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NHLGamers, The expectations were high both in the stands and on the ice as two Swedish top-tier teams clashed in a round 1 playoff series in IS Cup 4. On one side we have Växjö Lakers, a newly established team stacked with unrealized potential, full with youth and energy - on the other we have Synergy, who are now the juggernauts of Swedish virtual hockey. These teams competed in the same division in the group stage, where Växjö was the challenger and Synergy managed to win both games 4-1 and 3-0. That and the fact that we saw two outstanding Swedish teams go up against each other created a good hype for the matchup. Head-to-head (Regular season stats) TOP SCORER F_Normark (8GP, 10+21=31) vs EDHOLMINHO (12GP, 16+27=43) GOALTENDER Hullued (12GP, 8W, 76.52 SV%, 2.25 GAA) vs Rundqviiist (10GP, 9W, 90.90 SV%, 0.8 GAA) Game 1 Game 1 was quite the traditional affair in the sense that both teams started off with a tight set defensive scheme. The first period was scoreless but in the second Växjö took the lead only to see Synergy level the score minutes later. Växjö brought their young gun energy into game one and showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Both teams had their chances but at the 60-minute mark no additional goals had been scored. In overtime we saw a similar pattern continue, but eventually Växjö and @EDHOLMINHO managed to net a decisive goal. Synergy Hockey - Växjö Lakers HC 1-2 OT Game 2 The second game seemed to follow a very familiar agenda as both teams came out with a defense first mindset. In playoff hockey things change fast, however. Växjö seemed to be able to relax a bit more and find their stride offensively, which rather quickly led to them opening the scoring. Five goals for and a solid defense often wins you games as was the case with this one. Växjö puts a stranglehold on the series 2-0. Synergy is desperate to find new angles with their gameplan. Växjö Lakers HC - Synergy Hockey 5-1 Game 3 With Växjö being ahead 2-0 this third game was truly a do or die-situation for Synergy. A quite typical one at that too. This game was all about very disciplined and tactical play, few shots and even fewer scoring chances. Synergy managed to take the drivers seat with a goal late in the first. The meticulous trap game and solid team defense prevailed for what seemed to be an eternity until Växjö managed to break through and equalize. The goal came to start the third period and it was what you'd expect from these types of games - point shot with traffic at the net. Disciplined defensive battle ensued. It seemed the game was heading to overtime - like we saw in the first game - but Vaxjö executed a great playing pattern with quick passing and finished off a one-timer to score the decisive 2-1 goal with just 25 seconds to spare. The minor upset was reality. Synergy Hockey - Växjö Lakers HC 1-2 Synergy was a mild favorite to go through, but Vaxjö came to play and ultimately swept their opponents. With youthful energy, discipline and commitment to their gameplan they were clearly the better team in this series. Game two and the 5-1 win was surely the last straw that gave them the edge to take the whole series. Växjö also showed that they were the better team in the tight games. Good luck in the second round, boys! Which series should we follow closer in the next round?

NHLGamers, The playoffs for IS Cup 4 are well underway and we've already bore witness to a few upsets. Will we see anymore now that the stakes have been raised and the level of play has intensified, or will it be 'business as usual' for every higher ranked seed? All we can do now is wait and see! Please note that the schedule for the IS Cup 4 playoffs is as follows: Round 1: 28.10 - 30.10 Round 2: 31.10 - 3.11 Quarterfinals: 4.11 - 6.11 Semifinals & Finals @ GameXpo: 15-16.11 With that out of the way, here are the matchups for round 2: (1) HAVU Gaming vs Vaxjo Lakers HC (24) (2) Delusion vs Reality Check (23) (3) Symphony vs Almost Famous (17) (4) TIKI TALK vs Raccoon Rampage (15) (5) FILADELPHIA vs Vesa Pompa HC (14) (6) Butterfly Effect vs Unlucky Boys HC (13) (7) Bucketeers vs Roots (12) (8) POGGERS vs Northern Ascendancy (11) We would like to wish all of the teams good luck! Please agree on your game times as soon as possible and let us know in the comments when your games will be played. We will be broadcasting some games during the playoffs, so knowing our options well ahead of time gives us the best chances of featuring matchups! Also feel free to let us know your predictions for this round in the comments!

Image credit: Estudios Zürich NHLGamers, It’s yet another beautiful day as we get to announce another traditional sports franchise solidifying their presence in the rapidly growing esports environment. This time the Swiss hockey powerhouse ZSC Lions are making an entry into NHL esports by signing Swiss-based team The Black Jacks. The team, led by captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi has been competing at the ECL stage for three total seasons now, being promoted to the pro level to cap off a championship run in ECL 7. The three founding members SnuS, Mike @burban26 Müller and Mario @Cami_7 Camenzind are still proudly sporting the teams colours after transitioning over from Xbox in late 2017. Besides ECL competition the former The Black Jacks have played GCL rather successfully, amassing three seasons worth of experience but never managing to overcome their arch nemesis BRAYCE Phantoms in the finals. Is that the hottest non-scandinavian rivalry in the scene? "I met our manager Hakan Pazarcikli at a Call of Duty tournament some time ago, we had a short chat and I asked about the possibility to host an NHL tournament, which he showed some interest in. The tournament was held and with 124 participants signing up, we had proven the potential of NHL esports even in a non-traditional market like Switzerland. Negotiations ensued and Hakan managed to get us in touch with ZSC Lions about a 1 year engagement in NHL esports. We are happy to act as pioneers in the Swiss NHL community and eager to collect valuable experience with this project." - Captain Sven “Original_SnuS” Julmi on the negotiation process Image credit: Estudios Zürich & NHLGamer We had a short chat with captain @Original-SnuS about his feelings on the new partnership: ZSC Lions is one of the more prestigious Swiss clubs and seems to have the urge to be pioneers on many fronts (Case Matthews). Now heading into esports, how does it feel to represent an organisation like ZSC Lions? We are honoured to represent this club on the virtual ice. I am very happy that one of the best Swiss clubs showed interest in taking this step. We will proudly represent the colour of ZSC Lions in every game. You’ve now established yourselves as a Pro level team - what are your goals going into your second season at that level? Well, we only have one season behind us. The first one was decent but showed a lot of our weak points. Rest assured those quirks have been worked out and the next step is reaching playoffs. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves by setting bigger goals than that. The team didn’t give us any specific performance related goals to meet. ZSC Lions eSports will play their first games on Sunday, 3rd of November in a friendly matchup against Växjö Lakers. The puck drops at 20:00 CET and the action can be followed at www.twitch.tv/zscesports. Team captains Mike @burban26 Müller (A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C) and Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich (A) Image credit: Estudios Zürich ZSC Lions ZSC Lions is a hockey club hailing from the Swiss city of Zürich. The club was founded in 1930 and is one of the most prestigious clubs in the country with a total of eight national championships and several other accomplishments such as a CHL championship in 2009. The club is also known for being Auston Matthews’ home for the 2015-2016 season when the superstar got his first taste of pro hockey after going through the US National Team Development Program. ZSC Lions is the first Swiss organisation to venture into NHL esports.

Hey NHLGamers, On the 25th of October EA released the second update for NHL 20. Like the content update that came almost a month prior, it appears as though EA are sticking to their guns so to speak and are trying their damnedest not to change the core gameplay as much as they can. As such, the bulk of this patch comes in the form of a bunch of miscellaneous additions, although that said there are some that should be highlighted. Perhaps the biggest addition for EASHL players would be the option which now allows players to change which camera they view when in the box or on the bench. For HUT players however, the biggest change would be the inclusion of the new mode 'HUT Rivals'. For players who are still yet to play HUT Rivals, a breakdown of what the mode looks to achieve as well as a rough guide to it will be available shortly - so stay tuned for that! Not mentioned in the patch log, but you should notice the PS4 version play more like the Xbox One version now. The difference is small, but you should notice it's a little bit easier to bump a player off his/her balance from smaller nudges. At least in theory, this should make defence a little easier around the net. For the full changelog, please see below. Is it better? Is it worse? Let us know your thoughts on the new content update in the comments below!