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NHLGamers, The FCL is rolling on nicely and with that we're in for some exciting times of playoff hockey to cap off the prestigious Finnish championships. 32 of the best teams remaining will starting tomorrow go all out for the title and of course the biggest share of prize money. Now also the defending champs HAVU Gaming get to hop in on the action as they'll be facing seed 32 Cheers Hockey in their first bout of the competition. According to the above excerpt from the FCL 6v6 rulebook, the first round of playoffs are played in best-of-five manner and are to be played between 14.9 and 18.9. With the formalities now out of the way, let's present our first round playoff matchups with brief previews of each battle: (1) HAVU Gaming vs Cheers Hockey (32) The reigning champions HAVU Gaming get their first taste of competitive hockey since early June in this best-of-five series against Cheers Hockey, who are a skilled team in their own right but in all fairness in an entirely different league compared to HAVU. The champs might be a bit sleepy to start it off, but should be able to advance without any issues. (2) FILADELPHIA vs Gotham Knights (31) FILA is another juggernaut who seem to top the tables in every tournament regardless who they are facing and when they are doing so. They'll be going up against Gotham Knights, who just barely squeezed through as a best 5th placing team, the prestigious franchise has had a troublesome FCL so far, trading points in unfavourable ways in the group stage. FILA advances with ease. (3) YMCA Esports vs SJ Gaming (30) Who'd expect two Elite caliber teams going up against each other at this stage? YMCA has proven themselves in the past few seasons and have continued performing at a high level whereas SJ Gaming had some turnover after ECL 10 and have run into issues at the start of the FCL. A big improvement will be required from SJ if they want to have the slightest chance of advancing. (4) hREDS vs Oulunsalon Pallo (29) The big, bad reds might just be the most skilled team on the virtual ice and they have shown that by dominating their group throughout the group stage. they should have no issues overcoming Oulunsalon Pallo, who are up for perhaps the biggest challenge of their competitive careers so far. (5) JYP Jyvaskyla vs Angry Cats (28) JYP is eager to get back to playing high stakes games after a heartbreaking disappointment in the ECL 10 playoffs. The team topped their group with ease and are looking to continue on that path from now on. Angry Cats have proven to be a capable team but will need to speed up their game by at least a few notches if they want to have a chance. (6) GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs Sulkavan Sudet (27) After flexing their offensive guns in the group stage games, GHETTO FIREBIRDS have proven to be a serious contender. Sulkavan Sudet will have their hands full if they want to contain the wide arsenal of the FIREBIRDS while maintaining some scoring danger of their own. (7) KOVA Esports vs Kouvola Screaming Eagles (26) KOVA was the lowest scoring group winner but also is among the teams with least goals conceded - playoff mode already perhaps? Kouvola has a dangerous offense but can compromise in their own end. They will need to find stability if they would want to salvage some wins in this series. (8) SAWO ESPORTS vs Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa (25) SAWO ESPORTS had some issues coming into the tournament, dropping points in unfortunate games for them, but the team managed to find their pace and finished the group stage in spectacular fashion, topping group 7. They'll be facing dear rivals Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa in the first round. The group stage games were even between these two, with the aggregate score 7-6 in favor of Frosty, though. SAWO should be able to win this series however. (9) Tunnel Vision vs Hundred Acre Wood (24) We'll be in for an interesting bout between the very young and talented roster of Tunnel Vision and the Finnish-Swedish connection in Hundred Acre Wood. Tunnel Vision should be able to notch the required victories if they can keep their cool and play true to their level. (10) GENESIS vs Roots (23) What happened here? You'd imagine these two should be switched around when it comes to seeding but the fact is that GENESIS put on a show in the group stage overcoming Roots twice in their matchups. Roots on the other hand dropped important points in the opening round against GENESIS, which pushed them down in the standings. An even battle should be expected, but I'd personally chalk up a series win for Roots. (11) Kaupallinen Yhteistyo vs TIKI TALK (22) Both of these teams have seen some turnover as of late, but it seems like the level of competition has remained high on both sides. Kaupallinenhas a skilled offense with lots of hours in the game, but TIKI is known to be strong on counters and dangerous from every position on the ice. This will be an even one. (12) Exerceo vs CRY IS FREE (21) The recently formed ensemble of Exerceo looks good on paper and is expected to improve even further when they get more games together under their belt. CRY IS FREE has a wide array of talent in their roster, but I'm expecting Exerceo to come away with the series victory, just like they did in both group stage games. (13) Black Horse vs Children of Ice (20) A slightly renewed Black Horse will be taking on Children of Ice consisting of some of the most experienced players around the scene. Black Horse gets a minor advantage in the amount of talent but Children of Ice should prevail through sheer experience. (14) HC Dynastia Hockey vs Blackdawgs (19) These two faced each other already in the group stage, where the tight games both ended in a victory for HC Dynastia Hockey. Hard fought battles are to be expected, but Dynastia should be the ones advancing. (15) Enigma vs SOPPAJENGI (18) Enigma didn't have the easiest start for their FCL campaign as they dropped points against the likes of CapeTown Kings and Hundred Acre Wood, but they clawed their way into the playoffs and have prove themselves before. SOPPAJENGI has an impressive roster with limited time together, it'll be a matchup to keep an eye out for and it's definitely one of the toughest ones to predict. (16) Nordic Stars vs Pata Hellalla (17) This has been said a million times before, but Nordic Stars is definitely one of those teams that seem to have a ton of hours in the game every year and it shows in their game. Pata Hellalla on the other hand seems to be rejuvenated since the acquisition of scene legend @JOHTAJAVIRTANEN. This series in anyones for the taking! Make sure to follow the teams on social media for information on possible broadcasts!

NHLGamers, Did you score the sweetest goal, make the greatest save or biggest hit? Whatever your clip from FCL 6v6 may be - please send it in by linking it in the comments below! Some of the nicest clips will be featured on Gigantti Gaming's Instagram. The submission determined the nicest clip will be awarded an NHLGamer hoodie and T-shirt. We will also randomly award one submission with a t-shirt or hoodie - so even if you don't win, you can win. Makes sense, right? The first deadline for submissions is Saturday 12th of Septemer, but please send in your clips throughout the playoffs too. If your clips are good enough quality, they might be featured on the FCL broadcasts too. Reminder about social media Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerCOM @Gigantti @esm_gg #FCL #eSM Instagram: When posting on Instagram, can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial @GiganttiGaming @esmkisat #FCL #eSM