Last we left you, the number 28 was significant. Additionally, the entire league was given advice on how to stop that number from growing. Looks like some of you out there listened. The streak ended at 30, with Dallas beating Colorado 4-3 in overtime. Whether or not my advice was meaningful or not, would depend on who you ask. After only losing twice all season, Colorado saw three losses, albeit two of which were in overtime. Still a favorite to win the cup, sometimes a bit of adversity is good before the playoffs begin.
Speaking of playoffs, they are just around the corner. Monday night will be pivotal in the East, deciding which teams will be in and which will be out. The top seeds appear to be set with Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, and the Islanders clinching. The wildcard series is still up in the air. Florida with 53pts, Ottawa with 48pts and Toronto with 45pts.
In the west the picture is a bit clearer, all that remains is where the pieces will fall. Vegas is chasing Minnesota for the top spot in their division. If Minnesota wins out they clinch. If Vegas wins their first two games, the last game of the season Minnesota vs Vegas will determine who takes the division. Definitely a match up to look toward. Dallas will have a close eye on these two, the loser gets to play a tough Dallas team.
Colorado has the Presidents trophy all locked up. Very strange seeing a streak of 1 next to their names. Still holding on to the best goal differential in the league with +95. Let’s look at some other teams to watch out for going into the playoffs.
Chicago
Has quietly put together a very successful season. Led by iHyPeR_97 they are looking strong going into the playoffs. Currently on a 10 game win streak this team is getting hot at the right time. On defense they look to Bergysdeke and NowYoDead to hold up the back line. Both players are just under a point per game, Bergy being the less aggressive of the two, with 14 PIMs, 19 hits and a -5 on the Giveaway/Takeaway. While NowYoDead, has 37 PIMs in 27gms, 65 Hits and a -49 on the Giveaway/Takeaway. It’s a good balance which is working for Chicago
Up front they have iHyper_97, Mg2452 and CantTreadOnMe. Tread will be excited that he is finally being mentioned in an article. Could this be a trend going forward? Collectively they average 3 points per game. This is a difficult line to play against, they pass well to each other and have good balance. All there can score and setup goals. Dangerous for any team to match up against, the scoring can come from anywhere on the ice.
In net they look to kudlacik1, who has been solid in net for them. Boasting a .850 save percentage with three shutouts on the year. Their backup goaltender is reliable, Soiceyboyz4 has a .742 save percentage in 12 games played.
Dallas
They have been good all year. Unfortunately they are in the same division as Colorado. Up front they pretty much run Mjvoell44, Diirty_Trix_13 and Sfic16 every game. Could this be the reincarnation of the Century line? Each player has over 100 points this season. Each player also has over 50 goals. The scoring from this team has been consistent all year long. I don’t think it will slow down in the playoffs.
On defense, Entry is the cornerstone to the backline. He is averaging 1.7 points per game, has 61 points on the year and is a plus 50. Has to be one of the top contenders for the Norris this year. They rotate five other defensemen in with Ushkilledya being the most frequently used.
In net they use both BipolorBear and duges39. BipolorBear has a .716 save percentage and duges39 has a .704 save percentage. If there is a weakness on this team, it’s their inability to stop pucks. This has been the story all season long. For a team that is going to put up 200 goals, they have giving up 124. Neither goalie has a shutout this season. If they can fix this issue, they have a chance to take home the cup.
Tampa Bay
Another team that feels the same pain as Dallas. They have been just as good as Colorado only dropping nine games in regulation. Currently on an 8 game streak, they are putting together a nice run at the end of the season. Getting hot at this point in the year, is what every team strives for.
Another team that runs a top line up front on most occasions. TrueLegend07, redflag33 and kinglyme89 lead the offense for Tampa Bay. Almost another century line, TrueLegend and kinglyme are the goal scorers with redflag being the setup man. The center should be the focal point of any offense, redflag is proving that to be true, with 64 assists and 57% in the faceoff circle.
On defense they run five different guys on the back line, with LouieDeuce8 and ChiTownMenace leading the defensive corps in games played. Finally, VinceT13 is the starting goaltender on this team with a .781 save percentage and two shutouts this season.
To close out the Week 5 recap let’s look at the League Leaders this season:
Forwards
Name Team Points
Mjvoell44 DAL 132
Diirty_Triix_13 DAL 128
Sfic16 DAL 114
TrueLegend07 TB 112
iHyPeR_97 CHI 112
Defensemen
Name Team Points
II-Entryy-II DAL 61
Sedinpower COL 48
LouieDeuce8 TB 39
Eggman–1 COL 34
Redconcept88 VGK 32
Goaltenders
Name Team Save %
Speedyturtle2017 PIT 0.879
kudlacik1 CHI 0.850
Rancher12345 COL 0.817
Soulplane4 NYI 0.817
chadkillz134 FLA 0.813
Goals
Name Team Goals
Diirty_Triix_13 DAL 57
Sfic16 DAL 54
TrueLegend07 TB 53
kinglyme89 TB 53
Mjvoell44 DAL 51
Hits
Name Team Hits
II-Entryy-II DAL 102
GunzThe4th DET 100
prodigytolegend VGK 95
Dirty-Dietrich OTT 89
TheHaunted29 ANA 84
Everyone enjoy the last night of the season. Thank you all for another successful season, looking forward to the playoffs.