Round 3: Munich and Berlin

Quick Glance:

In Round 2, Munich surprised Paris with a win in France and then won all three games in Bavaria. Paris is a tough place to play but this season, Berlin has put up a legendary 33-2-6 home record. The Smurfs played 10 playoff games against Zurich and Kosice and were held under 4 goals just once. They also tied the EURO record for most goals in a season this year. And they were third-best at the defensive part of the game. Munich was in the middle of the pack in both goals for and goals against. Berlin seems to be the dominant team in this matchup. Still, as often happens in sports, the unexpected happens. Munich won the season series between these German teams. Can they do it again?

Goalies (playoffs):

Munich – Niko Hovinen 2.44 GAA and .920 save pct.
Berlin – Calvin Pickard 2.60 GAA and .902 save pct.

Top Plus/Minus players (playoffs):

Munich – Mike Hoffman, Moritz Seider and Cale Makar +5
Berlin – Artturi Lehkonen and P.K. Subban +14

Expert Panel Predictions:

Commissioner Chuck: Munich wins in 7 games. The Red Bulls won 3 of the 5 games these teams played against each other and all three of those wins were in overtime. That tells me Munich is better at bearing down when the going gets tough. It also tells me Berlin’s training regimen of alcohol and cheerleaders doesn’t work great when the going gets tough. And the going will get tough in this series. Also, of the two goalies, Niko Hovinen is on a better trajectory.
Rose: Berlin in 4 games. I have never liked the Smurfs. There is a rumor – and it’s just a rumor – that goes like this: Rose hated Guybrush and baked a batch of poisoned cookies for him but Erik Forssell got to them first, got very sick, and survived. Well, none of that story has been proven to be true other than the first part, the part where Rose hates Guybrush. Still, his team can be overpowering at times. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and his linemates haven’t really let loose in these playoffs yet, and I think they will have success right from the get-go against Munich and its younger, less experienced forwards.