Media [S32] Playoff Preview & Predictions - Round 1

That time of the season has come. The playoffs have arrived. Teams have battled all season and have put themselves in position to take home the Calder Trophy. What do the playoffs mean? It means we will have 1 goal games more than often. It means teams will play the trap more than usual. It means every turnover can be the difference between a win and a loss. The playoffs bring upsets that nobody thought of. The playoffs bring out the brooms for some. There is one thing that the playoffs don't bring though. That one thing is certainty. The playoffs are everything but certain and that is why we play the games. Some will play in their first ever postseason. Some will try to get revenge on the outcomes from seasons past. So without further to do, let's fucking go!

** My opinions only. I hope I get every prediction wrong and you can all tell me to never do this again**​

** For those who don't want to (long read) or can't read: **​

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We get it started in the Eastern Atlantic where the #1 seed, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, take on the #4 seeded, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Last week the Sound Tigers were on cruise control heading into the playoffs while the Penguins had to play every game like their playoff hopes depended on it. And that was true as the Penguins manage to get in the playoffs by a tiebreaker over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

When diving into these two teams, I don't look at the season series. There are trades, line changes, and other factors troughout the season that make the season series mean less than what others may think. Now in saying that, I still think that Bridgeport holds an advantage over Wilkes-Barre mainly because of their overall body of work this season and for the fact that the defense and goalies have been a force. The Sound Tigers have given up the least amount of goals in the AHL this season. To me that means if they get a lead, it's going to be hard for the Penguins to retake that lead.

The key to a Wilkes-Barre series win would have to be the match-up against the Bridgeport line of @A Very Mad Fish @TeachMe18 @Snackpacks13 . That line is 14-1-0 together this season. If the Penguins are able to get a win against this line (especially early), it may give them some extra push to try and take another game away from the @IsC0NaLd0 @o NEM3SIS @B Tep55566 line. Either way, the Penguins are going to have to put it all together to be abe to pull out 4 wins in this series.

Top Point Scorer: @RAMPAGEx91
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Prediction: Bridgeport in 4




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This is going to be the sneaky good series of the first round. @Wickedly Moist brought his team out of the fog and went on a charge to get into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack bring a lot of talent and former Calder & Stanley Cup winners @Im4thLineWorthy and @Scumbag Jared (sorry for anyone else who has done both) to the playoff party. What is going to make this series sneaky good is that we don't know what identity of these two teams are going to show up. We have seen Charlotte go on their hot streak to get into the playoffs, but can they keep that going? We have seen Hartford lose some games that they shouldn't have any part in losing. If we get the best version of both teams, then we will have quite the series.

When taking a look at some stats between both of these teams, I am seeing that the Hartford Wolfpack have 6 of the top 10 point leaders between these teams. On the other hand, the Charlotte Checkers have the better goalie tandem when it comes to save percentage and goals against average. Something is going to have to give in this series. Taking a look into the teams stats, the Wolfpack and Checkers are side by side in TOAD (Time on Attack Difference). They are only separated by 19 shots in Shot Differential. This makes me think that both teams have the ability to cycle well with their lines while also getting enough shots on net to make the other team work defensively. It also helps that EA may give you a bounce or two if you just throw a puck towards the net.

The key to a Charlotte series victory would be to simply keep playing the way you did down the stretch. In my opinion, the weakeast part of the Wolfpack is their defense. If the Checkers can just get their shots and obtain a lead in a game, I think they can fall back to a more team defense mindset and focus on shutting down the deadly Wolfpack offense. The key to the Wolfpack winning the series would have to be for their main stars to show up and do what they have done all season. You need the playoff experience to show up. They also need their goalies to steal a game when the offense lacks. I do believe that this series will come down to a goalie standing on their head.

Top Point Scorer: @l Stastny26 l @Im4thLineWorthy
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Prediction: Hartford in 6




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We jump to the Eastern North division now and we start with the #1 seeded, Syracuse Crunch, taking on the #4 seeded Belleville Senators. Well if you want scoring then you're in the wrong place for this series. Out of the 16 playoff teams, the Crunch & Senators are 2 out of the bottom 3 teams in Goals For this season. Belleville are your defending Calder champions, but have had a tough season. They definitely are not playing like we know they have in the past. If it wasn't for the current playoff format, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms would have made the playoffs over Belleville. I firmly believe that the Syracuse Crunch live and die with their goalie @keatsauce . And I back that up with what I said earlier about the goals for and will add to it that the Crunch have given up the 4th least amount of goals among playoff teams.

These two teams are hard to judge. There is no one single player who jumps off the board to me as a must stop in order to win the series. But I will give two names (1 OFF 1 DEF) from each team that I think can be a standout in the series. Starting with Syracuse, I believe that @chachki34 and @DEC3PTIVE 1 can be big players in the series. Chachki hasn't been that great against Belleville this season, but he doesn't turn the puck over as much as forwards usually do, he doesn't take PIMs, and he has the ability to not only score, but help his teammates. Dec3ptive has been a solid dman all season and I expect him to play against Belleville's best if the Crunch want to advance. The Senators two players would have to be @KrawcH x and @xl NiTeOwL lx . I am choosing to go with these two based solely off of the playoff experience and that they obviously know what it takes to win because they've done it.

Score early and play team defense is the key to a Syracuse series win. If the Crunch are able to get an early lead, they can easily drop back in a deadly trap that if broken has a goalie in Keatsauce standing behind it. The key for Belleville would honestly be the same thing. If the Senators can put an early goal up on the board, they can relax and play a little looser. They can also try and trap it up because the Crunch will get frustrated (I've played some club with them and watched some games during the season). I would not be surprised if all games were 1 goal games.

Top Point Scorer: @KrawcH x
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Prediction: Belleville in 6




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I want to start off by congratulating @NotoriousFAT 00 for making his first ever playoffs! The guy never complains about shit and just plays his games. Now let's talk about this matchup between the #2 seeded Rochester Americans and the #3 seed Binghamton Devils. I play for Binghamton and I am not going to lie. I'd rather have faced Syracuse in Round 1. But here we are and Rochester presents a big challenge ahead. Out of the 16 playoff teams, the Americans have the 2nd most Goals For with 276! The defense isn't something to look away from either. The Devils come into this series with some slight dysfunction. A lot of moves were made towards the end of the season and I am not quite sure yet if everyone is settled into their place.

Rochester has 3 capable offensive lines (helps to have @Record l77l as a send down) who can score. The addition of @Dimitri x 91 on defense only adds another good dman, but also the occasional 4th forward. Taking a look at goaltending and they have a veteran in @PHJ314 who I played with some seasons ago. Good guy and good goalie. This team is not to be taken lightly and if they advance, I'd say could be a formidable Calder contender. Now looking at the Devils, I's say we love 1 goal games with a grand total of 49 of them! I believe we have a balance between the 3 lines. Each line has their playstyle for the most part. Defensive pairings have been the same so knowing your partner is no issue there. The goaltending is what will have to be big for the Devils.

The key for Rochester to win the series? Don't try too hard. Play your game and rely on what got you to this place to begin with. Nobody is giving the Devils a chance in this series, so your play affects a lot of voters. The key for a Binghamton Devils series win would be special teams. Too many penalties for this team and if that happens in the playoffs, you can pack your bags and go home. The powerplay is also big as it is the perfect time to jump on a very solid Rochester team. This series is almost the exact same thing as last season when I ran the Crunch and we went up against Belleville. Nobody gave us a chance and we pushed it to 7 games.

Top Point Scorer: @Zaathal
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Prediction: Binghamton in 7




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I like this series. First, we have an Iowa Wild team who is the #1 seed and on an 18 game win streak. Next, we have a #4 seeded, Manitoba Moose, who led the league in Goals For this season, but had a horrendous Week 6 which most likely lost them a higher seed. We also have a slight @Mxckie curse where his teams have been eliminated in the first round in 3 out of the last 4 seasons. If the Hartford & Charlotte series doesn't turn out to be that exciting, I can bet that this one can take its place.

For the Iowa Wild, all 9 forwards have between 62 and 34 points this season. Oh and the guy who has 34 points, @Greasy Hardy , has a record of 17-3-1. Not to be outdone though, the Manitoba Moose have all 9 forwards between 85 and 38 points. They actually have the top 6 point scorers between both teams. Does anyone want to talk defense? Because that's where I think Iowa has the advantage. In order to win 18 straight games you have to have a little luck, good scoring, but excellent defense. During the win streak, the Wild have only given up more than 3 goals in a game 1 time. It's a team game, and the Wild are clicking right now.

My key for Iowa is to keep doing what works. There is no reason to change anything while you're riding the hot streak. The @GonqZillla @Henreek @Murdss line is the main focus for Iowa when it comes to line matching. The key for the Manitoba Moose to win the series comes down to 3rd line play. As the lower seeded team, you need your 3rd line to steal a game. I personally like to throw out the 3rd line in Game 1 to try and get a quick 1-0 series lead. But that's just me. If the 3rd line can steal a game or even two, the Moose could pull off a upset (or just get the benefit of the Mackie curse)!

Top Point Scorer: @Henreek
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Prediction: Iowa in 6




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I have not noticed either one of thes teams this season. Nothing against them, but I don't know anything. So let's try and take a look and see what they're about. From the looks of it, it seems to be that the #2 seeded San Antonio Rampage have to give their MVP of the season to @TheCheetahlo 33 for his amazing performace between the pipe this season. The #3 seeded Grand Rapids Griffins look to have a solid first line who can match San Antonio in this series.

Two names for San Antonio that jump out to me would be @Samuel Hinkie and @NicoH58 as they play together and are the leading point scorers on the team. That's no surprise though as they were high on the leaderboards last season as well. I'm just not sure if there is much else there that can actually win them this series. They are obviously a #2 seed for a reason after a great season, but I really do think that their goalie play might have been the main reason why. The Griffins have @sbdr91 who has played at the NHL level for multiple seasons and has had a tale of two seasons after being acquired by the Griffins at the deadline. Since being acquired, sbdr has gone 9-0 and has played alongside @Gumba l11l & @l RISKTAKER l for the majority of the games. I'm not quite sure who the other lines are, but they do have numerous players who look to be having nice seasons.

The sole key for San Antonio to win this series would be to give the goalie more support. There are those times when goalies can win you a series and Cheetahlo can do that, but make it easier on yourselves and figure out a way to get more scoring. I think the Griffins key to a series win would be for the line that plays against San Antonio's first line. If Grand Rapids can beat that line, I honestly feel that the Rampage will not have enough to win the series. Especially since the goaltending for the Griffins isn't shitty by any means. @Binger & @BlaNchet98 are a solid 1-2 punch combo.

Top Point Scorer: @Gumba l11l
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Prediction: Grand Rapids in 5




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This will be an interesting series. The top seeded Colorado Eagles take on the #4 seed, San Jose Barracuda in a battle of the Western Pacific. The Eagles have been hanging around the top of the divison all season while the Barracuda went on a minor downfall which saw them get passed by Bakersfield only to put together a perfect week 9 to secure the final playoff spot. Colorado never had a losing week all season, but come into the playoffs on a 3 game losing streak. Game 1 will determine if both streaks continue or if both streaks end.

The Eagles have a major advantage on the stat sheet when it comes to a scoring threat. They have 7 out of the top 10 point scorers between both teams. But taking a look at the past 2 games between each other (rosters are still the same), the Barracuda have taken down the Eagles 3-2 & 5-4. The common thing between those wins is that San Jose had the same forwards (besides 1 ECU) & dmen playing. The Eagles had 2 of their forwards play in both games. Overall during the entire season, the Eagles goaltending of @FriskyBeaverr & @B I N K Y I77I hasve been better than the Barracuda's goalie tandem of @An AngryFawn & @TripAcez . I might be overthinking about this match-up, but for some reason it just seems like an easy pick on paper.

The key for the Eagles is to not play @Nifty & @Crasseman against the defensive pairing of @DudeItsDevin91 & @masse83 . But besides that, I'd say that Colorado needs to figure out what went wrong at the end of last week where each line lost (Tucson had 4 ECU's in their win). They need to figure it out too because the Barracuda are on a roll. For the San Jose Barracuda, my key for them to win the series would be to try and draw as many penalties as possible. Use your powerplay to your advantage while also limiting the Eagles opportunities on the offensive end by making them play on the penalty kill.

Top Point Scorer: @Nifty
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Prediction: Colorado in 6




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Here we are at our final match-up of Round 1. I'll make sure to get my facts straight in this one so @Weldxr doesn't get all butt hurt and cry. We have the #2 seeded Stockton Heat taking on the #3 seeded Ontario Reign. Taking a quick look at the stats it looks like both of these teams are equal when it comes to point scorers. The goalies go in favor of Stockton who are led by @Name Is Ricky and his 12 shutouts which is 2nd best in the AHL. The defense is 100% in favor of Stockton as well. Ontario was atop the division earlier this year and I am pretty sure I said they wouldn't stay there in a previous write-up. Stockton had a bit of a team issue involving some players a few weeks back, but it looks like that is all in the past now.

I'm going to focus on the Stockton defense. @Dunks & @Lucic x 17 look to be a defensive pairing and look to have been a core for this team. The other dmen on this team have also been playing well, besides @Smitterr & @IJaguarKnightI . For some reason it seems like this season has been a bit tough as they have the worst records out of all the dmen. What I like about the Heat is that I believe their dmen are all interchangeable and some can play both sides of the ice if needed. Ontario's defense is pure garbage. The offense on the other hand has 7 players with 40+ points this season. And with a defense like that and a goaltending combo that each ranks around 20th in GAA and SV% (min 30 GP) I think the offense needs to carry the load.

The key to Stockton taking home a series win, I think they need to just apply pressure often. If Stockton can just put pressure on the defense, they will be able to drive a lot of traffic towards the net and most likely produce the numbers they need to win. The key for Ontario to win this series is simple. The Reign need their goalies to be on their games. They need their forwards to help out defensively at all times. No cherry picking as it will most likely cost their team. And lastly the forwards need to put up in my opinion around 3 or more goals per game in this series.

Top Point Scorer: @FLYERSfanFURY
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Prediction: Stockton in 5​

 

Iowa in 4.

 

Hey we've only been first rounded twice S29 we slapped Rochester around too quick i didn't get a 2nd game.

Good write up none the less!

 

Great job on the write up. Also thanks for the mention. Who knew there was so much love for Notorious?

 

I feel like a QC Tsunami in the form of the Wild is gonna roll ShitTrain

 

Solid write up. Always appreciate some in depth analysis that reads like you really put some thought into it instead of the regular... oh its moist fuck him fuck his team he's bad, hartford is the best.

 

Good stuff man thanks for this write up.

 

Great write up. It’s playoff time!

 

I am not ricky is mvp it is 2 different people

 

Fixed it bud. Sorry your matchup was last and I had been going at it for a while haha

 

Enjoyed the read, nice job bro

 

<3

 

oh its moist fuck him fuck his team he's bad, hartford is the best.

 

@iScampers will choke. Wolf pack in 4.

 

Surprised you didn't get PTSD typing that out.

 

This is quality, good job bud

 

You doing round 2 champ?

 

Probably not. I am busy this weekend and don't really have the time to write something. If I get the chance tomorrow, I may do a quick one, but not sure.