AHL Playoffs: Round 1 Matchup Interviews

So I was able to get in touch with everyone that is a part of playoffs, getting their side of the match up and what they are expecting.​

EASTERN CONFERENCE

EASTERN ATLANTIC
Hershey Bears vs Providence Bruins
&
WBS Penguins vs Springfield Thunderbirds
​

First is the 1st Seed Hershey Bears going against the 4th Seed Providence Bruins. I'm joined by again by @KittyKing69 and @Yahnsanity for his first appearance to get this show under way!



PoZ: Kitty how do you feel about the match up in this round?

KittyKing: I think we just gotta keep going with the groove. Especially our 2 hot shots right now (in my opinion) @Rantallion34 and @PoopinSince95 We do have one goalie since the other one is a joke. Not underestimating Yahns team at all it's gonna be a good series but its gonna be tough to stop mine and @HJHF14 team 4 out of 7 games. Also Yahns been in alot of one goal games tho so it wont be easy to get these wins

PoZ: Fair enough I suppose; Yahn, are you worried about your teams' availability for games? I have heard from the grape vine that you guys have had a problem like that pretty much all season.

Yahnsanity: Yea a little bit we have Chefburnz who quit so we don't have to full roster. We'll get through it, just need to make all the series short so we don't have to worry about it our to roster is very strong so no worries there!

PoZ: Yikes so you guys are both short players, hopefully that doesnt come back to bite you in the ass. Kitty does your goalie situation bother you at all? TC goalies let alone roster goalies are hard to come by this season after all.

KittyKing: Not really, we already thought ahead and have a plan for the goalie sitch. We got ECU depth actually so as far as getting players to play there wont be a problem there. Getting them to let us know if or if not there showing up will maybe be the problem but I doubt it. Our players are ready to play.

PoZ: Final week of the season have been nice to you Yahn, are you confident going into this round?

Yahnsanity: I'm confident against any team really we've had 50 one goal games. We've proven we can play with anybody in this league. I know most people think we're gonna be a cake walk but it's all good we gonna go out and prove them wrong. Like we talked about before the biggest challenge is ourselves hoping guys show up for games.

PoZ: Kitty do you think it will be another 4-0 sweep? will it be a regular season repeat or with you finally facing bottleman and squall be a deciding factor?

Kittyking: Yahn i love you but i think if not a sweep we will take this series 4-2. My team has they heads up high and we gonna put pucks in deep, no matter what team we play.

PoZ: Yahn, What do you have to say about that?

Yahnsanity: Well right back at you kitty but we love you guys so much we're gonna send you guys some baby wipes so after we're done with you guys you can clean yourselves up and sit back and enjoy watching the rest of the playoffs! 4-1



Second is 2nd Seed WBS Penguins and Springfield T-Birds. I'm Joined again by @JLott0910 and @Thumbssss first appearance with me on this little show!



PoZ: So Jlott, despite you being the higher seed, the t-birds have the upper hand during the reg season, how does that affect your strategy?

Jlott: In all honesty, there really is no major pre-determined strategy. We feel like we have 3 first-line quality lines on both offense and defense so as long as everyone plays their game like they have been and stays focused we will be okay. Our biggest downfall would be underestimating the T-birds, which we cannot do. They are in the playoffs and barely trailing us for a reason. It's going to be a great series.

PoZ: how confident are you going into this round thumbs, despite being the lower seed?

Thumbs: I feel like the 2 and 3 seeds have no real underdog and is always a challenge to be number 1 seed. It's more of a challenge being 2 and 3 since the teams are so much closer together in standings.

PoZ: Does their goalie tandem worry you JLott? Are you worried at all by this?

JLott: Not at all. It's more of a situation where we just need to capitalize on all of our chances. Every team gets them and that is how you win games. The series against them this season ended with it being 3-2 for them, they aren't going to make it easy but they aren't unbeatable. I think this series really is going to come down to defense and goalies and whoever makes the least mistakes will be going on to Round 2.

PoZ: How does your team like to play Thumbs? Are you more offensive or defensive minded as a unit?

Thumbs: We have a very defensive minded team when it comes to the org as a whole, with a few defensive minded forwards which we spread out.

PoZ: Knowing that the Baby Pens are a defensive minded team all season long. Do you feel this will be easy to replicate come Sunday for playoffs?

JLott: I wouldn't say it's going to be easy, there's a reason why them and all these other teams are in the playoffs. This is when you really can't dedicate to solely being a defensive or an offensive team. This is when you need to play solid 2-way hockey. Myself, Neutrality, Chriz and Cold all picked these guys for a reason and I think we will see a lot of them really start to shine going into the postseason

PoZ: The baby pens have a very solid d-core w/ not a single player on their team in the minus, are you worried they will be able to shut you guys down Thumbs?

Thumbs: I don't think the series is going to be a blowout, their entire roster is good, but my forwards will be able to put more pucks into the net than the pens. Plus both of my goalies are on fire right now, I have a hard time deciding who to put in the net at this time. But i have to make that choice soon I guess.

PoZ: Who are the players to watch for in this series for both of you?

Thumbs: I feel @B00gie_man--- is the superstar and @NjDevil08 as well. @PatEthic played a solid game as well - having seen them first hand I expect those guys to be the toughest on the roster.

JLott: On their team....Thumbs, @Baertschi_47 and @xTarasenko-l91l . On my team I would say @Dksmith09 @B00gie_man--- and @Robbed95 Defense and Goalies are just too close to call for both teams; I do still think though that there will be some surprises in the playoffs with some unsung heroes stepping up for both teams

PoZ: How many games does it take to win?

Jlott: It goes late, 6 games we take it from them for sure.

Thumbs: They will for sure take a game out of them for sure but i still feel like we will take it in 5 or 6

EASTERN NORTH
Syracuse Crunch vs St. John's Ice Caps
&
Albany Devils vs Utica Comets
​

Third is 1st Seed Syracuse Crunch and the 4th Seen St John's Ice Caps. I'm joined by once again @jmm420 and for the first time in this format @HunterofHaj who stepped in for @x4HxPESTILENCEx due to personal reasons.



PoZ: Congrats to both for making it into playoffs, Crunch with it being their 3rd year in a row as an org and Pestilence and companies 1st year for the org itself. Jmm you only lead the season series by 1, how does it feel to come into this series despite that last game of the season? (7-2 win for St Johns Ice Caps)

Jmm: I'm feeling confident I honestly feel that last game is actually good for our team as it shows these guys can beat us and we have to compete to win this series . I honestly feel this could go either way. But if I have a say the Ice Caps better look out. It's Crunch time.

PoZ: Hunter does that last win give your team a new confidence in themselves to take it to the team that has the best record in the AHL?

Hunter: I think it helps show the rest of my team that these guys are in fact human. I don't think we can read into the win too much. I know I wanted to have a good last week and they happened to be the last team to play us.

PoZ: This one is for the pair of you: All things considered it does look like the two teams themselves are two line teams. Does the depth on both of your rosters worry or are do you think that a line in particular will step up huge for you guys?

Hunter: It seems like depth has been an issue for us all season, but I think Pestilence has done a good job spreading it out and hearing my input in regards to changing up lines or D pairings. We are confident right now with what we have, I'll start to worry if the series starts to lean the way of Syracuse. As for goaltending, @xKLuTchDoLphiNx has stepped up and played well for us obviously, our backup G @Im-beast-ur-not_ has been lights out as well. He would have played more had his availability during the season been a little more flexible.

Jmm: I don't think we are a 2 line team to be honest we are pretty deep. We haven't really had set lines all season. I believe come playoffs when 3rd lines match 3rd lines as we have seen mostly top lines from teams throughout most the season we will really see what our so called 3rd line can do and I have no issue playing either of my goalies . In the end defense wins championships.

Pestilence: One thing to add is I'm not sure I'll be able to play round 1, so we're gonna need someone off of our tc to step up for me if I can't play

PoZ: Well I hope it all works out for you guys in the end! So this question again is for the both of you, who are the players to watch for?

Hunter: Jmm420 just from looking at the stats. Guys got 50+ goals, just about 40 assist. Unfortunately, my only meeting with the crunch was the last game of the season, so I have to go to the stat sheet on that as I don't know the team.

Jmm: @MafiaMan15 surely is a great player on the Ice Caps. I believe he will give us some trouble in this series . I honestly don't take anyone on their team lightly. I believe I have the guys to match their players toe to toe and I don't think it is a big of a difference in player quality as the league seems to think. This will be a good test for us and I am looking forward to a good series. But once again it is crunch time and my boys will be ready to take any challenge that comes our way. "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." A good team wins because they are a team. If you want to go far in these playoffs now is the time to become a team not a line.

PoZ: Do you think that each of your 1st lines meet up before game 7?

Jmm: I believe so , I don't plan to match 1v3 I want our best vs their best every game . Some teams like to use a suicide line and try to take games if I have it my way that won't happen . I want my boys to work for their wins . Let the better team be victorious

Hunter: That's up to the crunch

PoZ: How many games do you think it will go? 5? 6? 7?

Hunter: I think it will be a full 7.

Jmm: I honestly think it could be a 7 game series. I don't take anyone lightly come playoffs. But if I have it my way this will be over by Wednesday.



Fourth on this list of team match up is the other half, 2nd Seed Albany Devils with returning @BigFreeze064 and new to me anyways @Jg3542jg as the GM for the 3rd Seed Utica Comets



PoZ: Congrats to both of you for making the playoffs and well done on dodging the bullet that is the Crunch for now. Freeze, your guys are looking good after this week, but I have to question the depth of your team w/ only 4 players passing 50 points. Do you think you can outscore this comets team?

Freeze: If you look most of my forwards haven't played the whole season or they would easily be up there in PTS as well. I have a couple players nobody knows of looking at that 9th forward spot that can score as well. We played Utica this week and played our game and it led to a 5-1 win. I feel like if we can just play like that every game in the Utica series they will have problems scoring goals against us.

PoZ: JG, how do you feel about your team? Especially since you are stacked with point getters from top to bottom.

JG: I like my team a lot, I was lucky enough to have a lot of good trades during the season that worked out and also some big trades at the trade deadline. On paper they didn't look like big trades because some of the guys didn't have big numbers and had blue ratings, but I knew they were good and in the right environment would flourish and they have all delivered. I couldn't be prouder of how they have played, how they have carried themselves, and how much they have bought into being a TEAM. We don't have the big names and league leaders but as a group we are solid. They all realize it isn't about the individual and that makes all the difference in our organization. It is about not being selfish for individual awards and accolades but rather focusing on the cup and they have bought in. I can't say enough about all of them. Plus a shoutout to @Chex_Mex83 he was a super late trade and his Game Worn Underwear has added a pivotal and uplifting moment in this season.

PoZ: I love the fact that you have such faith in your team JG, I wish I could have played for you with the way you talk about them, seriously. Back on track tho, are you worried about your goalies Freeze? Or will they step up huge?

Freeze: I'm not worried about my goalies one bit. That's an area we have an advantage over Utica. Our goalies are very underrated and are tremendous players. Utica has 2 good goalies as well I know both of them. But our guys are better.

PoZ: JG do you think this can turn into a shootout? Or will it be more of a defensive game do you think?

JG: Shootout or defensive match that's a tough one, it could go either way. I think we are covered either way because we can put up points and our defense is solid across all three lines. Our secret weapon is our goaltending so I'm not worried in either scenario.

PoZ: Who are the players to watch for on the other team? Who most concerns you on their roster?

Freeze: @CanadianKush2121 will be the player to watch for them. If he can carry their offense on a line they have a chance. If he can't I don't see them coming up with enough goals to beat us. I think once you get down to our 3rd lines Utica might be close. I don't see them being able to put out enough firepower at one time to beat our first line though.

JG: As a comedic jab I'll say Mikeydee, but in all seriousness Albany is a good balanced team similar to us and it should be a good series.

PoZ: Alright, question goes to both of you, how many games will it take to beat the other team?

JG: 6

Freeze: I think we win this series in 5-6 games


​

WESTERN CONFERENCE

WESTERN CENTRAL
Iowa Wild vs Manitoba Moose
&
Chicago Wolves vs Charlotte Checkers
​

For the Fifth interview we have Special Guest @Kingbling647 as the rep for the 1st Seed Iowa Wild due to Sfic being a little busy with his recent move and the 4th Seed Manitoba Moose GM @Deadsoul_Rising each their first appearance here with me today!



PoZ: 1st things 1st, graduations on winning to scoring title, That being said; KB does the moose worry you at all having played two close games against them this season? Are you worried that the team might be sleeping on them?

KB: Thanks I appreciate it. To be honest, no not at all am I worried about facing the Moose. You are absolutely correct the Moose has put up a fight in the regular season against us but I just believe they got lucky catching Iowa Wild off guard with their lines. Playoffs is a whole new story, starting with line matching and playing with your actually line mates.

PoZ: How do you look to contain the wild and their scoring threats in their top two lines Deadsoul?

Deadsoul: Put simply, we need to shut them down and limit our penalties and turnovers. We need to focus on team defense, and be sure to keep them at bay. I am confident with our defensive pairings ability to stop cross creases, and our goalies to make the big saves when we need them. We know what those top lines can bring, and we’re prepared to limit their scoring chances.

PoZ: Even with rising star @Camelot28 ? Dude is amazing in net as of late, what are your thoughts on him KB? Do you think there is a player to watch for on their roster as a skater? Or are you not worried what so ever?

KB: Camelot is a sick between the pipes, reason why he is one of the goalies that play in my club. The thing is though Moose lack on defense and no goalie can steal wins for his team when his defense is poor. The only forwards on that team that I would say to watch out for are @ggjoey427 and @doundansticky those guys everyone knows that they are the team superstars. With that being said, that relates to me saying the Moose only has 1 line that can produce so there wouldn't be many guys to watch out for.

PoZ: Who are the players you are most concerned about on their side Deadsoul?

DeadSoul: KB, @J-NaStY__ and @Gour_x_71 all stand out. Honestly, their entire forward line is very impressive offensively. They’re all great players and I’ve seen first-hand what they can do. I’ve played them in drops and in league, and know they are beatable. We most certainly aren’t underestimating them. I know @punisher4124 and @quick_scope_14 are excellent goal tenders that won’t make it easy for us. Their defensive core is solid and pretty deep as well, except for that missing 6th D man. I like that we’re the underdogs going into this series. We’re not going to make it easy for them. I find it amusing that people say we only have 1 scoring line. While there’s some truth to that, they are overlooking the fact that we are a team that has everyone contributing in some way. Having those individual superstars stacked on a team is great and all, but with the right skill, attitude, defense and team play, a team like ours can beat those kinds of offensively stacked teams. I think we’ll surprise them, and hope they continue to think we’ll be nothing to worry about. I wish them the best of luck, and look forward to an exciting series!

PoZ: Do you both think this series will go the distance? Or will there be an early exit?

Deadsoul: I know this is going to be a dog fight for us. The Wild have the ability to sweep almost any playoff team, and we’re not taking them lightly. We know these guys practice together a lot and have some great chemistry. There’s no doubt in my mind that if we play our game the way we know we can, we’ll be going all the way to game 7. I don’t see this series ending early unless we completely fall apart defensively as a team. We have 2 great goalies that can help us contain the Wild’s deep scoring threats.

KB: In my opinion I think there will be an early exit. Why? Well it's simple, One team has 3 lines that can produce while the other team doesn't.



For the Sixth installment of this long ass post (Two more after this) Is arguably the closest and most anticipated match up in the First Round. 2nd Seed Chicago Wolves and 3rd Seed Charlotte Checkers. I'm joined once again by @bNYCe83 for the second time here and @SKILLEDPYTHON for his debut on the set



PoZ: So lets start this one out without looking at the top guys on each team but rather the unsung heroes for each squad. Both teams have very very solid 2 lines of depth at scoring. Which 2nd line comes out on top? This question is for both of you really?

bNYCe: I like both teams on paper but rocking with my guys the whole way

Skilled: To be frank not a question of 2 lines, we have 3 solid lines that have done the job all season, all our lines win games.

bNYCe: So do we buddy but the question was about our second line. Wanna reset and try again. It wasn't a question about lines it was a question about 2nd line match ups.

Skilled: Tough question since we don't technically have a 2nd line, we run 3 top lines.

PoZ: So you would say that you are very confident in your roster than going into this series Skilled?

Skilled: Confident better describes how we feel about this series. We have a strong team and feel good going into this first round match up.

PoZ: Alright this is another question for both of you tho, who are the players to watch for on the opposite side coming into this round?

Skilled: Bnyce, @TrapHouseLegend- and myself have known each other for awhile, we have played together. So looking at the Wolves i tend to look at them as capable players to watch for.

bNYCe: We play in NHL 16 not years , but yeah. I am watching @DoubleZERO33 and @Double_brah. But any playoff team has solid guys all over the board

PoZ: bNYCe can you win all the games you start being the clear starter on your team?

bNYCe: Well i never go into a game thinking I will lose. So the short answer is yes. But I also have a world of confidence that our back up @itchycoochy can get the job done also.

PoZ: Final Question - how many games will it take to beat the other team?

bNYCe: Wolves in 5

Skilled: Unfortunately i don't have a Crystal ball, what i do know is that we have a strong team, with strong forwards across all 3 lines, strong D along with 2 very strong goalies. Im confident we will win this series.

WESTERN PACIFIC
San Diego Gulls vs San Antonio Rampage
&
Bakersfield Condors vs Ontario Reign

​

The Seventh pair of players that are going to join me are the 1st Seed San Diego Gulls @WateryDolphin77 for his second appearance with me and the 4th Seed San Antonio Rampage @francey2325 with his first time helping me out!


PoZ: Dolphin, are you worried that your team doesn't have enough depth to go the distance or are you confident in your two monster lines?

Dolphin: Not really, I think all our lines can beat anyone. Everyone here has played with each other all season, So the chem is there. But now we just need to score goals and other stuff.

PoZ: With that being said do you think your team has what it takes to match them line for line Francey

Francey: We have three solid offensive lines that have gained chemistry since the day they have been put together. The gulls have a good squad don't get me wrong but we are not scared about match ups with them. We have guys that can score just like them. We have goalies that can save a puck just like them. And we have dmen that know how to play defense just like them. Should make for an interesting series

PoZ: Dolphin who are you depending on more this series, the likes of @j_marz25 @DomSquad100 and company to score you goals or @Chann1nen and @II-Entryy-II to keep the Rampage out?

Dolphin: It's a full out team effort, we shouldn't have to have one guy carry the team. If the Dman do what they have been all season we will be good and same goes for the forwards, score goals. I didn't build this team to be a one man show. That's why were here in the spot we are.

Francey: All number one shows is you had a good season now time to prove it buddy

Dolphin: Oh we will

PoZ: On your side Francey can you depend on @MicrowaveTheCp to stay heated during these final weeks?

Francey: I have all the confidence in the world in my goalies. Micro has killed it all season and definitely deserves more credit then he is given! @BANJOBOY19 is still learning our defenseman tendencies but has shown improvement when the team has played well in front of him so I have plenty of confidence in my goalies.

PoZ: Final two questions at once boys, Who is the main player to watch for most of all and how many games does this go?

Dolphin: @Brentlymulligan We all know he has that scoring touch. but I can't see him lighting our goalies up, and honestly, if we play good hockey, we can take them in 4 or if there lucky 5.

Francey: The man guy to focus on for their team in my opinion is jmarz. He is a solid all around player and he will be a focal point in our defensive plan. In my honest opinion the gulls are good but I feel the series can go to at least 6 games to decide.



For the Eighth and Final pair it's going to be the 2nd Seed Bakersfield Condors GM @Bobby_Goggles12 re-joining me here and for the first time newly appointed GM of the 3rd Seed Ontario Reign, @eye2797 for the first time.

PoZ: So as of right now the Reign have a 5-0 sweep against the Condors but the Condors hold home ice advantage. Bobby do you think you will be able to use that to your advantage?

Bobby: Of course home ice helps but it won't be the determining factor. We're happy to have it but availability is more important in my opinion

PoZ: Mkay, Eye, are you worried about not having the advantage going into the series? Or is availability more important for your squad as well?

Eye: Availability is more important

PoZ: Fair enough, with 4 players above 60 points most of them being centers who know how to distribute the puck well, are you confident in their ability to come out on top?

Bobby: Absolutely, We've had 3 lines winning games since the week before trade deadline

PoZ: Eye over to you, you would of had 6 players w/ 60+ points but now that curlew is gone (rip) you have 5, does losing curlew this late in the season impact your team at all?

Eye: No, I mean I still believe in my group no matter who's out there. Does losing him kinda bite yeah, but it's not unfixable I know a lot of people didn't know how to look at us after the fact but I don't think we've lost a step since it happened

PoZ: Do the goalies for the Reign worry you Bobby, with @moosapotamus33 coming off of a 5-0-1 week saving 61 shots 1.81 GAA and one shutout. Taking top goalie this week's top spot for the goalies in the Final Weeks Power Rankings. Clearly the starter. How do you get past him?

Bobby: We know moose well and he knows some of us. To answer your question, no they don't worry us. We respect moose and their team, I'll leave it at that

PoZ: Eye same goes to you, with @TheBulgingTwine going 4-1 this week as well for his squad having a little higher of a GAA but still keeping up save % in the mid 70s, and @magann3 whose got an even better set of stats on them

Eye: Yeah, there a solid 1 and 2 combo no doubt.

PoZ: Okay final 2 questions go to both of you. Who is the player to watch for this series and how many games will it go?

Bobby: I'll say eye and myself are the ones to watch. The decisions made by management play a huge part in what happens each and every game. Nothing that happened before Sunday matters, Condors in 6

Eye: I mean in my honest opinion I think you can't look at one particular player, both teams are here for a reason. might be bias here, but Reign in 6



Thank you all for taking the time to deal with my persistence in getting these answered and good luck to all teams that are involved this round! I look forward to interviewing the winners for that 2nd Round after the break!

ALRIGHT Thank god this is over lol 16 teams was pretty tough, but this upcoming week will slice that in half and some more rivalries will be born anew! Stay tuned as the podcast crew might look into live commentating over some of the games if not all!

Happy Holidays to all of you and I'll see you all in two weeks!

 

bNYCe and skilled what a snooze fest lol. And you better be watching me out there @bNYCe83 ya snooze ya lose

 

If eye is the player to watch we are in troubleeeee

 

Good write up @Prince-Of-Zeus.

Feeling the fire tho?

"Thumbs: I don't think the series is going to be a blowout, their entire roster is good, but my forwards will be able to put more pucks into the net than the pens. Plus both of my goalies are on fire right now, I have a hard time deciding who to put in the net at this time. But i have to make that choice soon I guess. "

@JLott0910 i never said our fwds were better lol

 

Exciting times, let's get this party started.

 

You cant forget our Defensive core either we have 4 D that our Top in the league but this is the playoffs some of these players could shine Like myself I have no playoffs experience and none of the Condors seen me play except one game. But this isn't about me this is about the Playoffs. Good Luck to everyone

 

Good debates i guess