Quick Glance:
Last season, Helsinki won the Cup and Oslo was knocked of the playoffs (by Minsk) in the first round for the third straight year. This season, Oslo placed 4th in the league and Helsinki was 3 spots beneath them. When the two teams meet in Round 1, all TV cameras will be on Sam Bennett, the Outlaws’ second-line center who Helsinki let go two seasons ago after he led the Jokerits – and the whole league – in scoring with 121 points. To add insult to insult, in their first year without him, the Jokerits won their first Cup. He would absolutely love to knock off his former team in this round. For Oslo to beat Helsinki, they will have to slow the Jokerits’ high-flying forwards. Helsinki leads the league in shots per game with 35.06. Hello, Oslo defenseman Viktor Antipin. You will be expected to block a lot of shots in the next couple of weeks. Five Helsinki forwards were 30-goal scorers (Sergei Mozyakin, Mikko Lehtonen, Brock Boeser, Taylor Hall and former Outlaw Tyler Seguin). Left wing Calvin Thurkauf has evolved into a real marksman for Oslo and seems to have great chemistry with center Connor McDavid. Helsinki will need to keep on eye on that duo.
Goalies:
- Helsinki – Frederik Andersen, 2.52 GAA, .893 save pct.
- Oslo – Matt Murray, 2.71 GAA, .909 save pct.
Top Plus/Minus players:
- Helsinki – Nerius Alisuskas +25
- Oslo – Stefan Ulmer +34
Expert Panel Predictions:
- Commissioner Chuck: Helsinki in 7 games. Matt Murray will be good, but shot differential will be the difference.
- Rose: Oslo in 7 games. Home ice advantage and a vengeful Sam Bennett lift the Outlaws after old man Jonathan Toews goes down with an injury. Afterwards, he will come to me for advice on how to keep an older body in tiptop shape.
