by Turner

Draft week! Haven’t been this excited since Hughsy’s Dad… never mind. Today I am bringing you an inside look at the draft list and where these players rank. Special shoutout to Randy for creating the list I will be using today, wouldn’t be possible without him. Also if you’re upset about where you land, take it up with him.

I will ramble on for maybe the first 10-24 ish (First and Second round) for each player. Sorry if you weren’t good enough to make it that high.

Number 1. Coveted spot. Top Signing bonus. Whole lot of pressure. Back at LW this season. BART. That’s right. The best player signed up this season is the one and only Bart. After spending a season on Defense, which he should never do again, he will be returning to forward where he took home multiple awards in season 44. Clear cut number 1. (Up 20 spots from last season)

Number 2. Doranz. The highly skilled skater follows Bart. Doranz can make bad players look elite, ie. Bradeii. When on defense, Doranz was nearly a 3 ppg defenseman last season while playing with previously named Bradeii. Well deserving of the number 2 spot (Same as last season)

Number 3. Hughsy. The 4 time Champion checks in at 3. He returns to Philadelphia to try to go back to back as a gm. The plug and play GM will get it done at a high level regardless of position. If he finds players to match his ability, watch out as 5 straight may be inevitable. (Same as last season)

Number 4. xBradeii. Mentioned earlier, Brad is actually a very good LW who knows the game well and delivers when the team needs it. A good defensive winger is hard to come by but Brad plays a true 200 foot game. Can’t beat me in fantasy baseball but hey! (Last season: Unranked)

Number 5. Chico. Coming off a strong season on defense, Chico will main C this season where he’s had success in LG. Despite backlash towards him, Chico is very good like the rest of the names above.  (Last season: 7)

Number 6. KyleJ. Kyle is our first RD to be mentioned and rightfully so, he is the best out of the bunch. Another cup winning season with him holding down the back end despite trying to score on his own net. (Last season:5)

Number 7: JohnDean. John is well known in SP as a true lockdown two way Center. He may be looking to switch it up and run RW this season where he is still very successful. A season that ended without a cup was a rare occurrence as he is a winner wherever he goes, he will look to get back to the top. (Last season: 11)

Number 8. EpicSkillzy. Skillzy has been a solid RW for as long as he’s been around. In a shallow rw season, he is right up there with the top guys. Despite having Tuesday only availability, he is a top end talent. (Last season: -)

Number 9. Xgenzy. Genzy is known more for his defensive work, but here has refused everything but C and G. At C however, he has found success in LG and will look for that to translate into SP. (Last season: -)

Number 10. Lxppy. A skilled forward who knows how to move the puck around and generate offense. Valued here as late first, he will play up to that standard and even beyond.

(Last season: 9)

Number 11. Flow. A newcomer to SP this season, Flow has been successful every place he’s gone. A pure goal scorer in a game where some struggle to score. If he falls out of round 1 a GM will be happy for him to land in their lap. (Last season: – )

Number 12. ProdigytoLegend. Considered a top LW in this draft, Prod would round out a solid first round of players. While in SP, Prod does not lose too often. (Last season: – )

Number 13. Smitty. After falling last season in the draft since no one knew he changed names, Smitty was a large part of the Sharks dangerous offense. A 100 point season is no small achievement. Smitty should be a first rounder but again if he slips others will laugh. 

(Last season: 97, what the hell Randy)

Number 14. Fishhure/Fihshi. The reigning Rocket and Hart Winner should also be a first round pick. A guy who will play 46 games a season if required. Although he has only Friday avail so that may not happen. (Last season: 14)

Number 15. Fluri. A true SP vet who likes winning a bit more than losing. Fluri finds a way to be a top scoring leader regardless of position being played. Another guy however with 1 day avail. (Last season: 15)

Number 16. uStoopiid. A true hero. A fan favorite amongst SP. Very good LD who’s not afraid to let his inner primate out. Steve will always be a top LD in SP not much else to it.

(Last season: 8)

Number 17. BEANZYYYY. Gotta love the sibling duo on the list. If Beanzy wasn’t a troll and signed up for anything other than LD and G he’d be top 5. But here we are. Good player, ended my LG career at LD. never again. (Last season: 1)

Number 18. Ande. A good pick in the second round would be this man right here. A good two way center who when with the right people will be deadly. (Last season: 16)

Number 19. Bstieboydp. The former SP vet returns for season 46. A solid Center he ranks as a mid second round pick.  (Last season: – )

Number 20. Toslick. Welcome back. Solid forward who will yell at you for anything. 1 Day a week avail.  (Last season: – )

Number 21. AAli-21. Strong center in what seems to be a C heavy early rounds. Solid avail.

 (Last season: – )

Number 22. Semple. Forward who scores a lot. Can play well with anyone and likes to have a good time. (Last season: 15)

Number 23. Chad. Chad will be a top end goalie every season and will also play a bit of forward at a high level as well. Chad could go higher if teams would like. (Last season: 6 )

Number 24. Agedquod. Solid lg stats. Looking like he could be a top LW this season. 

(Last season: – )

25	Alexander1032
26	clampse
27	Garnzy-
28	Hyperzov
29	N3WTXWN_12
30	Hxrdie-
31	JHochman
32	Weekendnachos19
33	Jewelx11
34	Bejimoszn
35	Jhursi
36	KarlssonIsGod
37	Crazyflame29
38	Jcpens22
39	RandyMarsh2012
40	curlew77
41	Sniiiider
42	Gunnnxrr
43	xchoo-_-
44	JonTurner15-
45	Bray4x_Fyb
46	Big__Purp
47	xShxyne
48	xFlashify
49	Freezemothasucka
50	BIGxSOLO
51	Frosty_l94l
52	Blade0Muffin
53	LUYEYEP123
54	xSharkieMeddy55
55	SniperSoda11
56	xshepxrd
57	Spelliscy_21
58	NowYoDead
59	Eggman–1
60	korrowan
61	EL_R_O_O_K_I_E
62	PEACEKEEPER500-
63	zDoMiNuS-SaGe__
64	CClark1999-
65	Heedlessjem48
66	alonzi401
67	SgtVandoos
68	SA_Pliskin
69	xLeRoyyy-
70	LispDoge
71	Sergein
72	Gritty13
73	Wheelchairdevon8
74	IceyAsyluml23l
75	Shock_r
76	Turdburgler169
77	Alltro1
78	Philmorin
79	ThaFoSix
80	xGilmour93
81	AmoSs_71-
82	teamrun420
83	heroic_veil2
84	LIAME0108
85	Dooteees
86	Cuban1616
87	JoshuaDuhaime
88	IvanthyGreat
89	BrazGhostt
90	KL12Mack
91	xPugz_420
92	sportsgeek5
93	DadBod_XXL
94	Liikaay
95	Shadyko
96	Perk5TP2
97	X-Kreider20-X
98	ZacharyDuhaime22
99	xFxrxoxdxy
100	bhughes39
101	Logan29-_-
102	Thee_Ghosty
103	Jubjjjjjub
104	PghFANATIC
105	Dustyroads052
106	little_man0909
107	ZebraRug12
108	A-Mason_4
109	Billyg7718
110	Lyrad99
111	bg9m9r
112	reallUncleLarry
113	Pc3poseidon
114	Play-boypaul420
115	Kappea-
116	Terror-72
117	Beeper_tha_1st_a
118	Boston3430
119	Whoshotya_eljefe
120	Colinbinsky
121	Kaptix-
122	Troyuh-_-
123	CTN_Laneyboo
124	TIMBOGY
125	we345_-
126	Blackman_mafia19
127	Bologna-tah-tahs
128	ChefBoogs_
129	desiredsno3
130	FadedButtons
131	iTzBmac_412
132	Johnboyz_To5wift
133	JokersRiseHD
134	kinglorge124
135	Landon_ren
136	LeBig613
137	master_moose74
138	pancakethecorgi
139	Shmur33
140	SillyMonkeyy69
141	Smitty0310
142	Ucci34
143	vxNackDaddy
144	TheBossNYC
145	Thunderbuds400
146	Capn-Baylen
147	Chaosking9087

-by Turner

With season Fo Six now upon us, it is time for me to return as your favorite article read. As I should be studying for a math test I am here bringing you the first article of season 46. With the new list of GMs being revealed earlier this week, I will be giving the people the good ole fashion tier list. Welcome back gentleman, enjoy the ride.

Tiers consist from S to F (and my special category at the end)

S Tier – Hughsy

The 4 time SP Champ will be returning to Philly for a chance to go back to back and extend his streak to 5. Of all GMs, this is the cream of the crop, the GM others strive to be. If you are lucky enough to be drafted here, enjoy the ride and be grateful

A Tier – RandyMarsh, uStoopiid, Chico

Two GMs find themselves in this tier. We will start with Randy and the Sharks. After 2 successful seasons, one ending in a cup, Randy will look to build a team to get back to the promise lands. Randy is a fun GM so if you’re new and are a Shark, you are in good hands. As for uStoopiid, he’s not actually stupid. Despite building a top 4 team last season, Steve failed to make the playoffs as they trolled themselves out of it. However he is a very good player, even better GM to play for. Another guy who obviously wants to win, but will have fun in the process. Chico finishes this tier off. Chico is a top 10 player in the league and will take his talents to GMing. While many people dislike Chico, he will certainly build a solid team and compete in the West.

B Tier – Eggman

I’ve had a few choice words for Egg as a GM but at the end of the day his team’s win. If you do happen to get picked by Egg, you will be a duck for the remainder of your season unfortunately. Anaheim is a jail for that matter. But again Eggs team win so do be too upset.

C Tier – SA_Pliskin, BigSolo and Peacekeeper

 Another tier with two GMs. Plisk always builds teams that may not be the best, the flashiest, or winners for that matter. But they always seem to compete. Plisk is an awesome guy and will make your time here in SP enjoyable. For BigSolo I do not know much about him but from what i’ve been told he is an SP vet. Expect him to build a greasy team that grinds out wins against everyone. Peace returns after a SP break. He forced numerous people to join and then ultimately had a GM role fall into his lap. Peace builds solid squads that like Plisk find ways to win games. Peace will look to compete in a weak two team East.

D Tier – WheelChairDevon and SportsGeek

Devon constantly drafts good players, then trades them for the likes of teamrun and dustyroads. Devon has recently won a Cup but being gifted possibly one of the best SP teams in recent memory, that could be a key component. Devon is one of the best guys in SP. Gameplay doesn’t translate sometimes. If you end up here, don’t make his job difficult and just show up. Sportsgeek last season was acting GM of the West Champs Calgary. However it is known he was just a puppet as the team made decisions for him. Now that he will be on his own and actually has to play, it should be interesting. Have fun Islanders.

Who? Tier – AllTro

Uh. If anyone has insight, be my guest to let me know. Because I have no clue who this is. Good luck Penguins?

F Tier but imagine it’s a lot worse than everyone else – LispDoge

Doge means well and tries his best but there’s just something about him. He will probably end up with a solid squad and will compete for a playoff spot. I wish you luck this season and hope I am not a Blue.

Thank you to my loyal supporters, look for more content before the draft. Myself and Fish will be on the call draft night. I will be sporting a nice tie and hope my facecam works. 

Offseason. This is new. I’ve been given my official media tag so I’m like a big deal now. This week I will be bringing you a few things to wrap up season 45 and get us ready for 46. Today I will be giving out my First and Second team players, and All defensive team for the Regular season.

FIRST TEAM PLAYERS 

First team players are the top of the bunch. The play is exponential better and the stats show

Your First team LW. Fishhure. Tho Fish mains RW (now c watch out) he played a bunch of games on LW this season and still produced at a high level. League forward leader in Goals, Assists, Points and Games played this is a clear and concise pick. To put his excellence into perspective, The Sharks scored 231 goals this season while Fish played, he accounted for a point on 166 of those. Another solid season turned in for Fish

First Team Center. Later Smitty. Smitty Exemplified the Center position well. He won over 50% of his draws while having a positive GV/TK margin which gave him the edge for First Team Honors. Smitty added 110 points and turned in a 57 +/-. He was the Robin to Fish most of the season finding him a bunch. Not to mention he shot nearly 43% so when a goal was needed he could be counted on

First Team RW. Boknows. Will be talked about a lot this week in post season awards and rightfully so. Bo posted a league best 4.9 PPG recording 127 points in 26 games. If it wasn’t for a mid season vacation and bad Thursday avail, he runs away with all forward awards. Like Smitty, when Bo shot, there was a high chance it would go in. 

First Team LD. Doranz. As most people know Doranz is easily a top 3 player in SP regardless of season. Doranz led qualified Dmen with an astonishing 2.9 ppg. This comes as no surprise as he had to carry Brad on the left side all season. The GV/TK margin isn’t as good as others but when you put in the perspective of how much he had the puck it makes sense. Just too good of an offensive threat to leave off this list.

First Team RD. Reimattack. Reim was a backbone all season to the Flyers defensive success. His league leading 64 points on D brought another element to the offense. But when called on defensively he was there. A 3.55 GV/TK was amongst the best in that scoring bracket. If I wasn’t dumb enough to play fourth forward on D, Reim would’ve ran away with the Norris (Yeah bart).

First Team Goalie. Liljxgren. This season Calgary had two high Quality goaltenders. Gren just happened to be a bit better in my eyes. A 12-5 record put him in 4th for wins. His 80 save percentage and a 2.71 gaa puts him 2nd in the league for both categories. He also posted 3 shutouts in the 17 games played.

SECOND TEAM PLAYERS

Like the players above, these ones are right there at the top, just a notch below.

Second Team LW. Xbradeii. In Brad’s first season in SP he made a splash. Totaling 105 points in 30 games, this was good enough for 5th in that category. Brad also played a solid two way role locking up solid RWs on other teams. A player who has the capabilities to step up to a first team, we shall see if he stays and develops into that role.

Second Team C. Hughsy. Hughsy was right there with Smitty for first team honors but a lesser point total and GV/TA margin landed him here. Second team is not a slight to him whatsoever as he is a perennially force defensively regardless of position. Acting as a third defenseman and putting up 103 points is fairly impressive. He also finished second in Faceoff percentage for qualified players.

Second Team RW. J_Sherminator. Sherm had a phenomenal season like most of his counterparts on the first team, but being pigeon holded behind the best Forward in the league and bouncing around a bit between C and RW is why he’s on the second team. Sherm registered 124 points in 34 games, good for 3rd in the league. He also played solid defense and was an important piece of the run to the cup.

Second Team LD. Bxrt. Bart and Randy will never be split up again for some reason. Bart may never play defense again but he turned in a solid season. Second in the League in points with 61 and a solid GV/TA of 3.33. Bart is a really skilled forward who should probably stick to forward.

Second Team RD. Shxyne. Shayne wasn’t the best Dman on his own team but he lands here because he plays RD and not LD (And also plays the position right). Jokes aside, Shayne was a staple for the team’s success on defense. A 1.61 GV/TK ratio and adding 50 points to his name, Shayne lands himself second team honors.

Second Team G. Flashify. This was tough not to give to Chad but Flashify finished the season 13-1 and a 78 save percentage that was above an 80 before the final game. In this stretch he solidified his role as starter for the Sharks but couldn’t get it done come playoff time.

ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM

As simple as it sounds. Best defensive player at each position.

All Defensive LW.  xBradeii. Second time coming in today is Brad. As I stated earlier Brad did a really good job at slowing opposing teams RWs down. Brad’s Takeaway to giveaway numbers were solid for a guy who saw the puck a lot.

All Defensive C. John Dean. This comes as a shock to literally no one. John is always one of the best defensive centers in the game. One of a handful of Forwards to have a positive GV/TK stat is an impressive mark to reach. John was a key reason for the frustrations teams had in the playoffs vs the Caps.

All Defensive RW. J_Sherminator. Sherm, like Brad, finds himself on another list for good reason. Sherm displayed an exceptional ability to play on both ends of the ice at a high level. Adding to his high point total, he was top 5 in both takeaways and interceptions.

All Defensive LD. WheelChairDevon. As shocked as everyone else reading that is, Dev actually turned in solid numbers in his 19 games on defense. With a GV/TA ratio of 6.53, dev led the league among qualified players. Dev also caused chaos, laying the BOOM with 240 hits, also tops in the league.

All Defensive RD. BIG DAN/illusionz. Illusionz is new to SP this season but was a huge contributor on the defensive side of the puck. On a team like Buffalo where Steve would control the puck on breakouts, Illusionz was serviceable enough to be trusted. He posted a 6.42 GA/TK ratio, 2nd only behind Devon.

All Defensive G. Alonzi. Alonzi is this season’s goalie who saw the most pucks. A total of 518 shots were recorded, 90 more than the next closest. Despite this Alonzi was among the top ten of goalies posting a 77 save percentage stopping nearly 400 pucks this season.

Welcome back to the show that has yet to be named. I am your host, The now 2x Champ, Jon Turner. Tonight we will recap what was truly a grind off a Cup Final, and give special shoutouts to my Flyer teammates. Without Further ado, let’s get started.

Flyers Flames was a fantastic series to be a part of. Both teams played tremendously and could’ve gone either way. Unlike prior series, both teams shook up game 1 lineups. Flyers went depth players and the Flames went top line for all of Tuesday night. Game 1 was one of 2 games to go to OT in this series. Calgary looked to take advantage of the depth lineup and after going up 2-0 in the game it looked to be out of reach for the Flyers who were being heavily outplayed. But it was a late second period Powerplay goal from A-mason to bring the game within reach. It was again Mason who potted a goal to level the game midway through the third.

Both teams had late flurries of chances but we headed to OT. Just after a Power Play ended, it was Sherm who worked into the corner and found Pseudo defenseman Chico to give the Flames a 1-0 series lead, which would be their only series lead. Game 2 Flyers brought the best line in SP out of the press box and down to the ice to try to even the series up. It took some time for them to get going trailing 1-0 for the majority of the game but solid goaltending gave them a chance to get into a groove in the third. 3 goals in the final period would be the difference as the series would be evened at 2. Game 3 started where game 2 left off. 4 goals, two aside.

Defense settled in and we remained knotted at 2 into the third. BoKnows broke the tie around the 15 minute mark in the third. Back and forth for the remainder of the game the Flames had a powerplay chance with under 5 to go but the Flyers prevailed and it was Sniiider with a breakaway goal to put the Flyers 2 wins away from a championship. Game 4 was a game the Flames were required to play the players who haven’t registered a game yet. Flyers took this and ran away with a 4-0 win putting them 1 win away. Game 5 seemed like it was destined to be the last of the season. 2 goals in the first for the Flyers, the offense then sputtered due to a phenomenal game from Chad. The Flames capitalized with 1 in the second and 1 in the third before ultimately winning the game in OT.

Game 6 the Flyers would again look to end the season. But the Flames continued with the offense with a powerplay goal. Sniiider who was the guy when you needed a goal all playoffs was there with one to even it up at the end of the first. Late in the second it was hughsy finding the back of the net on a sweet find from sniiider to put the Flyers up 1. 20 minutes away could the Flyers hold out? Quickly into the third again sniiider on a fabulous pass found Bo back door for an easy tap in. But the Flames wouldn’t go quietly. With just over 13 minutes to play Sherm redirected a shot from Chico to cut the lead to 1. Flyers locked it down and Turner was steller in net with 7 of his 17 saves in the third period. Sniiider would add one more goal for good measure. The Flyers lifted the cup on home ice sending us into the off season. Congrats to Hughsy and the Flyers on a tremendous season. 

I’ll Start from the top. Hughsy. It was a pleasure to essentially shadow you as a agm. A phenomenal two way player and Congratulations on your 4th straight and if you’re trying to make it 5, I’ll be there. Bo. Thank you for carrying us in the regular season offensively and putting me in the Norris hunt. Sniiider. Arguably the greatest person alive. That’s it. Reim. Props for putting up with me trying to play ld and bailing me out. Kyle. Idk why you enjoy trying to score on me, we wear the same jersey. THAFOSIX. He’s better than all of you idc. BG and Ayytrain sorry everyone was scared of you and didn’t play, you guys are solid. Amazon. MY MAN. Make sure everyone knows you’re better than Randy next Christmas.  

Thank you all for reading and an incredible season. There will be more Season 45 content out this week before we shift gears to 46. Until next time, Champ out.

Just sitting here trying to think of how to start this was giving me a headache so this is what I came up with. 7 weeks has led up to this, The Season 45 SPNHL Cup Final. Our two opponents, the Flames and the Flyers will battle it out on the upcoming days that start with T. To those who have fallen prior to this Round, Sit back and relax because the show has just begun. 

The Flames journey here was simple. A quick sweep of the Kings and a competitive 5 game series win over offensive juggernaut San Jose. Despite being the number 1 overall seed, the Flames were merrily overlooked by most people, Including their own teammate Shayne. Despite this the Flames silenced the critics making quick work of the Sharks. Availability for Tuesday was an issue Randy wasn’t expecting and put the Sharks in a bind before the puck even dropped. Despite this their depth players and a mix of Tcs showed out and took the Flames to OT but would fall. Game 2 featured some familiar faces on the roster for the Sharks and also went to OT where the Sharks would win 5-4 (Good prediction Jon). The Flames would end the night with a 4-2 win putting them up 2 games to 1. Coming into Thursday the Sharks had all the confidence in the world with their top line returning together. Despite outplaying the Flames statistically, they would drop game 4 and 5 and Shark week would end in its Tracks. Randy’s Quest at being the first GM to repeat in ages was abolished. To the Sharks, you are all great people and had an awesome season. For the Flames we will chat more about you below.

The Prince of Wales will stay with a Metro team for a 4th consecutive season. The Flyers path to get here is eerily similar to the Flames. A quick sweep in round 1 and a very competitive 5 game series win over the Caps. Unlike the Flames, the Flyers were heavy favorites to win the series (voting Finished 21-2). Despite it being done in 5, 3 Overtime games, all 4 played being 1 goal games, the Caps showed that they truly were right there and could’ve gone either way. In games 1 and 2 he Caps held leads of 1-0 and 2-0 respectively but crumbled in the waning minutes of both games. Giving up 2 late ones in game 1 sealed the deal for Philly and again in game two relinquishing 2 goals in just under 5 minutes. Two costly penalties gave all the momentum to the Flyers as they would skate off with a 3-2 victory. Game 3 the scoring picked up early and often. It seemed when one team would score, the other would answer right back. Fluri buried 5 enroute to a 5-4 OT win. Although as I stated last week Kyle would try to score on me, he did bury two past me including the OT winner. Game 4 was not played due to circumstances that a preschooler would have figured out but the doorknobs in Washington couldn’t. Despite having 0 minutes of ice time, FoSix is now the betting favorite to win Conn Smythe being 2-0 with 2 game winning goals. Game 5 started promptly on time this go around and again it was the Caps who held 2 goal leads at multiple occasions (2-0 and 3-1) but again with time running out the Caps couldn’t hold onto it. Fluri coughed up the puck and and after a nice find from Snider, Hughsy evened the game at 3. Bo would ultimately end the series with a back hand from a sharp angle. To the Caps, people may be mad at egg more not making any moves at all, but the team he built from day one was a team that competed with the best of them, hats off to you, The rest of the team, you guys fought hard even while playing with Fluri for nearly 2 months.

The Final 2. 1 vs 1. Team names the Start with F. Both names have 6 letters.  33-10-2 records. First Round sweep. Second Round 4-1. You get the Point. Flyers Flames have led the way in their respective conferences the whole way. The Flames won the season series but the teams haven’t had the chance to go top line vs top line until now (availability warranted). As unbiased as I can, we shall start with the Flyers. When you check playoff leaders it’s all the Flyers logo (except goalie, idk what you want me to do when the other team shoots twice a game and 1 goes in). Bo carried on where he left off leading the playoffs in points averaging a bit over 4 ppg.  Hughsy and snider add in a modest 3.5 ppg a piece to go alongside Bo. On Defense Kyle and Reim have been a staple in the Flyers back end. We have yet to see what the depth players have to offer as everyone so far is scared to match up with them so we will leave a blank on that. In net is myself with a sick save percentage of 69 with a 6-1 record and a 2.5 gaa (see i’m not that bad). Offense struggled a bit against the unique defense of the Capitals in R2 but look for them to flourish and bounce back against a solid Flames Dcore. Now to the other side. The shark hunters are coming off the boat with blood on their hands looking to finish the job. The Flames have been the most complete team thus far in the Playoffs with the lone blemish coming in OT of Game 2. The depth players have shown up and won their games and were key wins in both series. When the top line is out there they’ve been to score against anyone. Chico mixed it up a bit this week and played 3 games up front and it seemed to work just fine. Their G7 lineup was listed as Karlsson Cupi and Sherm on forward with Chico and Shayne on D with Chad tending the net. As I am not on this team I can’t give you much insight to how they will line up for the Finals but regardless of who’s out there they will be more than capable of getting the job done. 

This series will probably be a toss up for most people rightfully so. As I have in the past, I will list the positional breakdown. For all positions I think the margins are razor thin and most people again would agree. For that reason I will give advantages on each position rather than on a group of players. On offense LW advantage I will give to the Flames. Karlsson or Chad playing is the best LW in this series. At center is the 3 time Champion Hughsy. Hughsy plays a full 200 foot game that you need your center to play. RW not sure this is much of a discussion. Boknows. Cupi has been able to find the back of the net quite a bit here but Bo is the best player in this series on both sides. LD I comeback to Chico here. Chico Could arguably be the best Dman in this series. I think he edges out Reim as most Flames games I’ve watched Chico controls the play for them a majority of the time. For RD I’ll give it to Kyle over Shayne strictly because Kyle beat him in versus a bunch. Two solid Dmen tho. In net I’ll give it to the Flames because statistically I suck and Chad and Liljgren suck a bit less. All 3 goalies named are really good and can win games when counted on.

As you can see this is about as even as it can get. It has 7 games written all over it. I’d get attacked if I didn’t pick my own team from some people but if I had no involvement my pick would be Philly in 6 and that’s what I will be locking in for the final time this season. Thank you to everyone for giving this a read and allowing me to take over SP articles. Hope you enjoyed it and will see y’all next week.

Welcome back to the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’m your host, Jon Turner. Round 1 has come and gone. Some series were entertaining. Others, it was fun till 9:10 (or in the Flames case 9:25). Two more weeks till we know our Champion, but before we get there, let’s review Round 1 and preview the Conference Finals.

The Calgary Flames. As projected this one was a doozy, 92% of the Fan vote leaned Calgary. Likewise to the season series, Calgary brought out the brooms. 9-1 win and a 6-3 win for the Flames was enough for the white flag to be flown by the Kings. Good run LA, Decent squad built by Duban just not at the end of the day. Will talk more about Flames below.

The second series to end in a sweep was at the hands of the Flyers. The lone series picked by everyone to be Philly, it was clear why. 18 goals through 2 games offense was on display. Alonzi did what he could in game 3 but it was enough as they fell in OT. Availability ended the Leafs season 22 hours earlier than expected but a valiant effort for Devon’s goon squad. 

As my good friend Randy does, the Caps survived this Hurricane with flying colors. The Caps received just 2 votes in the fan vote challenge. The Caps dropped game 1 in OT after erasing a 3-1 deficit with under 5 minutes to play. This game turned some heads in SP, do the Caps really have a chance? They certainly did. With the use of truculence on every player, (did bray have it too?) They disturbed the rhythm of the game and the Canes couldn’t settle in. Winning Game 2 4-2 and game 3 5-4. Avail and frustration ultimately ended the Hurricanes run up the east coast and has now been downgraded to a Tropical Depression.

The final series to end and the only one not to involve FFs was the Sharks 4-1 series win. The Avs snuck a game 1 win on the road. A couple close battles fell the Sharks way and the series was 2-1 in the Sharks favor heading to Friday night. I had the pleasure of being on the call for the Friday night showdown that felt more like a Friday night UFC Card. The Sharks took game 4 7-1 and Game 5 7-2 but split the fights 2-2. A valiant effort from Avs and some tear jerking reactions postgame as retirement may loom for star RW Hardie-.

Now to the good stuff. Conference Finals. 

Flames. Sharks. 1 VS 2. If the season series wasn’t enough, then grab your popcorn. The Flames won the series 4-3. But could this be different? I wish I had the answers but I can tell you this will be one of the better 7 game sets we will see in recent memory. We are all hearing about the Sharks. “Fish has the most points, we have all these NHLers, Flashify was 14-0”. But why aren’t we hearing about the Flames? President Trophy winners. Made quick work of LA. Bunch of Top end talent on the team as well. Since I’ve already talked a lot about both teams in prior articles, I’ll give you game to game predictions. Game 1. Sharks start off slow as they often do in Game 1. Flames take advantage and score 2 quick ones early on. Both teams settle in and the Sharks start to find their game. Even at 2 heading to the Third, the Flames take the lead off a bad turnover on the breakout and ultimately win the game 4-2. Game two is fast paced. Sharks win this one 5-4. To end the night the Sharks continue to Flex their scoring muscles and win game 3 6-2. Thursday arrives. 2-1 Series for the Sharks. Game 4 however goes to the Flames 4-3 in OT. Back to even at 2, Knowing Turner and Hughsy will be in the house on the call after their sweep, The Sharks perform while the lights are bright. A 5-1 win sets them up a game away from skating off with the Clarence Campbell Cup. But not so fast. Flames goaltending plays the best they have all series (whether it’s Chad or Liljxgren) and steals a 3-1 win for the Flames setting up a winner take all game 7. No goals through 1. No goals through 2. A tripping infraction. Who’s that heading to the box? Oh no. It’s Randy. Flames work it around on the PP. Chico skates it in. Finds a cutting forward and it’s 1-0. Is this it? Shark week is gonna end like that? Breakaway. It’s Randy. He has a chance to redeem himself. He stride dekes. He rifles it past the goalie. We are tied at 1. OT looming. You can hear Bart yelling at the fish to figure it out from a mile away. But it’s the Flames who Figure it out. On a grad find from Chico, a forward to be named later rips it past Flashify. Flames take the series in 7 hard fought games. Randy will not go B2B. Fish scored all those points for nothing. Bart claimed his fake Norris for nothing.

Offense Advantages: Sharks. As stated previously the Sharks have a top 3 forward group in SP. Defensive Advantage: Flames. Bart and Chico play similarly, but Shayne is a better compliment than any rd the Sharks have. Goalie Advantage: Flames. Chad and Liljgren are both better than Flashify and Dootees respectively. 

My Pick. Flames in 7

Eastern Conference. Flyers. Capitals. The Season Series went 5-1 in the Flyers way. Trying to be as unbiased as I can be here but I think this series goes the same way. The Caps use of Truculence worked against the Canes because the whole team aspect of the game just didn’t exist for them. For the Caps to be successful this time around I think the truculence strategy will continue to be used but used under control. Defensively they can become a matchup nightmare for the Flyers if they play how they have been in recent weeks. Bray will have to be solid in net. Biggest storyline in this series. Who gets the chance to play for the 4 peat next week. John Dean or Hughsy. I’ll Guarantee there will be one fight between the 2 this series. Now game to game analysis. If the games are fast paced then Philly will win with ease. If the Caps are able to slow down the Flyers offense and possess the puck then the series will balance out and be a good watch. Game 1 will then set the tone for the series. Philly strikes first and takes a 2-0 lead into the second. Caps get on back on a Powerplay midway through the second. Flyers respond and regain the 2 goal edge and then add on 2 in the third for a 5-1 win. Caps start to find a rhythm and are up 2-1 going into the third period. The Flyers get greasy and Hughsy adds in a tip goal to even the scoring before sniiider finds room short side to cap off a 3-2 comeback win. Game 3 the Flyers offense starts to click and they pour in 8 and win 8-0 (even after Kyle tries to score in his own net. Game 4 will be the game where fosix shows why he is in the Norris Conversation. He leads the Flyers to a hard fought 3-2 win and sends Hughsy to his 4th straight cup final.  I think we will get 4-5 competitive games in this series but ultimately I think the difference will be defense and goaltending. 

Offense Advantage: Flyers. It is slim as John Dean and Fluri match up well with Hughsy and Bo but with sniider figuring out how to score he could be a difference maker. Defensive Advantage: Flyers. Kyle and Reim have been able to get it done offensively and defensively. Eggman and Freeze certainly can hang defensively but I think it’s the offense that Reim and Kyle bring that sets them apart. Also Fosix or PGH as a depth dman. My case rests. Goalie Advantage. Flyers. I wont beat around the bush here. I am better than Bray.

My Pick: Flyers in a competitive 4

As always, thanks for reading. Hope I can get into the Broadcasting booth again this week (Just FF once it’s 3-0 Egg). Make sure you submit your Picks for this round. Have a great week SP!

Well SP faithful, we have done it again. 45 successful (maybe I’ve been here for 6?) regular seasons. To the 8 teams who will be playing for the cup, congratulations. For the 2 who will get to listen to JMosh for 3 weeks, congratulations. As any middle aged hockey coach would say, the real season starts now. 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1 FLYERS VS 4 MAPLE LEAFS 

First up we have top seeded Philly who finished with 68 points, Toronto with 41 outlasting Buffalo in the final week.. The season series tilted the Flyers way, 5-1 in their favor. The lone win for Toronto was behind steller goaltending in a 2-1 OT win. The statistical difference between the two is drastic. The style in which each team plays varies as well. Philly led the league in Goal differential with a +101 where Toronto recorded a -49. Devon considered making the playoffs a bonus for this team so there aren’t many complaints. Although Buffalo gave them the last spot, he did put his team in the position to make a push on the last night. Philly on the other hand playoffs were never a question. A clear cup contender no one is surprised to see them at the top. In a recent interview with GM Hughsy he was quoted saying “We are happy to be in this spot. We worked hard all season to get in this position. Real season starts now”. Led by 3 100 point scorers on forward, Defensive scoring leader alongside SP Vet Kyle and a Top 1 goalie in net this series may be over quick. Devon has a decision to make if he should play net or be the ogre he is on defense this series. Defense is lacking so that may make the decision simple and having alonzi as an option never hurts. Marucci will be tasked with carrying the sub par forward group as they attempt to make this a competitive series. 

Forward Advantage: Philly. Defensive Advantage: Philly. Goalie Advantage: Philly 

All signs lean the Flyers way and I will agree here. My pick is Flyers in 4. Ultimately I think the offense will be too much for Toronto, even with the depth players in.

2 CAPITALS VS 3 HURRICANES

The Caps finished with a record of 23-22 for a total of 46 points and Carolina with a 24-19-2 record for 45 points (Stop FFing).  Despite making 0 transactions during the course of this season, Eggman and the Caps raced up the standings during the final weeks. While having more wins, the Canes forfeited about 8 games(not fact checking but it’s close to that) giving the Caps the 2 seed and home ice. Season series is listed as 3-2 in the Canes favor although one of the losses was an FF. Washington brings the SP playoff experience to the party. Even though they are the higher seed, they will be viewed as the underdog in this series. Both teams have solid rosters and probably under achieved a bit in the eyes of some. Since sliding John to RW and Fluri to C, the Caps have hit their stride coming into the playoffs winning 7 out of 10. The Canes have stuck with the same top line forwards most of the season with Bej Lappy and Brad and they have been very successful. On the back end Doranz will carry anyone who has a pulse  so it isn’t too big of a concern on RD. The Caps have the ability to stay in this series if they can hold it down defensively and get some good goaltending from Bray. Offensively they will be able to score but they must limit the goals against.

Offensive Advantage: Carolina but not by much. Defensive Advantage: Adam. Goalie Advantage: Carolina, both blade and brodeur highly capable of stealing games. I think this series can go one of two ways. Caps are really competitive and it goes 6 or maybe even 7. Or Canes have perfect avail and play the way they want and win in 5.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1 FLAMES VS 4 KINGS

This season’s Presidents trophy winners are the Calgary Flames. The Flames have found ways to win games in any way shape or form whether it’s 10-0 or 2-1. With a forward group who knows how to score in this year’s game when they are able to jump out quick it’s tough to crawl back into a game. On defense they bring the Defensive goal leader Chico who is just essentially just an extra forward on the ice and beside him is a steady defensive piece Shayne. Shayne compensates well for Chico as he actually plays the position properly. As for their counterpart the Kings. Limping into the playoffs with a 2-8 record this will be quite the uphill climb for Duban (see what I did there) and the gang. I got nothing here if we are gonna be 100%. Ajax and Slim on D will need to be on it game in and game out. Whether Mikey, Cuban or even Rook are between the pipes, they’ll need to sniff a lot of Gfuel to be ready for a lot of shots. On offensive it will be Complexiti Smokey and Rookie who are all averaging about 2 points a game will need to step it up. Calgary swept the season series 6-0.

Advantages, All Calgary. Prediction: Flames in 4

2 SHARKS VS 3 AVALANCHE

 Duunnn dunn…. duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn. It’s the Sharksssssss. Randy’s shark led team for a second season in a row is strong and ready to attack. Finishing the season with 30 wins that is good enough for 3rd in the league and 2nd in the West. The Sharks started to find their stride around week 3 when the goals just started flooding in (Literally played Vegas every other game). Led by play every game Fish with 166 points who calls for the puck everytime the sharks have it. Smitty compliments him well up the middle as he finished with 110 points. Randy will get the fuck off of RD and play rw where he is more than capable of making clark look like a cone once or twice. On defense its the big fool Bart carrying whoever is on his right side. Banana has been moved to 6th man on ld unfortunately due to Bart being on ld and fish playing lw. Their worst player Korrwan will play that one game on Rd with banana. In net it will be Dootess for 1 and hilariously overrated Flashify for the next 5. Rumble noises…. ITS AN AVALANCHE. Plisk has managed to get this rag tag group of guys into the 3 seed. Hardie, clearly the best player is gonna need to have his best performance of his life. He will have solid help with Salda, sergein and rich2k8. On defense it will be a mix of Clark, Plisk and flowsoclean who could cause trouble for the sharks forward. Sharks won the season series 5-1.

Offense Advantage: Sharks. Fish Smitty Randy is top 3 in the league. Defensive Advantage: Sharks. Bart is better than any of the Avs dman, if him or banana could play rd this team would actually be scary. Goalie Advantage: Avs. Dootess and Flashify will be the sole reason this team does not go back to back for Randy. Tibod can keep the avs in games.

Prediction: Sharks in 5.

Week 5 has come and gone and now we are heading into playoffs.

Before we got into the playoff talk though we will take a quick look at how each team performed their final week heading into Playoffs.

Last week’s stats:

This week’s stats:

Washington finally wins more than 5 games in a week!

Calgary and Philadelphia battled hard to the end for the #1 spot in the league but I believe Philadelphia just came up a bit short.

Week 5 Trends:

Philadelphia has gone back to their week 1 and 2 ways going 8-1-0 this week.

Washington showing a lot of improvement heading into round 1 of playoffs.

Calgary has remained consistent these past 3 weeks and will likely continue their consistent play into playoffs.

Sharks and Kings underperformed this week heading into playoffs.

Here are the final regular season power rankings of S45:

POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	WK 4	DIFF	RECAP
1	Calgary Flames	2	0	Flames finished off the season strong going 7-1-1 this week beating the Sharks twice and Carolina once. They managed to come out with the President trophy as well in a tiebreaker with Philadelphia. These guys look to be the favorite to come out of the Western Conference.
2	Philadelphia Flyers	1	0	Philadelphia looks to be back to their week 1 and 2 ways after going 8-1-0 this week. They’ve been the top dog all season, performed when it mattered most, and came so close to taking back the #1 spot in the league from Calgary. They are looking to be the cup favorites as they always have since Week 1.
3	San Jose Sharks	3	0	Sharks had a decent week going 6-3-0, they lost 2 games to Calgary and 1 to Philadelphia. The Sharks consistency of play has been all over the place this season and if they want to make a cup run, they will need to figure it out.
4	Washington Capitals	8	+4	Washington goes 6-3-0 this week! Amazing! Their best win of the week came against Carolina, and they did have a favorable finish to the week vs the lesser teams… (compared to some of the other teams’ schedules in week 5) But hey, they climbed up to the 2nd spot in the East and now they got some home ice for round 1.
5	Carolina Hurricanes	4	-1	Carolina’s availability has been an issue all season. When their top 6 show up these guys have proven to be a force, but when they don’t, they’ve had tight games but its 50/50 whether they win or lose. With another 2 FF L’s this week these guys move down in the power rankings to finish the regular season.
6	Colorado Avalanche	6	0	Colorado comes through with another winning record week (5-4-0) and beat top teams Philly and Calgary, they’ve shown the most improvement after trade deadline and will look to continue their run into playoffs.
7	Los Angeles Kings	7	0	LA had a bad week heading into playoffs only getting 2 wins. Cuban and his boys better get their ‘act’ (didn’t say shit so it’s proper for Karl) together for playoffs cause they have a tough matchup in Calgary to be ready for.
8	Toronto Maple Leafs	9	+1	If Buffalo didn’t FF their 3 games on Friday I don’t think these guys would’ve made playoffs, but they got some luck and now they have an opportunity to be a wildcard. After having a 4-5-0 week (With 2 FF W’s) these guys do not look playoff ready. They’ll need to tighten some things up and not be trolls if they want to have a legit shot in their 1st round matchup.
9	Buffalo Sabres	5	-4	RIP, this Buffalo squad had so much more potential than they showed this season. They FF all 3 of their last games and put themselves out of playoffs. Very disappointing season for the Sabres, but on a good note they get to sit back and relax and enjoy some off-season time.
10	Vegas Golden Knights	10	0	Vegas, tough season overall. Respect for getting the guys to show and play and put in a good effort (most games) and not being a FF team. I hope you get 1st overall pick next season Shock, you deserve a better fate than what you ended up with this season. Also, great job putting up with Lispdoge, couldn’t have been easy.

Good luck to everyone who made playoffs, for those who didn’t (Buffalo and Vegas) it was fun playing with you guys but unfortunately someone must be last in their conference, and this time it happened to be you guys.

Stay tuned for the playoff preview which will be coming out on Monday (hopefully).

Randymarsh2012

This is a full week late coming out, but I figured I may as well do it since I have been all along this season. Finally found a bit of time here this Saturday afternoon so here is a quicker version of the players of the week. I pulled the top 20 players based on points (and SV%) for this week.

FORWARDS:

Fish had a dominant week scoring 47pts in 9 games.

LeCupidon and BoKnows99- had high ppg as well although only plying 3 games each.

Sniiider outperforms Hughsy this week on fwd as well, scoring 1 more point and shooting 3% better.

DEFENSEMEN:

Shxyne and UStooPiiD had strong weeks for their team, both putting up 13pts.

MrlolChico and Curtisx18x were the most offensive with a 2.8 and 2.7ppg average.

SA_Pliskin making an appearance in the top 4 this week! Putting Colorado on his back and keeping them in playoff contention.

GOALIES:

Someone tell EL_Rookie to play G more, crazy good stats.

Flashify has a strong week as well, going 4-0 with an 83.67sv%.

Look at this philmorin guy, plays 5 games for TOR and goes 1-3 with an 84.34sv%?? Sounds like your team really let you down this week buddy.

Dootees had a huge week as well with his 81.13sv%.

Mikey also had a strong week for LA going 4-1 with an 80.88sv%.

Once again sorry it took so long for these to come out, but I could only get a quick version done. You guys can decide for yourselves who was the biggest pizzaman and goon.

RandyMarsh2012

After an interesting trade deadline here is an in depth look at how teams performed in week 4 compared to week 3 and see who the trade deadline winners and losers are.

Below you will see each teams’ stats for Week 3 and Week 4, then under that is a table that shows the difference between each week’s performance (Green means good, red means bad).

The west showing strides of improvement and consistency having 4 of the 5 best records this week. Colorado being the most impressive getting 5 wins and 12 points. Carolina having 3 FF’s on Friday drops them down quite a bit compared to Week 3.

This table shows the difference between wins, losses, etc.. from Week 3 to Week 4.

Sharks, Avalanche, and Kings showing the most improvement this week.

Sabres had a better record than last week but their offense scored 12 goals less than the week before.

Leafs managed to get 1 more point than last week after being sellers at the deadline.

Flyers, Knights, Capitals, and Flames all had a consistent Week 4 compared to Week 3.

Hurricanes with their 3 FF losses and lower offensive numbers showing the biggest drop.

Here are the Power Rankings for Week 4:

POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	WK 3	DIFF	RECAP
1	Calgary Flames	2	+1	Calgary continues to show dominance this week posting a 7-2-0 record and passing Philadelphia for 1st in the league. They’ve also secured a playoff spot since they are 33pts ahead of last place Vegas.
2	Philadelphia Flyers	3	+1	Flyers lose their top spot in the league to the Flames, but they remain top dog in the East. Posting a 5-3-1 record this week is still fairly basic for them, but their weak availability on Thursdays is a huge reason for the issues they’ve been having as of late. The flyers have secured a playoff spot over the last place Leafs.
3	San Jose Sharks	4	+1	The Sharks had a nice bounce back week going 7-1-1 to bump them up a spot in this week’s power rankings. They tightened it up again on the defensive side of the ice allowing 18 goals less than last week. Shout out to Fishhure for taking over the league lead in goals and points as well. The Sharks have clinched a playoff spot being 30pts ahead of Vegas.
4	Carolina Hurricanes	1	-3	This Carolina team a 3-2-1 week going until Friday where they didn’t show up for their games and took 3 FF L’s to slide down into 4th in the power rankings. Their offense took a little bit of a break as well scoring 3 goals less per game compared to week 3. All those things put together bumped these guys down into the 4th spot this week. They’ll need everyone to show up for all games this week as they only sit 4pts ahead of Toronto for a playoff spot.
5	Buffalo Sabres	5	0	These Sabres are a mystery to me still… They have the talent, but they have yet to put one real good week together like they are capable of. They went 4-4-1 this week and seemed to have solved their G problem, but they never managed to score more than 4 goals in any of their games this week. They’ll need to find a bit more offense heading into these last 9 games to ensure they make playoffs. They currently sit 3pts ahead of Toronto.
6	Colorado Avalanche	9	+3	Colorado found some new life this week going 5-2-2 which is their best week this season and have put a nice buffer between them and Vegas for that final playoff spot. Sure, one of those wins was a FF win against Carolina, but they also got wins against Calgary and Philadelphia. Being 10pts ahead of Vegas is a nice spot to be in going into the final 9 games.
7	Los Angeles Kings	7	0	LA went 5-4-0 this week which could be their best week of the season. They’ve got a 13pt lead over Vegas which almost clinches them their playoff berth. With big wins over Carolina and Philadelphia this week keep an eye on these guys to play an upset card for those East teams who are still battling for a spot. This LA team needs to focus in on their Special Teams though, as they have the worst PP and PK in the league.
8	Washington Capitals	6	-2	Another 4-5-0 week for the Caps, these guys have been back and forth with 5-4 and 4-5 weeks. I hope these guys do make playoffs though and try to play the upset card. They sit only 1pt ahead of Toronto so they better get their heads out of their asses and get shit done this week.
9	Toronto Maple Leafs	8	-1	Although Toronto ended up being sellers at the deadline, they still put a respectable 4-4-1 record. All their games were close this week except for 2 which were against stronger teams. Although they sit 1pt out of the playoff picture I wouldn’t count these guys out just yet, they still have a lot of fight in them. I’d be worried if I was Washington, making 0 trades and still lose out to a team that sold at the deadline would be a tough look….
10	Vegas Golden Knights	10	0	Vegas holds onto their 10th place in the power rankings with their 2-6-1 record this week. They sit 10pts out of a playoff spot which means they need Colorado to pretty much lose out next week and Vegas win 5 games to clinch (the most they have won in a week has been 3 and that happened in week 1). There is no shot these guys to win 5, but if they do I’ll make a tiktok of me peeing my pants (lispdoge reference).

Calgary claims the #1 spot this week while the Hurricanes drop to #4.

Colorado showing the biggest jump going from 9^th to 6^th this week.

Heading into the last week the big stories will be:

‘Who will be playing Philadelphia in the first round?’

(My guess is Washington, with Toronto not making it in)

‘Who will be playing who in the West?’

(My guess is [1] Flames vs [4] Avalanche, and [2] Sharks vs [3] Kings).

What are your guys’ thoughts heading into the last week? Do you guys agree with me? Or are all of you a bunch of IDIOTS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOCKEY!!!

Have a great week everyone!

RandyMarsh2012