Quick Glance:
One Slovakian team will advance to Round 2, that’s assured. And here’s an interesting stat about these two teams from the same nation: they not only had the exact same powerplay efficiency percentage during the season, but they also had identical penalty killing averages. If Kosice can get the Aleksander Barkov-to-Jake Guentzel thing working, and if Stanislav Galimov is at his best, it could be them who moves on. Bratislava is almost impossible to strategize against. The Eagles – all season long – have had a “next man up” attitude. There is no fixed line or defense pair. Even in goal, Coach Lindy Ruff can flip a coin to decide on the starter.
Goalies:
- Kosice – Stanislav Galimov, 3.16 GAA, .903 save pct.
- Bratislava – Spencer Knight, 3.04 GAA, .894 save pct.
Top Plus/Minus players:
- Kosice – Emil Bemstrom +17
- Bratislava – Zemgus Girgensons +29
Expert Panel Predictions:
- Commissioner Chuck: Kosice in 6 games. Bratislava has let me down every season. Why should Season 17 be different? Look for Kosice’s young stars like Adam Fantilli, Matty Beniers and Cole Caufield to catch fire and put together fancy plays to swing momentum at important moments.
- Rose: Bratislava in 6 games. The Eagles were in the top 7 in the league in shots for and shots against during the season. Kosice was in the bottom 8 in both areas. That alone tells me my least favorite team will win the series. I will just have to call in sick the next week so I don’t have to listen to my boss’s bragging.
