{"id":25604,"date":"2019-10-03T10:08:18","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T14:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.btsh.org\/bruise\/?p=25604"},"modified":"2019-10-03T10:08:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T14:08:19","slug":"2019-playoff-preview-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/2019-playoff-preview-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Playoff Preview (Part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

10) Cobra Kai<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero: Campbell. <\/strong>The team needs Campbell to play or they are in huge trouble. The good news for Cobra Kai is they really have no one you can expose. The bad news is they don\u2019t have a game-changer among them. Liam is excellent but he\u2019s not the type of guy that often goes end to end and scores. Their girls are very very good, but they aren\u2019t Rehabs\/Hookers\/Fresh Kills good. Campbell is where they get an advantage that most other teams can\u2019t match. I don\u2019t think this is their year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JW: <\/strong>Rich mentioned Campbell. I thought Campbell isn\u2019t eligible to play, no? Campbell is clearly the X factor for Kai (wait, did I just say \u201cX factor\u201d? What are these other 3 clowns turning me into??). Oh man, and we still have 9 teams left to do??\u00a0 Why did I agree to this.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meatbox: <\/strong>With Campbell in tow, I expect Cobra Kai to be one of the toughest outs in the playoffs (assuming he is able to make the trek down from Boston every weekend in October). However, given their seed, their path to the finals will end up being much tougher this season and it\u2019s hard for me to see them going beyond the Elite 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arya:<\/strong> I hate to make this all about Campbell but seriously, this Cobra Kai season has basically been a case study in how much they miss that guy.\u00a0 Even with him leaving, I still picked them<\/a> to win their division.\u00a0 Losing Campbell is a tough blow, sure, but other teams manage to win without a top 3 goalie, and the dojo still has a bunch of great players.\u00a0 As you probably know by now, my prediction was proven wrong as the Biters and Hookers both finished top 3 while Cobra Kai finished 10th. Fortunately, they were rewarded with a great first round matchup against the Demons (not an easy out, but preferable to the alternatives around them) and if Campbell comes in, they should win easily as it\u2019s basically the same team who got the #1 seed last year.\u00a0 A more alarming question is whether the win\/loss and goals against splits with and without Campbell demonstrate that he\u2019s been covering up some sloppy play these past couple years. A deep playoff run without him would put those conversations to bed. A deep playoff with him wouldn\u2019t, but they\u2019d be happy either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

9) Poutine Machine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meatbox: <\/strong>Last season Poutine finished 6th and promptly poached every new Sky Fighters player except Carlin. Expectations coming into the season were \u201csky high\u201d (oof) for the Poo Crew and to say that a 9th place finish is disappointing would be an understatement. They have as much talent as many of the teams in BTSH, but it seems as though that talent just hasn\u2019t gelled as expected. Do they right the ship during a matchup with 8 seed Karma and make a run? The teams split the season series, so it\u2019s possible Poutine makes it to the elite eight where they would be entirely dependant on reseeding being good to them. If Lbs, Rehabs, or the Hookers are there waiting, then we\u2019ll have seen the end of Poo Nation. Perhaps if some other d3\/d4 team makes it that far, we\u2019ll see Poutine reach the final 4, but I just don\u2019t think this is the year they raise the PBR cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JW: <\/strong>I hate it when I have to agree with Hicks, but he is right that Poutine have just as much talent as many teams, yet their talent doesn\u2019t seem to gel. Hicks is NOT right, however, regarding hot dogs and sandwiches (I only added this to piss off Glanzer). Word on the street is that Sullivan broke his thumb in the last game of the regular season. This does not bode well for Poutine\u2019s playoff hopes. Their matchup with Karma will be incredibly tight as both teams feature great goaltending, strong defense, and scoring prowess. They vanquish their divisional foes Instant Karma, and then lose to whoever comes next.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Poutine has already started celebrating.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Arya: <\/strong>I hate having to agree with Walker as much as he hates having to agree with Hicks (I don\u2019t really mind agreeing with Hicks tbh) but both those gentleman are right: good enough to win a playoff game, possibly two, but not good enough to win the championship this year.\u00a0 Poutine\u2019s formula is simple: they will wear you down with fast physical play and rely on Dickie to give up 1 goal max. There\u2019s too much talent on this team for the mediocre spot they finished in, but obviously in this league regular season means jack shit so who cares…as long as Dickie shows up in the playoffs, they can beat any team.\u00a0 I think they\u2019ll beat Karma in the Round of 16 and give whomever they play in the quarterfinals a scare before eventually falling. As always, I have no comment on any hot dog\/sandwich questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero: <\/strong>When SBJ announced he was going to Poutine at the D5 Awards Ceremony I was like this team is going to be gooooood. And they are good. But they haven\u2019t been gooooood. Don\u2019t get me wrong, they are one of the teams who can win the PBR Cup. And I think they will. Just not this season. From the underwhelming regular season to the disaster of losing to the Thin Mints in OC, this team hasn\u2019t gelled. But if their head coaching job ever opens, I\u2019d be first in line to take it. They have the talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8) Instant Karma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero: <\/strong>This is your captain of the year. Karma decided instead of using other teams good players to win games, they got good players themselves. I hope Derek stays and builds something great here. The girls they have are all really good. They can pull off a big upset and beat Poutine. I doubt they would get further, this has already been a successful season for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arya: <\/strong>Karma\u2019s had a great season and they get a matchup against a team they know quite well, their division rivals Poutine who last year beat them in a thrilling first round shootout where the end of the game was basically just Derek and Dickie playing against each other.\u00a0 Karma\u2019s got a lot going for them, and they outplayed Poutine in the playoffs last season, but I don\u2019t see them making too much noise this season. Ask me again in a year or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meatbox: <\/strong>What\u2019s not to love about this team? They might be the most likable of the teams in the top ten, they play a fast paced style that\u2019s fun to watch, and Steve Friedman\u2019s energy is contagious. On top of that they do that fun to watch thing where Steve jumps into someone\u2019s arms whenever they win, and I\u2019m not ready to not see that anymore in 2019. While I think they\u2019ll have exited by the round of 8, we should all be hoping for #onelasthop for 2019 when they play Poutine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JW: <\/strong>Rich, it wouldn\u2019t even be much of an upset if Karma beats Poutine. These two teams are fairly evenly matched (hmm, I feel like I\u2019ve said that a lot in this article). But, it\u2019s true. Derek, Cory, Matt, Creeden, their women, Steve in net, Isaac on D limiting scoring chances. They have the talent to beat any team. Unfortunately I think Poutine take the round of 16 game and it\u2019s curtains for this team. However, they\u2019ll always have that they ended WTP\u2019s winning streak.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero (2)<\/strong>: \u201c However, they\u2019ll always have that they ended WTP\u2019s winning streak.\u201d Jesus Walker as if that\u2019s a thing. Why are you, you?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7) Denim Demons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero: <\/strong>Jews<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meatbox: <\/strong>The Demons were one of the better stories of the year, going from 6-9-3 in 2018 to 11-3-4 this year. They even went 5-2-3 outside of Division 4, which squashes the argument that their success is entirely tied to their divisional strength of schedule. A first round draw with Campbell and Cobra Kai is less than ideal, however, and I think this unfortunately ends up being a Cinderella story that never takes off – similar to their claim of being league sweethearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arya: <\/strong>You can look at 5-2-3 as three games over .500, or you can view it as 5 wins and 5 losses.\u00a0 Loser points count the same in the standings, sure, and I like a lot of the players on this team, both as hockey players and fellow jews.\u00a0 But keep in mind the highest seeded team they beat this year was the 12th seeded Gremlins. They played teams tough but didn\u2019t beat anyone ranked in the top 11 all season, and getting swept in their season series with Mega Touch is a sin I simply cannot forgive.\u00a0 The Demons are always a tough out, but I\u2019d call their opening matchup with Cobra Kai a coin flip sans Campbell. Should he make the trip from Boston, it\u2019s going to be a long week of reflection in the sukkah.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JW: <\/strong>The Demons could beat Cobra Kai. I hope that it doesn\u2019t happen, but it could happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero (2) <\/strong>So I reffed the Demons vs. Riots and man are they fast. They have some good players who people won\u2019t be familiar with so I really think they have a shot to not only beat Cobra Kai, but pull some upsets after that. They won\u2019t hoist the PBR Cup, but two wins isn\u2019t impossible. That said, I would pick CK if Campbell shows, Demons if he doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On another note, can we as a league stop shitting on the Demons? (Almost) All of their assholes are long gone and they even brought back Christina! #GFYGlanzer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Filthier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arya: <\/strong>Just like every season, no one really talked about Filthier.\u00a0 And just like every season, they racked up wins and had a great regular season.\u00a0 Unfortunately, despite ranking #3 in wins, they were not the recipient of any loser points and thus drop to 6th and have to face the defending champs.\u00a0 Had even one of their five losses come in OT\/SO rather than regulation, they\u2019d be the 3 seed…but then they\u2019d have to play Fresh Kills. In the end fate comes for us all, and obviously Filthy\u2019s involves them having a shitty playoff draw.\u00a0 Lucky for them, their 1-2 punch of James and Tim is maybe the best in the league. I think they\u2019re a slight favorite over Fuzz and then a slight underdog against the Hookers or Rehabs, their two most likely quarterfinal opponents. But everyone knows what a hot goalie can do come playoff time and few out there are hotter than DJ Tim K.\u00a0 They\u2019re definitely a contender for the crown but would need a few upsets along the way to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero:<\/strong> \u201c Lucky for them, their 1-2 punch of James and Tim is maybe the best in the league.\u201d When I said I thought Gabe in his prime was better than James, Ann almost killed me. Well played, Arya.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meatbox: <\/strong>One of the more talented teams in the league, yet consistently underrated, in any other year I\u2019d have them reaching the Final 4, but that Fuzz draw is super unlucky. Feels like this is the first year Filthier doesn\u2019t reach the Elite 8 and possibly one where some teams have to guard their players from being poached more than usual as Filthier enters the hunt in an effort to increase attendance going into 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JW: <\/strong>I disagree with Frey that they\u2019re the favorite over Fuzz. I (unfortunately, AGAIN) agree with Hicks that Fuzz was a super unlucky draw for Filthier. If James, Sunny and the rest get really hot, and Tim is his usual self, Filthy will pull this out. But more likely they\u2019ll get bounced by Fuzz, and Glanzer will have to navigate a barrage of texts from Ann afterward.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richie Hero:<\/strong> Also, Burn in hell, Filthier! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10) Cobra Kai Richie Hero: Campbell. The team needs Campbell to play or they are in huge trouble. The good news for Cobra Kai is they really have no one you can expose. The bad news is they don\u2019t have a game-changer among them. Liam is excellent but he\u2019s not the type of guy that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6355,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-league-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6355"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25604"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25612,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604\/revisions\/25612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}