Twenty-eight. To most just a random number. For those in the SPNHL and more specifically for those who play for Colorado, that is the number of consecutive wins. It’s been almost three weeks since Colorado has seen a loss. The first word that comes to mind is unstoppable. The second word that comes to mind and proceeds the first, I can’t write here as I like to keep this column PG. To give you a hint it rhymes with trucking. I could talk for days about the offensive firepower on this team. The scoring is evenly spread out between toslick, Desy_93 and Stamkos each player having over 55 points this season. Desy is making a strong case for rookie of the year. Depth on forward is also strong, with Woy, p0itraz2z, Kwhiss613 and Boutch_87 all averaging over 2 ppg.
They have a clear starting defensive pair with Eggman and Sedinpower. Both players putting up similar numbers to their career averages. Eggman is a career 1 ppg guy on defense and this season he is at 1.1 ppg. Sedin averages 1.3 ppg for his career while this season he is slightly above that average at 1.6 ppg. In net they have two strong goaltenders with Rancher12345 and Boutch_87. Rancher has four shutouts and an 84.8 save percentage. Could the Presidents, Calder Memorial, and Vezina all going to come from Colorado? Will the Stanley Cup end up here as well?
Looking at this team it is hard to find a weakness. However, for the sake of the league, it is my mission to find this weakness. The one thing that stands out to me as a stats guy, is the giveaway takeway ratio on defense. I know this stat isn’t perfect, EA doesn’t track it correctly. It still shows me that there is a minor issue on defense. Minor because they hold the best goal differential in the league. However, where there is smoke there is fire. A good fore-checking team could pose some problems for Colorado. Putting pressure on that backline, who probably doesn’t see much, since the puck is usually in the offensive zone. You might be able to get them to cough up the puck.
Tampa is still holding on to that second spot overall with 47 points. At this point, no one is catching Colorado. Dallas has found stability in net. This was talked about two weeks ago and the previous week we didn’t see the trade for BiPolorBear, “bear” any fruits. This week it appears to be a different story but not because of BiPolorBear. Doesn’t appear he played net at all this past week. I have no idea what is going on in Dallas. Finally, the top five are rounded out by Vegas and Minnesota at 44 points. Minnesota having dropped their last three games.
Top Forwards Week 4
Player Points
Tyler91seguin91 41
Dirty-Dietrich 34
Diirty_Triix_13 33
Go_marc 32
TrueLegend07 32
Top Defenseman Week 4
Player Points
Sedinpower 18
Eggman–1 16
II-Entryy-II 14
Foxpresentation 11
L_DominanDo_L 9
Top Goaltenders Week 4
Player Save Percentage
Speedyturtle2017 90.91
sportsgeek5 81.36
Soulplane4 80.90
zaftigstan 80.65
Kozmo483264 80.36
Fun Facts for the league after Week 4.
Dallas still leads the league in scoring with 147 Goals
Colorado has only let up 47 goals this season
Florida has the best power play at 33.3%
Colorado has the best PK at 88.2%
Colorado is on an 28 game win streak.
Tyler91seguin91 now leads the league in points with 102
Tyler91seguin91 has 47 Goals.

Knocking on the door to first place all season, Colorado kicked that door wide open this week. Going undefeated in week 3 and currently on an 18 game win streak. Shutting out Vegas in the game of the week match up. Riding the hot goaltending of Rancher and sporting a balanced forward attack with Stamkos, Desy, Woyt, toslick, and P0itraz2z. Sedin and Eggman continue to lockdown the back line, Colorado is a team on a mission. Eggman’s team made a huge statement this week, even taunting the league in a way, “Catch me if you can”.
Tampa Bay had a strong week going 8-1-1. Lost a surprising one to Ottawa in overtime and got a smacking from Colorado 5-1. Truelegend, kinglyme and redflag continue to be the go to line up front. Even with Louieduece being available only three games PGHFanatic, VinceT, Gonzo, Chitown and Nemmiss did well to fill in at defense. Last week was defense by committee, will Louie be more available in week 4?
Minnesota also went 8-1-1. The core group of ttommyboii, shaynestaa, Sudzy and Harty continue to lead this team. The backline is averaging a point per game combined. While the front line of Sudzy and Hartysauce have 58 and 44 points respectively. The Wild grinded out their games with 8 of the games being decided by one goal. The only blow out being their decisive victory over Vegas 5-2.
The biggest surprise was the fall of Vegas last week who went .500. Losing big games to Dallas and Colorado by large margins. Availability appeared to be an issue for Vegas, with the star combination of Prodigy and Hypey not seeing too much action in week 3. What will Redconcept do to bounce back after such a disappointing week?
Last week the question was asked what would Dallas do to fix their goaltending situation? Well, they went out and grabbed BiPolarBear, however the goals are still going in. While prior to acquiring BiPolarBear they were giving up 3.1 goals per game. After this deal they are giving up 3.0 goals per game. Not much of a difference, at least is going down, we will have to see how this week will turn out.
Not too much movement at the bottom. Edmonton did fall three spots from 13th to 16th. Most of the movement this week was at the top of the standings. One surprise was the surge from Ottawa, who ended the week off on a strong 5 game win streak.
Game of the week for week 3, has to be the Colorado vs Minnesota match up on Monday night. A match up of the two top scoring teams. The difference in this game will be goaltending and defense. Colorado only gives up 1.27 goals per game. Will it be a shootout a battle of offense? Will Minnesota solve the Colorado defense? Tune in Monday night to find out!
Top Forwards Week 3
Player Points
Diirty_Triix_13 28
Mg2452 28
Mjvoell44 28
TrueLegend07 28
GrammyHands 27
Top Defenseman Week 3
Player Points
GunzThe4th 11
Eggman–1 9
II-Entryy-II 9
SliyumShady 9
Sedinpower 8
Top Goaltenders Week 3
Player Save Percentage
Speedyturtle2017 96.97
Rancher12345 91.30
tim_gray19 88.46
Brodtshadow13 88.37
chadkillz134 86.79
Fun Facts for the league after Week 3.
Dallas leads the league in scoring with 99 Goals
Colorado has only let up 28 goals this season
Vegas still boasts the best power play clicking at 34%
Boston has the best penalty kill at 83.7%
Colorado is on an 18 game win streak.
Dallas has players one, two and three in points. MjVoell with 74pts, Sfic with 65pts and Diirty_Triix with 62pts.
Sfic has 31 goals this season
Some closing thoughts. It was mentioned last week how quickly things can change in the standings. For those teams fighting for a playoff spot, you could find yourself in the top five by the end of the week. Any teams willing to step up to that challenge? Bit worried about Philadelphia, Cuban is struggling to find guys to play, forfeiting four straight games.

There were some who complained, that 18 teams, was too many to have in this league. I feel it’s good for the league. Gives more players a chance to play. Brings more balance to each team. Not everyone will go undefeated, not everyone will have an amazing season and you will have some teams who will struggle. From the top team in Vegas through the 12th team in Nashville, you have a group of teams that any given week could shift 10 spots up or down. We saw the number 8 team in Toronto knock off the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime. Even at the top of the rankings this year, teams are only separated by 5 points. Everyone still has a chance, even those at the bottom. All it takes are some key moves at the right moment, just ask Redconcept88.
Looking at the standings, Vegas is still on top even after losing to Toronto in overtime. They remain the only team to get a point in every game. They have also not lost in regulation. The Hype/Prodigy tandem will be a tough one for any team to stop. The only thing that may stop them is summer vacations.
Colorado is nipping at the heels of Vegas, only three points back. The team Eggman has put together has been solid so far this year. Each forward who has played 5 or more games is averaging 2.8 or more points per game. Defensively Eggman and Sedinpower are the top defensive pair for Colorado. Both are physical with 29 hits each along with having a plus minus over 20. It is said that offense is generated by defensive play and these two are proving it. Along with Rancher they have only allowed 18 goals this season. The game of the week has to be the showdown between Colorado and Vegas.
Dallas has won 5 straight and boast the top scoring offense in the league this year. The top line Mjvoell, Sfic and Dirty_Triix each average over 3.8 points per game. Sfic and Mj both lead the league in points with 46 each. While they have no problem scoring, stopping the puck appears to be a challenge. Dallas is giving up 38 goals in 12 games. Is goaltending an area they look to improve on before the trade deadline? Do they need to provide Entry with a solid defensive partner? This are questions that will linger over this team if this trend continues.
Week three will be a pivotal week for teams like Edmonton, Anaheim, Ottawa and Detroit. These teams are only 6 points out of being in a playoff spot. Look at Anaheim, they have four overtime losses this season. They are a bounce or some EA luck away from being at the top of the standings instead of the bottom.
Philadelphia and St. Louis have a lot of work ahead of them. At this point of the season, it is make or break it time. They have to start putting some crooked numbers in the win column. If they don’t get some wins this week, their seasons may be over. If I were to guess which of these teams could start a run this week, it would be Philadelphia. The strength of their Week 3 schedule is weaker than St. Louis. Add to the fact that Philadelphia and St. Louis play each other on Friday, we could have another Game of the Week on our hands on Frida the 13th no less.
For all those teams chasing playoffs spots or who are sitting in one. Just remember, once the playoffs start everyone is 0-0. Even a team who squeaks in can go on to win the cup.
To finish off our Week two recap let’s look at some of our top performers for the week:
Top Forwards by Points
Tyler91seguin91 ​27 Points
hypey- ​​​23 Points
Mjvoell44 ​​21 Points
Sudzy92_ ​​20 Points
kinglyme89 ​​19 Points
Top Defenseman by Points
||-Entry-|| ​​12 points
LouieDeuce8 ​​10 points
Deadant ​​8 points
Uberpwned_6969 ​8 Points
Redconcept88 ​​7 Points
Goaltenders by Save Percentage
VinceT13​​93%
Joeja15​​​87.5%
kudlacik1​​87.14%​
dophares2000​​86%
The_Gang_Shooter​83.72%
Finally some fun facts for the league to date.
Vegas has earned 23 out of a possible 24 points this season.
Dallas leads the league in goals with 63
Colorado has given up the fewest goals with 18
Vegas has the most power play goals with 12
Vegas has the best penalty kill only giving up 1 PPGA.
Colorado is on an 8 game winning streak
Philadelphia still leads the league in goals against with 76.

Week one is in the books and while it was a short week, it was not short on surprises. I don’t think anyone saw Philadelphia going 1-5 to start off the season. The -32 goal differential, ouch. Anaheim 0-4-2 and poor Stonerboy in St. Louis who went 0-5-1. While to some Vegas was predicted to be a middle of the road team, 6-0, +20 goal differential, and the only team that remains unbeaten. Looks as though Vegas has picked right back up where they left off last season. Minnesota looking strong at 5-1, Tommy proving his previous statements true, picking up some wingers to improve the scoring depth. Putting up 31 goals in week one. And Tampa Bay, what a performance week 1, 5-1 almost getting to that perfect start, with a balanced offense and two goaltenders boasting above an 80% save percentage.
Can Vegas keep up the offensive fire power all year? Hype and Prod averaging over four points per game each. These two found chemistry early and often. Goaltending was a bit of a question mark going into the season. Having lost Cuilla their top goaltender from the playoff run, Plisk came in, just as he did during the playoffs and was a rock in net. A guy to rely on who could make the big saves when called upon. Defensively, redconcept anchoring the defense alongside eXecuti0n and turdburgler. Still a giveaway machine but he makes it up in points per game and plus minus.
Minnesota has the same question being asked, Can they keep up this scoring pace? The top line of Hartysauce, Sudzy92 and Gripp all averaging over three points per game. This line is clicking early and is very balanced, all three are deadly goal scorers. Defensively, Shaynestaa headlines the backline both in games played and point production. A plus 15 with 1.4 points per game, a very reliable defenseman, Appearing to be paired with both Tommy and Tim_Gray, the defense for Minnesota was solid.
Is Tampa Bay the Pittsburgh from last season? Grinding out 1 goal games and close games pulling out the wins? Only a plus five in goal differential this team found ways to win. Grinding out a 1-0 shutout in game one seemed to set the tone for this team’s season. Usually, when you see teams who play this tight the first thing you look at is defense and goaltending. It’s a defense by committee, five guys seeing playing time on the back line. All seem reliable and balanced, with LouieDeuce leading with a plus four and one point per game. Goaltending might be their strongest asset, boasting two goalies, Vince and Pemm, with above 81% save percentage.
Some fun facts from week one:
Vegas, Minnesota and Dallas all lite up the lamp putting in 31 goals.
Florida had the lowest goals for at 14 for a team that went above .500.
Philadelphia and Anaheim each gave up 45 and 32 goals respectively
Chicago gave up the most goals for a team above .500 with 26.
Toronto and Nashville had power plays clicking at 50%
Nashville and Florida had stingy penalty kills not letting up one goal.
Dallas has the top two forwards with Sfic16 and Mjvoell44 with 27 and 25 points. With Sfic16 leading the league in goals with 16.
Prodigytolegend is handing out hits like its Halloween candy, with 18 on the young season.
Plisk and Goalieman92 lead all goaltenders with 5 wins.
Rancher in Colorado is leading the league in Save Percentage at 87.50%
U_1_2_b_me leads all defenseman with 10 points.
Entry and Ajax take the puck away the most on defense with 27 takeaways.
Week two will be another shortened week. Can Philly solve their goals against problem? Can Vegas continue the streak? Will Plisk get a tan?

Guess who’s back, back again…
Entry’s back, tell a friend
 
After reading the previous Top 10 prediction for the draft, I gotta make one of my own that actually makes sense(kinda). Here she goes.
 
*REMINDER:* I HAVEN’T PLAYED IN A FEW SEASONS, THERE MIGHT BE SOME GOOD PLAYERS I DON’T KNOW ABOUT, so don’t hate me. This is also my opinion and where I think these players would fit best, even if they’re not a huge favorite to go as early as I put them.
 

1. St.Louis Blues: DougCBJ, LD, $7M or L_DominanDo_L, C, $5M

I’m honestly hoping El Rookie makes a smart pick here and goes with a solid, proven Dman like Doug that will play for anyone and do his part. While also being very solid both offensively and defensively, Doug is consistent and is easily a top 5 dman in the league(at least). Looking at what El is going into draft with, picking Doug first would greatly benefit them. And you can never count out Dominando, he always finds a way to get where ElRookie is.

2. Dallas Stars: II-Entryy-II, LD, $6.5M

Going into the draft with 2 top players at their positions, Triix is in very good shape already, especially having the 2nd overall pick along with that. I don’t wanna go on about myself, but picking yours truly would give this team 3 top players in the league. I’ve also already won a cup on a Triix ran team. It’s just a pick that’s meant to be. Look out for DAL.

3. Edmonton Oilers: ACK-stonerboy, C, $6.5M , Sudzy92_, C, $7.5M or AAli-21, C, $6.5M

EDM, ran by SgtVandoos, has pretty good players already on their roster going into draft, and adding a Center that plays both ends of the ice well, has 9/9 availability, and can make the players around him better would be a solid step in the right direction for the Oilers. If not ACK, then I would guess Sudzy or AAli.

4. Minnesota Wild: HartySauce67, LW, $5M or Go_Marc, LW, $6.5M

Knowing they have pick #7 as well, I would take a forward first if I was Minny. I would take the approach of getting strictly a LW, and both HartySauce and Go_marc will show up and do their job. They would both benefit Arrow and Tommy as well. Both are great picks no matter how early, especially while having another pick at #7.

5. Ottawa Senators: Go_Marc, LW, $6.5M , CxAxSxH, LW, $6M , or Sudzy92_, C, $7.5M

I totally don’t agree with keeping kamakaz for that price, but I’m sure kozmo will magically have a rookie that drops 100+ pts or some shit. Besides that, Go_Marc and Ransom are solid together, and Ransom will play solid on both ends whether hes C or LW. Having Ransom C is already having a top C in this league, so getting him a solid winger would be big, and having him LW is even bigger if you land a top C. With that being said, established players like Marc, Cash or Sudzy would all be respectable pickups.

6. New York Islanders: Tyler91seguin91, LW, $8.5M

With a lineup of 5 already on their roster going into the draft, Jamie14benn14 and the Isles are already looking solid. Having utility guys like Fivestar and MG are huge, and Benn can never go wrong getting his “duo” in the community. These two guys play well together, and surrounding them with an already solid roster would surely be a good move. I personally would not take him at this price, but when he would complete a full lineup, it’s not so bad of a move.

7. Minnesota Wild: BergysDeke, LD, $5M or foxpresentation, LD, $0.5M

Assuming they land a solid forward with the #4 pick, I think they can make a “what the hell” kind of pick here with their 2nd out of 3 picks in round 1. With a small selection for Dmen, and no 2nd round pick, I hope they make the right choice and take a Dman with this pick. Other than myself and Doug, I think these two guys are the best 2 dmen available, with reason. Fox at $0.5 is a steal to be honest, but it all depends what teams have for plans. If you can get him to commit to 6 or 7 games, that nearly guarantees you all solid games, if not wins. BergysDeke is a good utility guy as well, as he can play C or RD. Either would be a pick you can’t regret.

8. Vegas Golden Knights: eXecuti0n80, C, $5.5M

I personally don’t agree with eX in round 1, but these dudes just work together. Having a solid base already, getting his buddy and talented utility man would be a good step closer in the direction of another cup for Red. Being good on both forward and defense is big, and he has 9/9 availability and is reliable. Some people might think I’m crazy for putting him 8th overall, but Red will make anything work.

9. Nashville Predators: vxWoytkiw8xv, LW, $7.5M

I have a very strong feeling that people are gonna let Woy fall because that availability. It’ll take a smart owner to pick him up and take advantage of the pickup. Ezz is a very smart owner and runs good teams. He’ll take advantage of Woy falling to #9 and he’ll build a good team around him. Having a guy like Woy is nearly promising a win when he’s in. Not much more to it, he’s one of the best players in the game and he plays 2 fwd positions and LD on top of it. I love DShakki, and I hope Ezz gets him, would be a very solid pickup no matter the availability.

10. Chicago Blackhawks: Grippinq, RW, $4.5M

Hyper and the Hawks round out the top 10. Hyper is already working with a good start, taking Sullivan and Tread off the board. If I remember correctly, Grippinq and Tread are buddies, and they are both solid forwards. With that being said, getting Grip would form what would most likely be one of the better forward lines. I don’t know much about Hyper, so I’m not sure what kind of drafting he would do. Either way, getting another very good forward for him and Tread wouldn’t be a bad option.
 
Notes/More potential picks:
Colorado and Ottawa: Some random no names that will drop 100pts at least
Toronto: Linde94 in round 2
Cubano and the Flyers have a solid start going into draft
Jayscott always finds his way into being a potential contender. Remember that.
Toronto will be a solid team with alot of chemistry
***We cannot let Plisk win another cup***      (plisk edit….. nothing to see here,  move along)

The Las Vegas Golden Knights, your SP Season 27 Stanley Cup Champions.
They found a way to beat the hottest goalie during the SP Playoffs. The series was touted as a battle of defense. Two goalies at the top of their game and two solid defensive pairs. While the series ended 4-1 it was a lot closer than you would think at first glance. In late breaking news this past Sunday, it was announced that Ciulla would be unavailable for the first three games. A shock to many and what would initially be seen as a game changer, putting Vegas without their starting goalie for the start of the series. Yet as he has done throughout the playoffs, The Pickle Plisk stepped right into the spotlight and made timely saves to help Vegas jump out to a 2-1 series lead. Ironically enough, Plisk stepping in reminded me of Frank Pietrangelo stepping in for the Penguins in 1991 which lead to “The Save”. Just as that save went down in Penguin history, so will performance of Plisk in Season 27’s playoffs.
The opening game saw a chess match from both GMs. Jayscott posting his lines first, appeared to be setting up his top lines to play every game except for Game 1. Redconcept countered by using the same strategy, using all the players that play minimum games, in the opening game. The game started as you would expect, tight back and forth hockey. Westside making save after save, until Redconcept found the back of the net on a broken play. The score would stay the same until 10 minutes to go in the 3rd period. Vegas had a lapse in discipline and took the first penalty of the game. Pittsburgh capitalized, evening the score 1-1. A few moments later, Castles found himself on a breakaway but in an act of desperation was tripped, this resulting in a rare penalty shot in the playoffs. Castles buried his chance putting Pittsburgh up by 1. Pittsburgh would hold off Vegas for the remainder of the 3rd period and take a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2 saw Westside continue his stellar play and Pittsburgh’s offense started to heat up. Jumping out to a three goal lead after the first, neither team realizing how pivotal this game would be. Through four and a half periods, Westside looked unbeatable only giving up one goal. Pittsburgh had a plan and they were executing it perfectly. Unfortunately, big leads tend to brew complacency and a mental mistake turned the tide. eXecuti0n was able to intercept a pass and then throw it on net. The resulting rebound was buried by Prodigytolegend and suddenly Vegas found that glimmer of hope. Shortly thereafter, Stonerboy put one in the back of the net, closing the gap to just one. Vegas was then led by Stonerboy and Prodigy, to even the score in the third. The game went into overtime, a familiar place for the Penguins during this playoff run. However, the result would be different, as Stonerboy was able to poke in a loose puck in overtime to even the series. These four unanswered goals swung the momentum to Vegas and proved that Westside could be beat. This game was the turning point, as Vegas wouldn’t lose the rest of the way.
Game 3 tested the players on and off the ice, a game that ended up being a marathon. Vegas jumped out early to a two goal lead. Then a defensive mistake by eXecuti0n gave Pittsburgh life as they scored to bring the game to 2-1. Vegas quickly scored to make it 3-1 but as they have all playoffs long, Pittsburgh clawed their way back, scoring two more goals in the third to take the game to overtime. What an overtime it was, back and forth momentum swings, huge saves from both Plisk and Westside to keep their teams in the game. After 4 overtimes a winner was finally found, with great puck movement by Vegas, Prodigy buried a one timer to give Vegas a 2-1 series lead. An exciting end to a great game and a great relief to those who needed to use the bathroom.
Going into the second night, all signs pointed to Vegas closing out the series. They had all the momentum from the last two games. Putting up seven goals on Westside gave them confidence that they could put pucks behind him. Another boost to the morale was the return of Ciulla. Having their starting goalie back in between the pipes added to the confidence of the Golden Knights.
In game 4, Vegas jumped out early and never looked back. Prodigy started off the scoring by sniping Westside short side to put Vegas up 1-0. Then some good offensive zone possession and puck movement led to Vegas adding to their lead. Pittsburgh started to press, throwing everything they had at Ciulla and the Vegas defense. Vegas was able to get one more goal to put them up 3-0, and the defense with Ciulla handled the onslaught from Pittsburgh, resulting in Ciulla taking home a shutout in his first game back.
Game 5 was a battle, as would be expected in an elimination game. What was unexpected was the lineup change, Robbey moving to the Right Defenseman position and Ajax was moved to Right Wing. Immediately, it was a move that rewarded Pittsburgh when Ajax scored the first goal of the game. The boost was short lived as Vegas was able to battle back evening the score 1-1. The rest of the game was back and forth, with the teams trading goals. Then as we all know, Vegas was able to score the game winner and take home the Cup.
As stated initially, Pittsburgh was in every game and though they lost 4-1 it could have very easily been the other way around. Westside, DrWally, and Ajax came as advertised. They were difficult to play against, kept shots to the outside and were a very stingy defensive core. The deciding factor was whether or not Pittsburgh could score more than their current average. They say games are played on the ice and not on paper. In this match up, the paper told the story. Pittsburgh gave up 2 goals a game and they scored 2 goals a game. Puts a lot of pressure on the team and pressure can lead to mistakes. Vegas gives up 1.7 goals a game and scores 3 goals a game. That was the difference, the top line of Prodigy, Stoner and Redbeard were able to put pucks past Westside.
Redconcept was asked what he thought led to the success of his team in the playoffs.
“Team chemistry and team defense was a huge factor with the success we had during the playoffs. Not to mention superb goaltending by both Ciulla and the Big Pickle. We just went into each night having fun and we shocked the league.”
He was also asked what he thought helped build chemistry during the run that wasn’t there in the regular season.
“Our deadline transaction was huge, acquiring both Ciulla and Stoner. Stoner meshed very well up front with the existing forwards we had. Ciulla, I hadn’t even seen play, as he was MIA for personal reasons, but come playoffs he was outstanding. Having him in net allowed me to turn my concentration on defense, which worked wonders with the defensive chemistry that eXexuti0n80 and I had right off the bat. The more the team played together, the better we got.
It was truly and up and down season the whole way…but come playoffs we didn’t look back. I personally want to thank each and every player on the Vegas roster, as they made my first season as owner incredible easy and very memorable.”
An incredible end to another great SP Season. Enjoy your time with the cup Vegas, because the next season is right around the corner. Oh and the Rookie of the Year was rigged!