SPNHL, Season 37: Playoffs, Conference Finals – “In A Perfect World…”
By: Dirty-Dietrich
 
Not gonna lie, being knocked out of the playoffs last week made me a little sad, and I would love to say that I’ve been walking around like a young emo man this past week, but I’ve been like that for the past 6 years, so not much has changed. That inspired this week’s album review, as we’re going all the way back to 1987, and a staple of gothic rock that I’ve been listening to since I heard the lead track in Grand Theft Auto IV. This week, we’re talking about “Floodland” by The Sisters of Mercy.
While the album received mixed reception upon release, it has since been evaluated as a staple of gothic rock and very influential in the dark-wave genre. The album starts out with an incredibly strong, tone-setting trio in “Dominion/Mother Russia”, “Flood I”, and “Lucretia My Reflection”, clocking in at a total of 18 minutes and 19 seconds. The following three songs shift away from the gloomy nature of the first three tracks, as “1959” sounds sentimental and reflective, followed by the popular, vengeful single “This Corrosion”, and the sequel “Flood II”, with a run time of 19 minutes and 44 seconds between the three. While the album drops off in quality (and song length) near the end, the first three quarters of this album are near-perfect and situate “Floodland” as essential for fans of dark/new-wave.
 
Just like that, half of the eight teams that were in contention for the Stanley Cup were eliminated. We had some very exciting hockey this past week, with an intense first round matchup between the hottest team at the beginning of the season, and the hottest team at the end of the season, a classic battle of defense versus goaltending, two of the best defensive cores in the league going head to head, and two of the league’s most dynamic offensive teams taking it to thrilling Friday night game 7 (that ProdigyToLegend really didn’t like) that required overtime to solve. Would you expect anything different in the SPNHL playoffs?
Eight teams came prepared to do battle, and we saw some fantastic performances from the best players in the league. We saw offensive duos that just came together at the trade deadline find their spark and light it up in this first round, we saw Norris favourites continue the momentum they built up all regular season throughout their first six games, and we saw goaltenders play their best hockey over the course of the regular season, and even past playoff campaigns. When chase for the Cup begins, the stars begin to shine, and they serve as the guiding light for their teams in the pursuit of championship glory.
Let’s take a look and see how the first round matchups unfolded, see who stole the show, and if any of my predictions were right. Then, we’ll move onto the conference finals and employ the same evaluation system looking at offense, defense and goaltending, and everything else to see who will square off in the thirty-seventh Stanley Cup Final of the Sony Playstation Hockey League.
 
ROUND ONE RECAP
 
EASTERN CONFERENCE
 
Tampa Bay Lightning (1) vs. New Jersey Devils (4)
Winner: Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 games.
DD Prediction: Lightning in 6.
MVP: PistolPete7788_.
In what some called the most exciting playoff series in SP, the journey from worst to first for Bufford in the Bolts were able to get past one of the hottest teams in the league going into the playoffs in the New Jersey Devils. The Devils won the first game by a goal, but the Lightning would return the favour in the next three games. After the Devils won a close game five by a score of 3-2, the Lightning took game six with a decisive 4-1 victory. PistolPete7788_ shared the team lead in points with i9i-stamkos-i1ic and bluedevil631 with 11, the most by any defender, and his 5 goals have him tied for 10th in the league across forward and defense. 
 
Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (3)
Winner: Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games.
DD Prediction: Flyers in 6.
MVP: xSilky93.
The Flyers had the best defense heading into the playoffs (126 goals against), and the Red Wings had the best offense going into the playoffs (328 goals for), setting the table for a scrappy series where each team would try to make their opponents play at their pace. Detroit won the first game 4-2, but Philadelphia acclimated to that pace and outscored Detroit 23-11 over the next four games, winning all four and taking the series. xSilky93 was a big part of this, playing well with Bunzy-62 and leading all players in goals (10) and points (21), as Philadelphia’s offense proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
 
WESTERN CONFERENCE
 
Winnipeg Jets (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (4)
Winner: Winnipeg Jets in 7.
DD Prediction: Jets in 5.
MVP: Elfpha.
The Jets had not had a chance to frequently ice their “four-headed monster” all season, and the Ducks would be the first to experience it. However, the Ducks had a mid-season resurgence and had some familiar faces come together to try and win the Stanley Cup. After the Ducks won game one, the Jets won two straight 5-3 games, which led to a Ducks victory in game four. A dominant game 5 Jets victory gave way to a 1-0 nail-biting game 6 that the Ducks won to set up a game seven. The Jets scored late in the second to tie it at 2, and after a scoreless third period, the Jets scored the series clinching goal in overtime. Elfpha leads all players in assists with 12, and combined that with 4 goals to lead his team in points through the first round.
 
Edmonton Oilers (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (3)
Winner: Minnesota Wild in 6 games.
DD Prediction: Oilers in 5.
MVP: chadkillz134.
I don’t have any words and we know you don’t want to hear them. I understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you’re feeling – I get it. This isn’t the ending I imagined, and certainly not the one I wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way.
Edmonton was a heavy favourite heading into this series, as they had the back-end to compete with Minnesota and the offensive advantage to give them the edge. This seemed evident as the Oilers took two of the first three games and outscored the Wild 9-3. However, a pivotal game four victory for the Wild set the stage for the rest of the series, as games four through six saw three consecutive Minnesota victories and limited the offensive output of the Edmonton Oilers to two goals in three games. A lot of that can be accredited to chadkillz134, who posted two shutouts, a 1.4 GAA, and an insane .897 save percentage in the first round. 
 
To the Detroit Red Wings and my dear Edmonton Oilers, I want to congratulate everybody on a strong regular season. Reapz2313 put together another great team, and LeCupidon had a record setting season, and they’ll be a team to watch out for again next season. Meanwhile, over in Edmonton, we had a lot of great players and teammates like Trout, Ciulla, Jon, Buckley, Ethan, TK, rharmer, Portsy, Cow, and fmo that I wish I could have done more for. Regardless, thank you for your time and efforts this season, gentlemen.
With that said, let’s take a look at our conference finals!
 
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
Tampa Bay Lightning (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (3)
 
1. Tampa Bay Lightning.
Regular Season Record: 41-10-3.
Playoff Record: 4-2.
Notable Stats: 23 goals for (2nd), 85.7% penalty kill (1st).
MVP: PistolPete7788_ (5 goals, 11 points, leads defenders in both categories).
X-Factor: i9i-stamkos-i1ic (shares team lead in points with 11, all assists).
 
3. Philadelphia Flyers.
Regular Season Record: 37-14-3.
Playoff Record: 4-1
Notable Stats: 25 goals for (1st), 15 goals against (3rd).
MVP: xSilky93 (leads all forwards in points with 21, shares league lead with 10 goals).
X-Factor: Bunzy-62 (shares team lead in assists with 11, second in the league in points with 19).
 
Offense: the two most star-studded offensive cores in the league collide here: it’s SP vets versus dominant rookies (who have won titles in other leagues). Tampa Bay has an assortment of some of the greatest offensive players in its history in hypey-, i9i-stamkos-i1ic, and PistolPete7788_, with bluedevil631 really coming into his own over the past two seasons. Philadelphia has a lethal top line of xSilky93, Bunzy-62 , and Duchesne_x_10, with DudNastyy and Yesc__ as great puck moving defenders behind them. It’s down to the wire between these two squads, but I gotta give the edge to the Lightning. Advantage: Tampa Bay.
Defense and Goaltending: in my opinion, the Tampa Bay Lightning have the best defensive duo in the league in PistolPete7788 and DodgesBlueShells. However, Philadelphia has the most consistent defender over the past two seasons in DudNastyy, one who was instrumental in Boston’s run to the Finals last season. Often paired with Yesc__, the Flyers have a stellar defensive duo who plays in front of the best 1-2 rotation left in the playoffs. While the Bolts have Bufford80 and Shootersteele19, they can’t compete with Spencer_Knight30 and NHLBEAST-. Advantage: Philadelphia.
Everything Else: Tampa Bay had excellent but likely unsustainable special teams numbers in the first round; they scored on 6 out of 10 powerplays and killed 6 of their 7 penalties. Philadelphia only scored on 4 of their 13 powerplays, while they killed off 4 of their 6 penalties. Tampa has the experience edge, and may also have a bit better composure as a team, something that is necessary in these high-pressure situations.
The Verdict: I promise that I’m not just giving this prediction based on two of my best friends in the hockey community being on this team. Prediction: Tampa Bay in 7.
 
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
Winnipeg Jets (1) vs. Minnesota Wild (3)
 
1. Winnipeg Jets.
Regular Season Record: 38-9-7.
Playoff Record: 4-3.
Notable Stats: 21 goals for (3rd), 75% penalty kill (4th).
MVP: Elfpha (leads league in assists with 12, leads team in points with 16).
X-Factor: i_Zinczy_i_TV (leads team in goals with 10, averaging 3 points per game).
 
3. Minnesota Wild.
Regular Season Record: 29-18-7.
Playoff Record: 4-2.
Notable Stats: 100% penalty kill (1st), 11 goals against (2nd).
MVP: chadkillz134 (posted two shutouts and had a 1.4 GAA with a .891% save percentage).
X-Factor: GrammyHands (scored four of his team’s eight goals in the first round).
 
Offense: this will be lopsided. GrammyHands is a great player, but he is Minnsota’s only offensive threat. On the other side of the ice, you have that proverbial four-headed monster that was talked about all season long. The Jets have last season’s Conn Smythe winner in Elfpha, last season’s Calder runner up in i_Zinczy_i_TV, last season’s Selke winner in ttommyboiii, and last season’s Norris runner up in ProdigyToLegend. You put those four players on the ice, and they’re gonna make magic happen.
Defense and Goaltending: I may be a bit biased on this one, given one team just kept us to under 2 goals a game. Winnipeg has a great duo in the aforementioned ProdigyToLegend and CaptCanada_, and a reliable goalie rotation in Glachs and dophares2000 who posted respectable numbers in the first round. Over in Minnesota, they have a very talented back end, with some saying the defensive duo of SNAKE_-_PLISSKIN and shepard-88- have overachieved this past season. However, when chadkillz134 is posting numbers like he has throughout this regular and postseason, that’s not hard to do. Chad is having a career season, and gives the Wild the edge here. Advantage: Minnesota.
Everything Else: Minnesota’s penalty kill has been perfect, but they have only scored twice on their 14 powerplay opportunities. Winnipeg capitalized on 6 of their 22 chances with the extra man last round, but only killed off 6 of their 8 penalties. While their powerplay numbers may be split down the middle, you have to look at playoff experience; GrammyHands has won multiple cups, while Elfpha has won a cup in each of his first two seasons in the league. chadkillz134 has made it to the finals in the past four seasons, with two cups, but will he be able to carry this team to another finals berth? I don’t think so.  Advantage: Winnipeg.
The Verdict: Chad might be the best goalie in the league, but a goalie can only do so much against a team as talented as the Jets. Prediction: Winnipeg in 6.
 
One series down, two to go if any of these four teams want their shot at the most prestigious prize in the Sony Playstation Hockey League. The first round is the easiest (well, maybe not for some, I’m speaking from experience), and now we’re going to determine who are the best teams in their respective conferences. Forwards will have to be more accountable defensively, while defenders are going to have to contribute more offensively. You enlist a goaltender who is reliable and confident between the pipes, and you have all the makings of a Cup winning team.
Make sure to tune into SPNHL: Off the Ice tonight at 10 pm EST (or whenever my friends decide to leave, we’ll keep you posted, we’re having vermicelli stir fry for dinner!) as we recap the first round of the playoffs and preview the conference finals! Chat along with Pliskin, Fluri, and I was the latter two discuss their disappointing first rounds and Pliskin laughs at our misfortune, as well as answers all of your questions. Make sure you follow and turn on notifications at https://twitch.tv/thespnhl_media, and don’t be afraid of watching some of our archived episodes to hear some hot takes!
 
That’s it for me this week, good luck to all the remaining teams, see you on the ice!
Cheers,
– DD