Byline: Associated Press
The cream of the crop has risen. The 2019 rendition of the Stanley Keg Finals features the top two teams in the league. The favored and top heavy Nordiques look to hand the North Stars another post season disappointment. This proves to be a series of individuals versus a complete team. In a bold pre-draft trade, GM, cocky, Ivory Tower CEO and Mastermind @pantydropper accrued the top two players in the league @pauly and @hardyparty92 . “How could I go wrong by having these two MNL legends on the same ice at the same time” said Panty. The trade seemed to make sense for North Stars GM @ottotroy29 who said “our team is a complete club. We don’t have to rely on one or two guys to do all the scoring… All my guys are equally important to our overall success and have bought into MY system”.
If we look at the regular seasons head to head matchup, the Diques were able to flex their muscles against the Stars. The baby blue swept the season series four games to none and outscored them by a margin of 16-4. “That means absolutely nothing” commented a stoic @kolivere “we like the fact that no one sees us beating them”. The Stars are facing many hurdles if they want to stop the juggernaut facing them. First, they must overcome the Otto curse. Plagued by playoff collapses over the past few seasons, the Otto’s must motivate their club and demand the best from each player. @Tye Otto explained how this can be accomplished… “I bought some heavy duty duct tape to shut my brothers mouth closed, I will lead this team to victory”.
Secondly, the Stars will need to contain the leathal combination of #22, Sugar and @Peso. It will require top notch goaltending from Vezina finalist @Z. “I think he can steal us a game or two” said a confident @suokas. Lastly, they will need @jstarr moving the puck up and out of the zone to transition the offense. @gorlandi and @dratliff must continue their stellar play and fill the net with vulcanized rubber. “Those guys are a joy to watch and Im a better player by having them on the ice with me” commented @BULL. For the North Stars to hoist the Keg they will need Conn Smythe performances from Gio and Rattler.
The roadmap and game plan for the Diques to win is simple… Change Nothing! It’s no secret to the rest of the MNL, stop the big three. The boys combined for 56 of the 72 goals scored by them this year. “Our strategy is simple” said cocky Dique @qziraldo. “Score more goals than them!”. Qtip has chipped in with a playoff tally this year along with @wright who has outplayed his draft status. Quietly, the Nords have a solid defense led by the Silent Assassin @ericlepoudre and @brauny. The overall team defense takes a back seat to the offense but is still solid.
The question mark lies in goal. Can @jcoan stay focused enough to make the timely save. “I compare this to the 1980’s Edmonton Oilers. Grant Fuhr only saw a handful of shots per game but they were all quality scoring chances” observed fellow MNL tendie @CLAWZ. Clawz is scheduled to provide analysis to ESPN 8 which will be broadcasting the event online and hosted by everyone’s favorite Polish-Asian @chad_paulinski.
The series will be fast and entertaining. Look for the Nordiques to come out firing and put the North Stars in a deep whole they can’t get out of.
Prediction: Nordiques in a sweep!
Dickie Dunn
