NHL Playoffs round 2 - Christmas edition

Here’s a little early Christmas present...

A round 2 playoffs write up...
to keep you company throughout your morning dumps...

Special thanks
Dxwny, for doing Dallas vs Chicago & Anaheim vs Los Angeles part I, for gathering Columbus’ and Carolina’s players stats and for providing me info on other players.
Jim Benning, for the elaborated answers used for the Ottawa Senators Q&A.
Nick, for the elaborated answers used for the Columbus Blue Jackets Q&A.
Illyfilly, for the elaborated answers used for the Los Angeles Kings Q&A.
Chief, for the elaborated answers used for the Dallas Stars Q&A.
Aucoin, for the elaborated answers used for the Anaheim Ducks Q&A.
Primetimme, for the elaborated answers used for the Florida Panthers Q&A.
Kraz18, for the elaborated answers used for the Chicago Blackhawks Q&A.
NjDevil08, for the elaborated answers used for the Carolina Hurricanes Q&A.
JClaus33, for quickly providing me discord contacts whenever i needed.
Back432, for quickly getting me in touch with Carolina’s management team.
Mcloughlin, for being irish.
Ryno1354, for being weird.

Enjoy!

DALLAS STARS @ CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Part I
By Dxwny

Dallas & Chicago are two teams that always dominate the league no matter who their owner is. In round 1, Dallas took on Colorado. Chicago took on Nashville. When you look at Dallas’ lines you see a classic @xChief 27 ’s signature move where he is not afraid to suicide a line in order to have better match up later. I have no doubt that the first and second line will be able to win close games due to their all around extravagant team defense. Their roster is very well balanced but I feel that there's a lack of a true superstar other than right defenseman @x Braydenn .

Chicago is the team to beat in the playoffs. I would take any of their 9 forwards any day of the week seeing that all of them are 2nd liners or higher. Chicago has many superstars that could pop off at anytime and absolutely blow the opposition. We saw this in Nashville. The real question is if Chicago will sacrifice their third line or try and take on their luck going against Dallas’ third. The defense is suspect none the less as they have a #1 left defenseman in @Desjy99 but has yet to establish it completely. The fall of Chicago will be from it's 3rd line defensive pairing. Given how the Chicago boys have played all season I don't think that they will be afraid since they hold the Presidents.

Dxwny’s prediction: Dallas Stars in 7 games

Part II
by JP

These two very powerful team will gift us the most spectacular match up of the second round. Both teams dominated their previous match up. Both teams have similar statistics. Both teams are stacked. There is not enough skill level gap between these two teams to take a stand and be comfortable doing a prediction based solely on the skill angle. Looking a the roster here, the only distinction i see is Chicago’s third line forwards seems slightly better than Dallas’ third line forwards. Both very good third lines by the way. It doesn’t matter though.

I’m going to base my prediction on the following 3 valid arguments:

First off we know that the Stars are ready for the biggies. They have proven it by beating up Colorado pretty badly, winning 4 straight games. Chicago, on the other hand, had an easy first round against Nashville. Perhaps too easy for their own good. If the playoffs started right now, I wouldn’t be convinced that the Hawks are ready for the level of competition that Dallas have to offer. But since the second round starts in January this changes nothing. Therefore this argument is void.

Secondly, Dallas doesn’t get called penalties. As simple as that. Not sure how much they pay the referees but Chicago should consider getting into the bribes game as well. Fortunately for the Hawks, they they are perfect on the penalty kill. Perfect. They don’t get scored on when they play short handed. As simple as that. The Stars doesn't get scored on short handed either. This changes nothing. Therefore this argument is void.

Finally, Chicago won the President. They try hard. They play to win and nothing else. Owner @Desjy99 has an impeccable attitude and leads by his actions. His players look up to him. He’s a model lg player. He turned @Serpe x 13 into Jesus. Dallas is completely the opposite. Owner @xChief x 27 is a troll. He leads with his voice. He’s loud and provocative. He filled his team with players that fit his image; a bunch of raging maniacs. Don’t get me wrong though, they also try hard. Either one can win. This changes nothing. Therefore this argument is void.

JP’s blind prediction: Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.


DALLAS STARS

Q&A
By JP & Chief

Your team managed to snatch 4 straight wins after losing the first 2 games in what the LG community thought was the most competitive match up of the first round. Do you share the opinion of the community on that matter? What are your thoughts on your team’s and Colorado’s performances in the first round?

I think for sure this series had to be the most competitive and the most close series of em all. Both owners used line matching to their advantage and it was pretty strategic. I personally feel both teams played exceptional. This was Beefy's year to beat me as this was by far his best team yet. But the Dallas boys played their hearts out and came up victorious. Shout out to our 2nd line, my line, they came in super clutch this series beating Colorado's first line. HAZEE GOD.

Do you feel that you played a harder opponent in comparison to the Blackhawks who played Nashville in the first round? If that is the case, do you consider it to be an advantage over your upcoming opponent?

I do not feel as if we've played a tougher opponent than the Hawks. They're the team to beat this year, president's trophy winners, but honestly we can take them. Obviously I don't have the team I had last season but we're still one hell of a team with a lot of depth. It'll be a great series for sure.

You guys only took 8 penalty minutes in 6 games and killed every one of Colorado’s power play opportunities, making Dallas by far the most disciplined team in round 1. How do you explain that? How much of an impact did that discipline have on the final result of the series?

Honestly, had no clue of it but I like to treat this to real life as much as possible and in real life, special teams is CRUCIAL. Any team that has a good special teams is bound to do well in the playoffs. A team like Colorado was very dangerous and had a shit ton of talent so staying discipline is obviously a plus. The same concept is going to be applied when we face Chicago. BBk once said "Being on my team is like being at a Nazi concentration camp" so there ya go. I like to run a tight ship here. Makes owning much more fun. Staying disciplined must've had a good impact since we won the series

Who was the Dallas Stars' MVP in round 1?

Without a doubt has to be Hazeehype. Dude played unreal on the second line. Hazee may be annoying as fuck but he's my dude and he's proving to be one hell of a player. I wish he would use his mic at C but he'll come out of that phase eventually. Hazee Game 6 has got to be a Conn Smythe performance.

How confident are you about your team going into round 2 against the President trophy winners? Any changes in your game plans? What’s the biggest thing do you guys have to improve in order to beat them?

I'm pretty confident going against them. They're one hell of a team but we haven't skipped a beat, even with losing our top center in Head shot. I don't see much change needed in this series as I really liked our play against Colorado. It'll come down to which team has the most skill the night of the games and which team EA likes more. But there's always room for improvement so I'd personally like to see us challenge the other team's D more. I feel we can sometimes stick to the outside too much, making it too easy for the other team's D and G.

Projected Line up

@eastons17 - @Akonvict21 - @Kush-Demon_QC
@VegaRidge - @HazeeHype - @ivegotyour6
@DarkMizike99 - @Pandaleupagus - @BomberManUXO

@oSUPAHSTARo - @x Braydenn
@stay_at_homed - @xChief 27
@Kmac519 - @kapxis

@drally20
@xBealski

ECUs: @YoImCory , @Thevandal1987 , @Stavio_98


CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Q&A
By JP & Kraz18

As the LG community predicted it, the western 1st seed and president trophy winner came up victorious in the first round against the 8th seed. Chicago only lost once - in overtime - to Nashville’s best lineup and while having their third line on the ice. Every games final score except the first one ended up close but you guys dominated every aspect of hockey and that, every single game. Statistically speaking your first round seems to have gone pretty smooth. What are your thoughts on both your team’s and Nashville’s performances in the first round?

I was very happy with our teams’ performance. Being such big favourites sometimes works against you because everyone expects you to win so if you start to trail early some doubt can creep in but our line of @Itsjodach, @Hriiz and @turbo166887 came up big in game 1 and set the tone early whilst @Desjy99, @Bry2230 and @Hunter x 39 shut the door defensively. Like you said, besides game 1 every other game was relatively close which goes to show that Nashville wasn’t going to go down that easily. They put up a good battle and two of the games we won in overtime, who knows how the series could have ended up if those games went the other way.

Your team’s special units were exceptionally effective against the Predators. You guys currently have the best Power Play (4/10) of the league in the playoffs and you haven't allowed a goal when short of a man yet. (0/11). How big of an impact did your power play and short handed play had on the final result? Do you believe you guys will be able to maintain theses statistics against Dallas in the upcoming round?

I think our special teams were the difference for us in that series, in specific our PK. Our PP has been pretty good all season (26.2%, 4th in the league) so we were confident that if given the opportunity we would score some goals on the PP. Our PK however was pretty average during the season (80.5%, 13th in the league) so for us to go a perfect 11/11 in round 1 was huge. It was in large part due to our goalies @Hunter x 39 and @xBrickwall-_- playing so well in the first round. Also having a great two way center in @Serpe x 13 helps a lot too. Dallas had the best PP in the regular season so we are going to need to be that much better this upcoming round to find the same success we did in round 1

Hunter x 39 was the man between the pipes in Kerns-_- ’s unforseen disappearance and he has taken up the challenges so far. Is Kerns-_- expected to show up against the Stars? How bad will it hurt your team if his absence is prolonged?

Obviously whenever you are missing arguably one of, if not the best goalie in the league in @Kerns-- it’s hard to replace but @Hunter x 39 has been doing a great job so far and we believe he can get the job done. As for if @Kerns-- will return this series, I have no idea.

Who was the Chicago Blackhawks' MVP in round 1?

I think our round 1 MVP has got to be @Hunter x 39. He went 3-0-1 allowing only 5 goals and had 2 shutouts. I think this also has a lot to due with the fact that our whole team played very good defensively that series and we are looking to do the same moving forward.

How confident are you about your team going into round 2 against Chief’s team? What’s the biggest thing will you guys have to adjust in order to beat them?

Being the presidents trophy winners, we are confident we can beat any team in a best of 7 series. @xChief 27 has proven to be a great owner in this league consistently having success in the three seasons I believe it is as owner. Dallas has a lot of fire power up front with @eastons17 and @Kush-Demon_QC leading the way but with our defensive core and the way our goalies are playing I believe we can contain them. I think we just need to play our game and we will have success.

Projected Line up

@nriney - @Serpe x 13 - @Kraz18
@Itsjodach - @Hriiz - @turbo166887
@zDUJ- - @brothers1873_ - @Coltcrazy

@Desjy99 - @Bry2230
@KyleY12 - @Gladulov
@habsdan18 - @Diamonddangles4-

@hunter x 3
@xBrickwall-_-

ECUs: @Tkachuk__7 , @Kash-kormier , @Tychi91


ANAHEIM DUCKS @ LOS ANGELES KINGS


Part I
By Dxwny

You cannot sleep on any team when it comes to the playoffs. People tend to start playing and thinking differently and it leads to breakdowns that typically don't happen normally.

When you look at Los Angeles’ roster you really do not see much hope for them. They dropped big bucks on @JClaus33 but didn't give him the supporting cast that he truly deserves. @Illyfilly has however, proven that he can make the playoffs and turn a team from failing to prevailing. The Kings faced an unimpressive San Jose squad in the first round and they didn't take them down with ease either. I feel like they will really struggle against Anaheim. Especially if the “JClaus” line cannot pick up 2 Wins.

I feel bad because I don't have much to say about the Los Angeles guys besides that @GhostMK is a nice guy and quite decent with the sticks, and… Well yeah. Let me play devil's advocate for one second though. @Illyfilly has been known for the infamous forfeit of the beloved Panthers. rip @Hriiz, rip @drally20. If he can find a way to “booooonk gang” a game they might bring down Anaheim’s morale and steal the series.

Edit: Don’t feel bad Dxwny. It’s ok, I’ll help you. Of course GhostMK is a nice guy but there are plenty of other nice guys on the Kings’ squad. zdball is a nice guy. pass2tyler is a nice guy. kev_F88 is a nice guy and most importantly LG’s most wanted bad boy Illyfilly is actually a nice guy deep inside but he’s too shy to let it show. They are also quite decent with the thumbs too, which is incredible. Also, the fuck is “booooonk gang”? psst team LAK, don't forget to pay me for the good words eh? Alright i’m out.

This Ducks squad have been quacking into the playoffs. Coming in quietly as the 7th seed in the West they then go on to take down the Las Vegas squad when +80% of the voters believed that they wouldn't make it past.

I have played with a lot of these guys before and from first hand experience, they have a lot of heart and genuinely enjoy playing the game which is hard to find in people now. They have everything they need to make an exceptional playoff run. Superstars, chemistry, and the clutch factor.

Let me start off with the best defenseman in the league known as @SkillzPayBills3. He is dominant and annoying to play against. Even if you get by him he will still come back and track you down. Aucoin is lucky that he is balling out and has money to pay Skillz to be a nice GM. Now let's talk about this insane chemistry. For as long as I've been around (NHL 16) @Ksteiding1, @xXAucoin1Xx, and @Sublime-3 have been playing together. You cannot forget about their beloved, conservative defenseman @OGPotsie. Chemistry is unreal and that is the reason that they will be able to win their close games. Now let's talk about Dr.Crunch, the most clutch player in LGPSN history, @ryno1354 . ryno has never lost a playoff game in regulation in his LGPSN career. It is insane how he does this and he will be the guy Anaheim looks to in order to take this series home.

Edit: Yeah.. it seems like Dxwny fell in love with the quack squad. I’m not sure though.

Dxwny’s prediction : Anaheim Ducks in 6

JP’s prediction: Anaheim Ducks in 7


ANAHEIM DUCKS

Q&A
By JP & Aucoin

Four out of Five LG members didn’t expect the Ducks to beat the Golden Knights. Not only you beat the Pacific division winners but you knocked them out in only 5 games. What are your thoughts on both your team’s and Las Vegas’ performances in the first round? What was your state of mind before the series and what is it right now?

I was very pleased with our performance in the first round and it was honestly what I expected. I knew that going into the series my line was going to be able to compete with any line Vegas threw out there, and also felt the same with our other top line. I thought Vegas played fine as well. Throughout the season we played mostly all 1 goal games that were all competitive and could have gone either way.

"who do we play - first round - vegas?" - skillzpaybillz3, 12/14/2017

"ya - we can take them i'm not worried - should be good series" - Ray, 12/14/2017

As you can see I was pretty confident going into the series with Vegas. I kept telling the guys how comical it was that 18% of the league voted for us to win the series, most of the votes being players on our team or trolls (cough, JP). If I was a betting man, which I am, my money was on us to win the series. My state of mind hasn't changed much, but after watching Ryno, King bling, and Jeff's line do what they did I might even be more confident than before. I mean this lines chemistry and passing is on a different level right now, and should put the rest of our opponents on notice.

While three out of the five games were low scoring shutouts, the other two games were huge scoring games (8-6 win in game 3 and 6-4 win in game 5). Do you have an explanation for the inconsistency of your team during round 1?

Yes, I guess the first explanation is that it what the same line LOL. I asked the guys what happened in the 8-6 game because we aren't a team that gives up that many goals. The consensus was that it was just a really weird game and a lot of bounces and EA involved on both sides. The 6-4 game we got in really bad penalty trouble early in the 1st, where we took 3 penalties and gave Vegas two 5-3 power plays. I certainly would like to tighten up a bit on defense with that line, but at the same time they are so good that I'm not worried. They also faced two great offensive lines from Vegas.

Anaheim’s special units underperformed in round 1. You guys have the worst power play and the second worst penalty kill of the eight remaining teams in the playoffs so far. What are you going to do about it? Should we expect better results on that aspect in round 2?

Thanks for pointing this out haha. I'm honestly not concerned about the special teams I think if we keep playing our game we will be fine. In the regular season we were middle of the pack when it came to the power play and we were 3rd in the league on penalty kill at 86%. The goals will certainly come, and I think the 5-3s we gave up hurt our penalty kill in game 5. If we are performing so poorly in those areas we will clearly improve next round and that can only help our case.

Who was the Anaheim Ducks’ MVP in round 1?

So this is where I get to say nice things about my players. Before I do that though I just want to point out that I had to carry my 3rd line and score our only goal in OT (so I kinda should be our MVP) Jokes aside I could honestly give this to Ryno, King bling, Jeff, or Skillz as they were all unreal in the 1st round and really impressed me. If I have to choose I will go with Ryno as he had 5 goals and 5 assists and really stepped it up in game 5 and got some huge goals.

Now that the Ducks have proved everyone wrong by beating the team to beat, the majority of the LG community will anticipate - with good reason - that you also beat the Kings. Does shifting from the “underdog” status to the “top dog” status bothers your team? How confident are you about your team going into the next round against Los Angeles?

It'll certainly be interesting to see the voting from the league about who will win our series. I think a bunch of votes will shy away from the Kings simply because a lot of people don't like Illy. The underdog vs top dog really won't impact me or the team at all. I'm very confident in my team going up against the Kings. First off I have a ton of respect for both Illy and a lot of the Kings players, they are great guys and I have enjoyed playing with and getting to know a lot of them. With that being said I do see us advancing past them. We won the season series 3-1 and I could see this series going back and forth a bit as they have two solid lines. When I look at both rosters on paper I like our offense and defense better with LA getting a slight edge in goaltending; as it looks like Faytal has had himself a good season with not the best defense in front of him all year. Should be a fun series and I'm looking forward to it!

Projected Line up

@ryno1354 - @Kingbling647 - @jeff0012
@Sublime-3 - @Ksteiding1 - @xXAucoin1Xx
@abbazabba24 - @Scoring-Aces - @gillessabourin

@SkillzPayBills3 - @Niedermayer87
@OGPotsie - @kg3inOTT
@S4l636 - @Jmorris0009

@Xi_ch4pm4n_ix
@Proxolol

ECUs: @Maxx_20 , @lBl2llNlK , @deerhunter2911


LOS ANGELES KINGS

Q&A
By JP & Illyfilly

The Kings steamrolled through the the Sharks just as the LG community predicted. It took you guys 5 games to win the series but it was way closer than what the final result shows. 3 of your 4 wins were won by one goal and 2 of these 3 required an extra period. The goals differential (4) as well as the time on attack differential (0:42 mins) are reliable statistics that describes well how tight this series was. Are you in agreement with my previous statement? What are your thoughts on both your team’s and San Jose’s performances in the first round?

I do think the series was much closer than the result. Radical did a great job of making lemonade with oranges throughout the season. I did believe my team had the stronger roster which is why I felt keeping lines together was more important than “matching” their lines. The Kings have played a lot of 1 goal games this year, whether it be great defense, great goaltending or a lack of secondary scoring; most likely a combination, but we have found a way to win a lot of these games and we see it no different moving forward.

Los Angeles didn’t score a single goal on the Power Play on 10 attempts. Did San Jose play their Penalty Kills flawlessly or did you guys got struck with bad luck? What went wrong here and what will you guys need to do in the 2nd round in order to light the lamp on the PP?

I wouldn’t put much stock in our PP going 0/10. It isn’t something we noticed, but it’s probably because we’ve had issues as a team rushing vs. setting up and moving the puck around for the best looks. I’d put more stock in the PK, which is an area we will need to be much stronger in moving forward.

Goaltender @Faytal_Flow have been amazing all season and it’s no surprise that he continued his domination in the first round. Is depending on him to win games part of the Kings strategy? How important was his part against the Sharks?

We are the LA Faytal_Flows! My dude has been awesome. We don’t want to depend on him, but he sure gives us a ton of confidence with his play. Drafting him may have been our best decision as an organization. We love his arrogance, confidence, ego, attitude...call it whatever you want, but we love him!

Who was the Los Angeles Kings’ MVP in round 1?

Round 1 LAK MVP is an easy answer, Faytal was dominant, 4-0, stole game 2 and consistently frustrated SJS. I don’t see anything changing in Round 2 as he will be right back between the pipes for 4 big games and a 5th if needed.

You guys are heading into round 2 against the Ducks who triumphed against the #1 ranked team in the Pacific division, thus automatically labeling them the favorites to win against the Kings. How will shifting from the “favorites” status to the “underdogs” status affect your team? Do you feel like your team is the underdog? How confident are you in your team’s chances to win the next round against Anaheim?

I love being the underdog, however, I don’t believe that is the case heading into this series. The LG community loves a name or an “elite,” and ANA has a few more names than we do. I’ll put stock in our unsung heroes as we’ve done all season long. I love Aucoin and I wish him well, but I can’t wait to hit Kingbling and SkillsDontPayBillz in the mouth as those two are the most overrated players in LG. With how much Ryno and Kingbling press L2, I’d think they’d be more competitive in ice dancing versus chel. 100% confident in my squad to get the job done and we look forward to the challenge.

Projected Line up

@KarmaSutra-_- - @JClaus33 - @Apperation
@Kev_F88 - @Illyfilly - @GhostMK
@x73xtoffoli - @A_Raging_Sloth - @Untuchabl

@Ryudo2337 - @zdball
@pass2tyler - @BigBadWolfert2
@Melanson4 - @jonhardcoq

@Faytal_Flow
@nowelbaby

ECUs: @Furdayzbuddy , @Camzi95 , @JRow514 , @McDonald519--


CAROLINA HURRICANES @ COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Part I
by NH4JP

Carolina is that team you never hear about until @SKILLEDPYTHON forfeits you in a game 7 in the playoffs. The whole squad, made of 7 or 8 returning players, keep quiet season after season and never start trouble.

On the other side, Columbus is a loud team. Definitely not the loudest of the league though but do not watch their streams if you are a sensitive soul because they shout racial slurs at peaceful frenchies whenever they score a goal… And they score a ton of goals.

In the first round, the defending champions took on the Maple Leafs while the Hurricanes took on the Islanders. Both were successful in a different way. Nick’s team ended Toronto in 6 encounters, most of which they dominated. Raz-Orr’s team declared world war III on the Islanders. They dropped the A Bomb in the first overtime period of the 7th game of a low scoring series where 4 games were decided in overtime. The islanders were pissed.

This is the second consecutive season where these two team meet in the playoffs. The Blue Jackets came out victorious the first time and are arguably the favorites to snatch the series this season once again.

But why?

Because they are better.

Leafs in 4.

JP’s prediction: Columbus Blue Jackets in 6 games.


CAROLINA HURRICANES

Q&A
By JP & NJdevil08

The Hurricanes-Islanders series was without a doubt the tightest one of the first round as it is the only one in the league that reached the limit. It even went further beyond the limit as it required an extra period for the Canes to score the series winning goal in overtime. 4 of the 7 games played went to overtime and your team was able to snatch 3 of these 4 in extremis. Looking back, how satisfied are you with how everything went down? What are your thoughts on both your team’s and the Islanders’ performances in the first round?

Yeah, it was satisfying to come back in the series because their third line stole game 3 for them and we're close to winning game 4 which could have really ended the series but our guys really stepped up and knew we could come back and we ended up taking game 4 and 5 to bring us right back in the series.

It was definitely a defensive battle this series as all 4 goalies in the series played extremely well. We knew Islanders were a deep team offensively but we had no idea that the 3rd line played that well together so credit to them. For not having any big names on defense, their defense played well for them in the majority of the games.

Your team’s total of 37 penalty minutes makes it the most penalised team in the playoffs thus far. However, you guys only allowed the Islanders to score twice in 17 power play attempts for a Penalty Kill percentage of 88,2%. What do you think of Carolina’s discipline? Will trying to improve that aspect be part of the game plan for the second round against the Blue Jackets?

Penalties have absolutely been a struggle for us and we know that. It was a good thing our PK stepped up. Taking as many penalties vs Columbus could be a problem because they have the talent to make us pay so we'll definitely have to be careful.

Who was the Carolina Hurricanes’ MVP in round 1?

MVP of the series could go to either Shaynestaa, RiseoftheNinja, or Back342. Shayne and Rise both went 3-0 in the series, while back won 3 games for us and is proving to be a top goalie in the league. I'll give MVP to back342 cause I know the other guys don't care and back will message me right after he reads this saying "wtf man, I should have been MVP, can I go on IR?" Jk love you back

Columbus managed to brutally knockdown one of the hottest team in the league to advance to the next stop. Have you paid attention to their series at all? How confident are you about your team going head-2-head against the defending S5 Stanley cup champions?

I didn't get to see their series but we know what Columbus is capable of having played them last playoffs and the games this season with their roster being similar as last seasons. I believe this series could be closer than people think. In my opinion we have the deeper fwd core that could give them trouble outside their top line of Woy Jay and Zam. They have the d core that is more well known than ours with Desy making almost as much as our entire d but our defense really stepped up in the opening series and proved that their better than given credit for. We should have a pretty big edge in goaltending which could be the difference between moving on or not.

Projected Line up

@Reps_71 - @sloanertw - @RiseOfTheNinja
@NjDevil08 - @ll_Larkin_71_ll - @AlcoholicGamer92
@three_eleven09 - @zGuentzel - @jiccy31

@BurnsForNorris - @Shaynestaa
@TCTC2012 - @Rageeez
@Raz-Orr - @skeymour

@Back342
@Flyersap

ECUs: @EPICxSKILLZY , @Boston_Rulez , @alexander1032


COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Q&A
By JP and Nick

You guys reminded everyone that Columbus is the reigning champ when you finished one of hottest team coming into the playoffs with a devastating 8-1 blowout in the last game of the series. What are your thoughts on your team’s and Toronto’s performances in the first round? What was the biggest factor that explain your successful first round? Did everything go as planned?

Round 1 pretty much went as planned. I predicted us to win in 6 and that's what we did. Toronto had me worried a bit going into the series because for the first time all year our avail was rough and i couldn't line match the way i wanted to (See Entry game 1 with my line and me shitting the bed game 4 with his line). To be 100% honest i expected a closer series. Not in the sense that it was two different levels of talent, i mean it as we only had 1 game that actually counted that was separated by 1 goal. i expected the entire series to be 3-2/4-3 games. Biggest factor to our success was you guys taking a FF to play us. I spoke to Aali before the series, i knew he did it to get away from west coast aids and not to play the "easier" opponent, but i also told Aali just because i knew that didn't mean i was gonna tell my team that. I had a team that didn't care at all during the season and wasn't taking this seriously. As soon as the rumour started that they thought we were the weaker team my guys got on board again. People actually tried to get 6's games rolling instead of Siege/Madden/COD. Aali did something i could do all year which was to get my guys to care.

How important is the loyalty of returning veterans players @ll-Entryy-ll, Woy, @Canadas_game416 and @l-JF5-l to the stability of the Blue Jackets? How important is their leadership role in the dressing room and on the ice?

How important are Entry, Woy, Canadas and JF5 to the stability of the Blue Jackets... Well they've nearly tore my team apart 2 years in a row, but they know when to shut up and play hockey. I can't lie and say they've all been perfect guys in a team chat because its went public before and people know it. Odessa made a comment on it in his mid-season review saying "why does it seem like this team has lost more games than they actually have" and it's true, but thats just because these guys expect nothing but the cup.

The majority of the LG community expects your next matchup to be easier than the previous one against the Maple Leafs and that it should be a walk in the park to the eastern conference finals for you guys. Are you in agreement with the community?

This is playoff hockey with EA involved, there's no such thing as a walk in the park. Do i consider the Hurricanes as strong as the Leafs? No. Flat out don't have to consider it no. I'm not saying we're going to walk through this series with ease, I just believe Carolina will have to play their best hockey of the year with minimal mistakes. They're gonna need guys to step up their game big time for this series. They have some firepower, but so do I. I think if Carolina wants to win this series they're going to need a D other than Burns and TCTC to have an unbelievable series. Maybe they prove me wrong and make me eat my words, which by all means do it if you can, but my core has the experience and we met round 1 last year. I think my my guys pull through round 2 in 5 or 6.

Who was the Columbus Blue Jackets' MVP in round 1?

JF5. Did you see that between the legs pass in game 6?

Do you plan to do anything differently than what you did in round 1? What’s the biggest thing do you guys have to improve in order to beat the Hurricanes?

Yea. I plan to take advantage of it not being a week before Christmas and having a team of 9/9 guys again and matching the way i want to. I think we play our game and take advantage of the matchups i choose and we got this.

Projected Line up

@I-JF5-I - @DShakki (woy) - @Zam x 93
@II-Amazing-ll - @FullyDynamic - @Ethos Jinx
@CelpHxTitleD506 - @RBCressor - @MikexMassacre

@II-Entryy-II - @Canadas__Game416
@Desyd19 - @RSall14
@Nick_x_98 - @CJohnston_19

@IRev1S
@balake96

ECUs: @BarDownDaily , @bdeez_nutz , @PhewPhewCam


FLORIDA PANTHERS @ OTTAWA SENATORS

Part I
By JP

What a fucking mess.

The Panthers lost a total of 5 games in their first round against the Boston Bruins but somehow advanced to round 2.

Nah, seriously. I have a lot of sympathy towards @Primetimme and the whole squad of Florida. I’m not sure if i would of been capable of dealing with a bunch of virgins who cheat on www.leaguegaming.com because they have nothing else to do the way that Mr. Klein dealt with them.

The good guys never win though. Gotta be realist here. Good guy Florida don’t have the skill to compete against the wicked disgusting @Jim Benning and his evil west coast minions.

Ottawa have 3 sick and competitive forward lines, almost 3 sick and competitive defense lines, 2 sick and competitive goalies and one sick and competitive Matthuot.

The Panthers have Gonzo.

JP’s prediction: Ottawa Senators in 5 games.


TEAM 23

Q&A
By JP and Primetimme

You guys are coming off a disappointing and exhausting series where Boston got caught cheating and was left no choice but to let you guys advance to the next round. You guys lost the series twice, ended the season twice, hugged and said farewell to each others twice. You guys were ready to let the season go and enjoy the holidays but here you are in the 2nd round against Ottawa. Without going into specific details, what was the general feeling of your locker room for the past 2 days? Is everyone ready to go and motivated enough to try hard to win games?

It's definitely a unique situation, both personally and with the team. In my 9-10 years of playing Internet hockey, I've never been advanced after losing a series based on a technicality. The first thing myself and my "war room" (people I go to about opinions on stuff with this team) literally said to each other is "do we even want to advance?" Meanwhile we had the other goofballs on the team saying "Yes we do!" So it's definitely split among us. I think for anyone it's hard to lose 5 games and feel like you deserve to be in the next round.

With that being said the mindset of this team is one of the best I've ever seen at dropping possible negative team killing scenarios, and being ready to go win. Ottawa will get us at our best mindset, which I think if the buttons follow through make for an interesting series. The next round not being a quick turnover helps A LOT.

Florida did decent against the Bruins. Not great, not horrible. In the 4 games that are not counted as forfeits you guys had slightly more time on attack than your opponent. The game 7 that got reversed was a close game as well. If we put the forfeits and the drama aside, what are your thoughts on both your team’s and Boston’s performances in the first round?

I will say first and foremost, Dom on 100 tags or not, Boston is a good fking team. That team was deep, every night it has a chance to win, and whether dom is playing LW on the third or not, he did a great job with the team. They came out and played very well defensively and good enough offensively, and flat out beat us in 5.

People saw that Game 7, that along with Game 2 was very upsetting for me because those are 2 games my line gave away (in my opinion). We wanted to come out and land a major blow going up 2-0, the eOracleClark line did a great job winning game 1, and we are a miscommunicated turd defense away from game 2 victory. It was a great series and everyone on Boston would agree.

The Panthers’ centermen have a cumulative faceoff percentage of 47.5%, the lowest of the 8 remaining teams in the playoffs. How bad did this handicap hurt you in the 1st round and how do you plan to raise the bar at the faceoff dot in round 2?

This is a little rattling to me as well as I'm a C who takes pride in winning FO draws night in and out. I believe I finished close to a 60% FO in reg season. What I'll say is this, we turned over the rosters, and quality C's are hard to come by in roster moves. We absolutely stole a gem in oracle rampage, who's a great defensive player, figuring it out offensively, but isn't really in the top tier of faceoff meta yet. Geno had been our center before he rip'd, so lately Baertschi took over C duties on the third, but anyone who knows him knows he's a RW playing C on a semi glued together roster.

Losing the F0% is point blank a negative as it would be with any other team, means less possession and less oppurtunities. There's no immediate CHANGE you can make to correct it, it's a individualized thing, if it's not where it needs to be I think that's something that needs time to be worked on and built into your mentality, not something you'll change round ro round, and unfortunately I see that playing a big factor in this series where Ottawa can legit line up 3-4 good FO centers.

Who was the Florida Panthers’ MVP in round 1?

Team 23s round 1 MVP is Domsquad100. He is the reason we advanced. If I had to pick an actual 23 member, I can't really say any of us came out and lit the world on fire, it was kind of an okay but not great series for all of us. Let's give it to eGodJumps because it my very well be the only MVP he ever wins.

It’s no surprise that the LG community will predict this series to be a walk in the park for the west coast team of Ottawa. How confident are you about your team going into round 2 against the Senators? What’s the biggest thing do you guys have to improve in order to beat them?

A Lot of people see me on the forums, but I really don't care what anyone has to say unless they have a Team 23 logo. If we think we can win, I do my part to motivate them and get their mindset right until we're out. The West Coast line won't be easy, but I'm not one to shy away from line matchups because of ping. It may play a factor, but in my mind any game is winnable if you play it right.

I'm confident in my team, we've taken body blow after body blow losing players (fk you Geno, literally fk you), being 18 points out of playoffs (F if you haven't heard this before), and as good as Ottawa is, I like our team, how it's built, and think we can more than compete, if not take the series with good matchups.

And if not, then we call for IP checks on matthuot and Dubz.


Projected Line up

@The5thLine - @Primetimme - @xOvechkinx l8l
@MrPlayoffs (clark) - @oraclerampage - @egodjumps
@Habsfan675 - @Baertscchi_47 - @BK_0994

@xGonzo l7l - @MrPurpleCrush
@ryofthebeholder - @VanishingPoint92
@ceeg87 - @QuaP0W

@JDoolus
@Str8Syko__

ECUs: @mrtryhard98NHL , @Gwood_Boys , @althewall


OTTAWA SENATORS

Q&A
By JP and Jim Benning

Statistically speaking, the Senators dominated the Red Wings in the first round but the scores were tight every single game. Did you guys have difficulty to score or playing tight games was the plan all along? Overall, what are your thoughts on both your team’s and Detroit’s performances in the first round?

I think the overall shots/TOA in the series were inflated in the first two games, where we put one of KingClutch and Polgz in each game against Detroit's 3rd line. Those two guys are great at possessing the puck and controlling the play. The corsi numbers in the next 3 games against Detroit's 1st and 2nd lines were closer, even though we still had a slight advantage there as well.

I wouldn't say we had trouble scoring, other than maybe game 3 where our players felt like missing empty nets all game. We definitely didn't expect to win any games in blowouts though, we knew Detroit had a really solid squad. They've got 4 solid defensemen and 2 fantastic centers in Devin/aREAP that make them hard to play against.

Overall, I thought our team played really well, and we got the job done. We knew that if we played to our capabilities, we would win because we had a depth and a linematching advantage (see games 1-2) over them. That said, I thought Detroit played really well too. It sucks that Devin had to leave early in game 5.

Your depth players really carried the load so far. They won all their games and are amongst your team’s leaders in points. What do you think of @Prince-Of-Zeus ’, @XIBIGMUMMYIX’s and @SiDD_05 ’s sudden burst of production in round 1? Is it expected of them to repeat against Florida?

Our "depth" players have been fantastic so far, I couldn't be happier with their play. I wouldn't say their burst in production was very "sudden" either, they all had great regular seasons. I do agree though, they've taken their game a step higher than that in the playoffs. I expect them to continue this play against Florida.

@TheBipolarJew69 ’s have done a fine job holding the fort in your #1 goaltender @JT x 11 ’s absence. How bad will it hurt the team if the latter is unable to play more games in the upcoming round?

I expect JT's availability to be better next round, but even if it's not, it would not hurt the team at all to play Jew. He is just as good as JT is, and that's not a knock on JT. Our goaltending is fantastic.

Who was the Ottawa Senators’ MVP in round 1?

All 17 guys could've won this reward, but I'm going to give it to Matthuot. Without his huge goal in game 4, who knows what would've happened. This guy is unbelievably good, better than AJ_Rockers in his prime.

How confident are you about your team going into the next round against the Panthers? Do you think it will be easier than your previous round?

Team 23 honestly scares the shit out of me. They lost 5 games against Boston and still won their series, meaning that we'll have to beat them at least 6 times to move on. This is a team that never dies, literally. But because we have Matthuot on our side, I think we can beat them.

Projected Line up

@Jim Benning - @KingClutch x 77 - @xDubz47
@Who_AreU- - @i9-Stamkos-1i - @matthuot87
@SiDD_05 - @Polgz- - @Prince-Of-Zeus

@Fewch_ - @canuckftc12W
@fulltrottle911 - @ShroomSmoke
@Kipperboy33 - @XIBIGMUMMYIX

@TheBipolarJew69
@JT x 11

ECUs: @LeCupidon , @Agesquod , @MafiaRage

 

Here are the stats i used to build up the article.

For the Stats junkies...

DALLAS STARS
Round 1 result: 4-2 over the Colorado Avalanche
G1: 3-2 OT Loss
G2: 4-0 Loss
G3: 4-0 Win
G4: 3-1 Win
G5: 6-1 Win
G6: 3-2 Win

Team Stats
Games played: 6
Goals for: 18
Goals against: 11
Goal Differential: 7
Shot differential: 18
Time on attack differential: 22:14 mins (#3)
Average Time on Attack: 8:34 mins
PP%: 33.3% (3/9) (#3)
Penalties: 8:00 mins (#1)
PK%: 100% (0/4)
Hits: 39

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Round 1 result: 4-1 over the Nashville Predators
G1: 6-0 Win
G2: 4-3 OT Win
G3: 2-1 OT Loss
G4: 3-0 Win
G5: 5-4 OT Win

Team Stats
Games played: 5
Goals for: 19
Goals against: 9
Goal Differential: 10
Shot differential: 20
Time on attack differential: 25:33 mins (#1)
Average Time on Attack: 9:27 mins
PP%: 40.0% (4/10) (#1)
Penalities: 22:00 mins
PK%: 100% (0/11) (#1)
Hits: 29
Faceoff%: 63.2% (#1)

ANAHEIM DUCKS
Round 1 result: 4-1 over the Las Vegas Golden Knights
G1: 2-0 Win
G2: 0-1 Loss
G3: 8-6 Win
G4: 1-0 OT Win
G5: 6-4 Win

Team Stats
Games played: 5
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 11
Goal Differential: 6
Shot differential: 17
Time on attack differential: 13:28 mins
Average Time on Attack: 7:21 mins
PP%: 14.3% (1/7) (#8, worse in playoffs)
Penalties: 20:00 mins
PK%: 60% (4/10) (#7, 2nd worse)
Hits: 36

LOS ANGELES KINGS
Round 1 result: 4-1 over the San Jose Sharks
G1: 4-0 Win
G2: 2-1 OT Win
G3: 3-2 Win
G4: 3-0 Loss
G5: 4-3 OT Win

Team Stats
Games played: 5
Goals for: 13
Goals against: 9
Goal Differential: 4
Shot differential: 10
Time on attack differential: 0:42 mins (#8, worse)
Average Time on Attack: 5:55mins
PP%: 0.0% (0/10) (#8, worse in playoffs)
Penalities: 26:00mins
PK%: 92.3% (1/13)
Hits: 43
Faceoff%: 59.5%

Carolina Hurricanes
Round 1 result: 4-3 over the New York Islanders
G1: 3-2 OT Win
G2: 3-1 Loss
G3: 3-2 OT Loss
G4: 3-2 OT Win
G5: 4-0 Win
G6: 3-1 Loss
G7: 2-1 OT Win

Team Stats
Games played: 7
Goals for: 16
Goals against: 14
Goal Differential: 2
Shot differential: 12
Time on attack differential: 1:04 mins (#7, 2nd worse in loffs)
Average Time on Attack: 6:03 mins
PP%: 27.3% (3/11)
Penalities: 37:00 mins (#8, worse)
PK%: 88.2% (2/17)
Hits: 34

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Round 1 result: 4-2 over the Toronto Maple Leafs
G1: 3-0 Win
G2: 5-1 Win
G3: 4-1 Loss
G4: 4-2 Loss
G5: 1-0 Win
G6: 8-1 Win

Team Stats
Games played: 6
Goals for: 21
Goals against: 10
Goal Differential: 11
Shot differential: 15
Time on attack differential: 13:53 mins
Average Time on Attack: 7:38 mins
PP%: 13.3% (2/15)
Penalities: 20:00 mins
PK%: 80.0% (2/10)
Hits: 31

FLORIDA PANTHERS
Round 1 result: 4-3 over the Boston Bruins
G1: 2-1 Win
G2: 3-2 Loss
G3: 4-2 Loss
G4: Win by forfeit
G5: 5-2 Loss
G6: Win by forfeit
G7: Win by forfeit

Team Stats
Games played: 4
Goals for: 11-3=8
Goals against: 13
Goal Differential: -5 (only negative team)
Shot differential: 6
Time on attack differential: 3:08 mins
Average Time on Attack: 3:30mins
PP%: 14.3% (2/14)
Penalities: 14:00mins
PK%: 85.7% (1/7)
Hits: 31
Faceoff%: 47.0%

OTTAWA SENATORS
Round 1 result: 4-1 over the Detroit Red Wings
G1: 4-2 Win
G2: 4-2 Win
G3: 3-2 Loss
G4: 4-3 Win
G5: 3-2 OT Win

Team Stats
Games played: 5
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 12
Goal Differential: 5
Shot differential: 20
Time on attack differential: 22:03 mins (#3)
Average Time on Attack: 8:19 mins
PP%: 20.0% (2/10)
Penalities: 33:00 mins (#7)
PK%: 73.3% (4/15) (#7)
Hits: 29
Faceoff%: 58.3%

 

@NerdyMamba and I did our job now good luck Team 23 LL

 

This is a nutty amount of info and legwork done for this, I can speak firsthand to how long these take. Really awesome job

 

I might have to change my gamertag for real after this..... better JP!

Good work!

 

W o w o w o w o w o w o w
o G
w R
o E
w A
o T
w
o J
w O
o B
w !
o !
w !


My only complaint is @Dxwny not doing the Eastern Conference! Also LG auto re-formatted my picture above but I'm just gonna leave it fuck it.

 

Good shit jp well done but boston in 4 believe in the savard line !!!

 

WOW Amazing, fucking good job JP!

 

Sorry I did not do all the reviews. I did not have much time due to school and other plans. I do hope that you guys appreciate the things that I did say. @NH4JP worked extremely hard and is a smart man! Give me and him a like!

 

Rate informative.

 

holyyyy fuck this is beautiful, what a write up! Amazing work @NH4JP and @Dxwny . Also, Merry Christmas everyone!

 

This is actually insanely well done. Good job.

Jim is right though, may take 6 to beat us this round. Good luck

 

Virgin cheater here

 

kiss me @Kraz18

 

So much time put into this, great job JP.

 

Very detailed and informative. The amount of research and passion needed to do this is impressive. Thanks for the read and great write up!

 

"Chicago is the team to beat in the playoffs. I would take any of their 9 forwards any day of the week seeing that all of them are 2nd liners or higher."
Im saving this, just because its the first time in LG history anyone has called me a 2nd line forward

 

Nice write up !

 

Get ur backup tendy here. Also, great job JP and friends.

 

@Dxwny