Playoffs Are Upon Us

What a Summer Showcase this time around, right?! The top 10 teams on any given week were just battling for the number 1 spot. Lot's of trades, lots of upsets, and it's led to a banger of a playoff matchup. Let's get to these matchups and see what I think ( my opinion only. Doesn't mean I hate anyone) will happen in these playoffs. Let's get to it!

New York Islanders (42-17-5) VS Buffalo Sabres (36-22-6)

NYI had a great season this season. Great goaltending, having the top goal scorer in the league, and a superb defensemen core has led them to the number 3 spot in the league. DaKrazykid in 34 games had 148 points (89 goals, 59 assists) this season. His goal scoring prowess will be tested against a studded defense in Buffalo. Bufford, Slotshot, and Mxtalfingersdoom will have to step up come playoff time as a lot of attention will be towards Dakrazykid. The defense led by Grimmreaper, BigLeagueMachew, InYaSix, and Gymbob will be tested against Buffalo's top line. Thankfully they will have Quackstacker in between the pipes, who has proven to be a top 5 goalie again. The only question for this team is can Pc3poseidon shake off a mediocre season and step up for the team or will he continue to stay mediocre?

Buffalo's defense is loaded with talent. Kbatch, BigPapaPumpkin, Flyerthanyou, Mistahaz, and Slapnutz! I don't think there is a team in the playoffs with more depth at defense. BigPapaPumpkin is ready to make a statement in the playoffs. But, their top line is even more intimidating than their defense. Stopping the trio of Krazy-8, Tekk112, and Spelliscy_21, will be the toughest task the Isles will face. Tekk112 has yet again proven that he is one of the top RWs in AGL. In 38 games he put up 117 points (70 goals, 47 assists). Omar77 has shown everyone this season that he needs to be put into the conversation as a top 10 goalie. BeardedTitan and Hangerhog are both stellar goalies as well. Buffalo without has the best trio of goalies in the league. The question I have for this team is can the second line forwards step up and bury some goals when it is crunch time?

Prediction : NYi 4-3

Philadelphia Flyers (44-17-3) VS New Jersey Devils (34-24-6)

Philly went through it all this season. But they did it right and finished the season in first this season. The star studded trio of Fluri37, Dmacjr2, and JSkeeter2582 was a recipe for success. Philly's defense improved a bit too throughout the season. Defensively though, the best player on this team is Bloodynumber48. Don't sleep on Dedstarks either. Without these goalies playing lights out all season, this team could be watching the playoffs instead of playing in them. Of course the offense is going to light up the scoreboard and the goalies are going to piss the Devils off with their crazy saves, but the only real question is if the tough gets going, can the defense step up and allow nothing easy... Yes you can look at the numbers and argue, but I watched over 20 Philly games and that is what I see. DadBod is going to look to hold his defensemen partners accountable and will need to step up if they want to beat the Devils. Even though they are the 8th seed, they are no push over.

The Devils did it! They made a blockbuster trade and got Dradle Jay ll and made the playoffs. They will have a tough matchup going against the top team in the league, but they have overcame many challenges already. Having 4 forwards over 90 points or more has shown that they have the scoring prowess to test Bloodynumber48. Other than K35H1A-96 who was tied for the 5th most hits in the league this season, I see a defense that will need to prove themselves. Let's see if they are up to it because if not, they may get swept. CallMeSkull is a very good goalie so I will be very interested to see what the team is like when he isn't in between the pipes...

Prediction : Philly 4-1 I bet against Bloody once... Won't do that again here.

Boston Bruins (37-20-7) VS Detroit Redwings (39-20-5)

Boston is in the playoffs! Let's see if they can do what their real life counterparts couldn't do and make it past the first round. On paper, this is the best team in the league to me. Whitetees41 and Curtisx18x will do their thing as usual. Which is scary. But you also have to worry about Accer27, Oolan, and Goingtobeatu. Geez! Don't sleep on Istealforks either. He can involve himself in the offense whenever he wants. Defensively they are very polished. Nothing fancy. They show up, do their job, and move onto the next game. Knowing that Pirates44, BRL0907, and BigSpoon all are their options in net must be nice. Pirates has shown that he can step up in the playoffs already so it just comes down to the other two if they can do the same.

Detroit had that rollercoaster season that most teams had. They were middle of the pack, made it to the top, dropped down to middle of the pack again, and then made it back to the top 5 again. Don't let that fool you though. This team is a force to be reckoned with. On paper this team has a great offense and middle of the pack defense. But, when I think of this team, I think of defense first. This will be the toughest test for that the Bruins will face all playoffs defensively. Twinetickler301 proved he is still the best defensemen in the league. He had the most goals (14) and assists (56) among all defensemen in the league. DarkphoenixJosh, RhBobby, and Defender_Kline will have a very tough time stopping the Bruins offense, but they have proved it throughout the season that they are up for the challenge. L3Knott and Ikizabika will have the nods I presume throughout their playoff run to stop opposing teams from scoring. Good luck scoring on this duo! The offense for this team is arguably one of the best in the league. Lecesse23, Pigeon, and Colonelforbrinnn are going to put up goals as always. I expect FatGuyInATie to step up as he normally does, but that does lead to my only question for this team. Can they 2ns forward line produce enough?

Prediction : Boston 4-3

Vegas Golden Knights (43-17-4) VS Colorado Avalanche (36-23-5)

This one is going to be a BANGER! Whichever team wins this series I believe is going to the championship. Vegas has the top scoring trio of forwards in Lecupidon, Reapz, and FreezeMothaSucka. The leagues top forward in LeCupidon, who had 177 points (75 goals, 102 assists), the top RD in Titanic_Candle9, and a top 3 goalie in Blunt_Warrior. This whole series will come down to if the second line defense and goalie can compete well against Colorado's 2nd unit.

Colorado will have their work cut out for them here. But this team has all the firepower offensively, defensively, and the goalies to beat any team here. Offensively, it's just ridiculous: Mahomie, Bobbys_rash, Rejects_77, and YamesYahn. Defensively, Agger33, Spawn, Jimmy_Diesel, and Lighta_Lowe are insane pairings. And then you have EagleEEE141 and Big4Life250 in net. This will be a battle of some star studded goalies for sure.

The outcome of this series will come down to Bluntz vs Eagle. Which goalie will lead their team to more wins against each other.

Can Vegas 2nd line compete well with Colorado's?

I've got buddies on both squads so it pains me to pick, but I have to.

Prediction : Colorado 4-3

This Summer Showcase is going to be the best playoffs so far and I am all here for it. AGL has produced some stellar games this season, so be prepared as the best teams face each other off tonight! Tune into Lymes stream tonight for live updates and for coverage of the games! See yall there. Until next time, Peace!

- Pc3poseidon