 30+ pts. And the goalies were just as good, with their starting goalie @BobeyX posting a microscopic GAA of 1.55 to go along with 10 shutouts. I could go on forever baby (Home Alone anyone?). @B-Red94 looking to win his 3rd Calder in as many seasons as AGM (hehehe), and @xMankii looking to capture his 2nd. I dont think B-Red needs to go into playoff beast mode until the 3rd round with all due respect to other teams.

For the Marlies, @Vahey x 19 had a nice 40 goal season to go along with 69 pts. @Helix x 21 & @Westy0927 both pitched in with 36 goals, but other than that things looks pretty bleak. The Marlies have used 6 goalies this season, with 5 of them playing at least 12 games.

PREDICTION:

Look, I have never been intimidated by any top team during my playing days. Ive run into teams just like the Sens come playoff time (Season 6 Cuda, Season 7 Wild). I think any team can be beat with the right mix of structure and skill, but if you're going to go to a gun fight you better bring some guns, and I'm not sure Toronto has any.

Belleville wins series 4-0




(3) vs (2)

SEASON SERIES TIED 2-2

QUICK THOUGHTS:

2 teams separated by only 2 pts in the standings, and goal differential of 3. I know in the past with a division like this with 1 clear cut "favourite", the other teams don't get much attention. During my last write up I was guilty of this too, but don't worry guys, playoffs a whole different animal, you're both relevant now, at least for 1 round ! This is a David vs David series, with the winner moving on to play Goliath. I expect both teams to beat the shit out of each other for the honour of taking down a giant next round

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR:

Cleveland went out big and got their big fish Dman in bidding with @MommasWrongAgain. The 2x Calder champ will be heavily counted on during this series to shut down Binghamton's top scorers. This is where you earn you money champ! The offence is sprinkled evenly through their first 2 lines, with @GhostxBearx leading the way with 70 pts, followed by @Giroux with 69 pts.

When looking at the Binghamton roster, you wont see many players who blow you away with high scoring. Their top scorer @Reshuffled finished with 68 pts, followed by @eHxns with 61 pts and lead the team with 40 goals. This team looks to use its defensive game as its overall punch. They will rely heavy on their defence, as well as their goalie @Tyleroth who quietly had a very fine season (2.02 GAA, 6 shutouts)

PREDICTION:

Two teams both looking to punch their ticket to round 2 and potentially shock the LG community? For Binghamton, they will look to lock it down and possibly trap and frustrate Cleveland all series with low scoring games. Cleveland on the other hand will lean on their vets, and keep their game simple if the trap gods are coming out this series. A close series from two teams that are going to have to earn their respect if they are going to make a run in these playoffs, but in the end, Ill usually go with the vets.

Cleveland wins series 4-2



SEE YA'LL NEXT WEEK!

 

@nhlbot

 

wow
not even mentioned
im down bad

 

well written man, nice job! thanks for the media

 

Eww Charlotte smells

 

Sheesh way to put the pressure on Bryan, great write up as usual!

 

Now this is good content!

 

40 goals, still below .500