Quick Glance:
Record-setter Connor McDavid was an unstoppable force the second half of the season and the only thing that slowed him down even just a little was the break in the schedule between the regular season and the playoffs. But if you focus solely on McDavid, Helsinki has plenty of other weapons to cause you damage. With three 22-year-olds scheduled to start on the blueline for Stockholm, there might be some issues back there. The Swedish team’s best hope is the top forward line of Jack Eichel (100 points), Nikolaj Ehlers (82) and Filip Sveningsson (74) who will be able to have success if they can set up in the Helsinki zone and work for shots against a goalie with an .884 save percentage.
Goalies:
- Stockholm – Connor Hellebuyck, 3.46 GAA, .882 save pct.
- Helsinki – Andres De La Garma, 2.60 GAA, .884 save pct.
Top Plus/Minus players:
- Stockholm – Tobias Rieder +22
- Helsinki – Connor McDavid +70
Expert Panel Predictions:
- Commissioner Chuck: Helsinki in 5 games. Stockholm has two goalies who can get the job done in Connor Hellebuyck and Carter Hart, but unfortunately for them, they can only play one at a time. If the refs allow the team to play both goalies, well, then it would be a different story. But whoever is in goal will face an avalanche of shots from the Jokerit team that led the league in shots per game, firing more than 12 per period on average.
- Rose: Stockholm in 7 games. The team that gives women a chance to play should win because women are better people than men are. But that’s not the only reason I’m predicting a Stockholm upset. While Helsinki’s game is a whirlwind of passing, statistics show that Stockholm is strongest when they skate with – and hold onto – the puck. If they can make it more a physical series and have possession experts like Jack Eichel, Joel Eriksson Ek and Nikolaj Ehlers work their magic, then Stockholm could send McDavid and Crew to the off season here.
