LGHL PSN Round 1 Western Conference Preview Feat. NickyP and Silky: Los Angeles vs San Jose

Discussion in 'Leaguegaming Hockey League (LGHL PSN)' started by mamm7216, Dec 14, 2018.

  1. mamm7216

    mamm7216 Well-Known Member

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    MASSIVE DISCLAIMER, we've broken up the league into conferences, and decided to break up the posts into 1 per series. These are written as full articles, so there will be 8 articles for round 1. The west should be completed today, the East will be completed tomorrow.

    Well, round 1 of the playoffs is less than a few days away. As the 8 playoff teams in the Western Conference get set to do battle; @nickyP1999, @SilKyy_96 and myself got together and discussed the keys to each series and what we're looking forward to seeing. The final Western Conference round 1 series pits 2 excellent California teams against each other, as the Los Angeles Kings go up against the San Jose Sharks.

    Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks

    San Jose Sharks’ Roster

    Rico - JCoul - Wally
    OneNut - Goalie - Spray
    Dirty - Will - Troy

    Tanev - Rad
    Merana - NH4JP
    Nick - CFairman

    Penguins
    BCNYE


    Los Angeles Kings’ Roster
    DomSquad - Jmarz - Goostav
    Jedi - DB - FrankPompei
    JDE - Redflag - EVO

    Flowshow - Mike
    Ryan - Calmblue
    Tylee - FnBigFoot

    Leafs
    (ECU ATM)

    Offense

    The other series on the Pacific Division side of the bracket features another 2 teams that are 3 lines deep. Both teams have top talent, both teams have a good 2nd line, and both teams have 3rd lines that can beat anyone. Doesn't get much better than this.

    For the Sharks, they'll be led by the Rico line, which has a great blend of scoring and defensive ability with Wally and Jcoul rounding out the group. OneNutPhil is actually gross on the sticks, GoalieGodz has proven to be a capable top 6 center and Spray can play with legit anyone and be good. Their 3rd line is solid, with WillRolltide a steal at 1.5M, Troy is more than capable of being a solid 3rd liner, and Dirty will help round out the group. It's not a super flashy group, but they're effective. Will be a tough test for the Kings.

    Now, Los Angeles has just as much depth, the only real question is the top line (and it may not be a question). DomSquad had an awful time in Tampa, barely registering a PPG. However, after being reunited with Jmarz (Who was also acquired via trade), and throwing a top line together with tons of chemistry and skill, this line has been nuts. Double_Brah and FrankPompei are both capable top 6 players, and Jedi fills the roll Spray does as being good with anyone. JDE is pretty good on the sticks, RedFlag is good on the sticks, and Evo is pretty aight on the sticks. Lots of skill on the 3rd line for the Kings.

    Overall, I do believe Domsquad bounces back, and these offenses are deadlocked with each other.

    Defense

    Both teams have a solid top pair, but the San Jose depth on defense is a little better than what the Kings will have.

    The top San Jose pair with Tanev and RadicalApex is strong defensively, and they have the added boost of having played together for a while. Right behind them however is another great defense pair, with Merana and NH4JP rounding out the top 4. Their 3rd pair isn't weak, with Nick coming in at the TDL and CFairman. That top 4 for San Jose is probably the best defensive group in the Pacific, and will be a factor in this series.

    For the Kings, they have the top pair in Flowshow and Mike that matches up with the Sharks top pair, but the rest of the group is where they struggle a tad. RyanWashere and Calmblueice are both good defenders in their own right, and while maybe not AS good as the Merana-NH4 pairing, will provide a strong 2nd tier of defense for the Kings. The 3rd pair on Los Angeles is meh, Tylee has chemistry with Red which is why the Kings went and got him, and Bobo has been there all year, so he's probably good enough to hang.

    I give the slight edge on defense to the Sharks, as I like their 2nd and 3rd pairs slightly more then the Kings.

    Goaltending

    The Kings have Leafs starting for them, and he's going to play lights out. Leafs is a great goaltender, and has the ability to steal a game if called upon. However, the fact the Kings will need to use an ECU G if they don't call someone else up will come back to bite them in this series.

    The Sharks will run out Penguins, and he's been good for them in a starting role. bNYCe will get his games, and perform well, and that could be the biggest boost for the Sharks in the series that'll give them the edge. It really might come down to them having a backup goaltender who can not cost them a game.

    Keys To The Series

    Los Angeles Kings

    - The Top Line: You can say this about a lot of teams, but especially for the Kings. I do believe that they need 4 wins out of their top 2 lines due to the lack of having a backup goaltender, and for that to happen DomSquad needs to play like himself with Jmarz and Goostav.

    - Big Win From The ECU: Now, if the Kings call up a goaltender this weekend, this point becomes a win from the backup. However, with Leafs manning the net for the Kings for the majority of the series, they really just need 1 win from their backup in order to push it back to the Jmarz line in G7. Whoever gets their shot needs to make it count.

    - Winning The Depth Battle: This will be said for the Sharks as well. Whoever wins the depth battle will win the series.

    San Jose Sharks

    - Clamp It Down: One of the advantages the Sharks have in this series is their bottom 2 pairs on defense. While the Kings definitely aren't defensively challenged, the defense corps of San Jose could be the difference in the series. As long as they keep things tight, and diffuse the Kings attack enough to give their forwards the puck, San Jose will move on.

    - 3rd Line Do The Job: So, this is like the winning the depth battle point, but it's more important for San Jose with the Kings not having a true backup G. As long as San Jose dictates the match-up correctly, their 3rd should be able to beat the Kings 3rd if they find any weakness with the Kings goaltender.

    - Rico: Best player in the series, and might be the difference if these top 2 lines meet against each other. Not much else to put, if he takes over and wins 3 games with Jcoul and Wally, Sharks will win the series.

    Predictions

    Silky's Pick: San Jose in 6, LA without a backup goalie will lose those 2 games, and lose the ability to push it to 7.

    Nicky's Pick: San Jose in 6, could be done sooner if Jmarz and DomSquad don’t show up.

    Mamm's Pick: San Jose in 6, as previously stated I do think the backup goaltending situation in Los Angeles is too big to ignore on a game where goaltending has proven to be critical.

    Western Conference was a blast to write up. Hope you all enjoy the media for now. Eastern Conference should be up before the playoffs start, hoping to have it up by Saturday night but no promises.
     
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  2. WJP089

    WJP089 Well-Known Member

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    Sharks bite
     
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  3. Spray_and_pray_

    Spray_and_pray_ Well-Known Member

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    I like seeing my name written by other people. Therefore, this writeup was the best so far.
     
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