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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

We have reached the conference semifinal stage of the Northern Arena Cup co-produced by NHLGamer. It was a fairly upset free round 1, with Anaheim Ducks Gaming being the only low seed to advance to the next round. This makes for some very exciting rounds, and a lot of very good teams about to be sent home. #1 Seattle Entourage vs #6 Anaheim Ducks Gaming 12-1-2 Record 9-4-2 3.33 GF/GM 3.07 1.73 GA/GM 2.53 52.17 PP% 10.53 86.36 PK% 92.31 Round 1: Seattle defeated #8 Arizona Mars in 4 games Anaheim defeated #3 Chicago Phantoms in 3 games Seattle made it through relatively easy getting through the west coast team in Arizona. While they did put up a very solid fight, Seattle’s experience and skill shined through in the end, advancing in 4 games. Anaheim made a relative upset in terms of seeding, although winning in exciting fashion sweeping Chicago. I said in my previous preview that they need to play better defensively, and they did exactly that in the series, allowing only 5 goals in 3 games. Despite being the lowest seed left in playoffs, they deserve to be considered a contender, and will make this series a barn burner. Prediction: Seattle in 5 games, 3 of 5 games will be 1 goal games. #2 Calgary Prodigy HC vs #4 San Jose Chilltown HC 10-2-3 Record 10-4-1 3.33 GF/GM 3.13 2.87 GA/GM 2.20 7.89 PP% 24.24 91.3 PK% 85.29 Round 1: Calgary defeated #7 Winnipeg Denial in 4 games. San Jose defeated #5 Dallas Walking Dead in 5 games. The young guns in Calgary continue rolling from their late-season winning streak, beating Winnipeg in 4. Their offense continues to shine through, even against a good defensive team, scoring 13 goals in 4 games. Their powerplay continues to struggle, going 0/5 in the series, which is pretty surprising given their offensive prowess. San Jose ran into a trending upwards Dallas and weathered the storm with a game 5 shutout to win the series. Despite the final 2 games going well in the way of San Jose, the first 3 games were 1 goal affairs with games 2 and 3 going into overtime. It will be another offense vs defense series, and it will be which team can establish their gameplan most effectively. Prediction: San Jose in 5. Game 5 will be a 2-1 game. Eastern Conference #1 New York Underdogs vs #4 Philadelphia Problematic 13-1-1 Record 11-3-1 4.47 GF/GM 3.93 1.73 GA/GM 2.40 41.18 PP% 30.43 41.67 PK% 80.95 Round 1: New York defeated #8 Long Island 6th Sense in 5 games. Philadelphia defeated #5 Boston Nationalz in 5 games. New York had a bit of a scare as the top seed in the east, going up 2-0 early before Long Island came back to bring it to game 5, an overtime win for New York. This team carries a ton of expectation being the top seed and with a fantastic record of 13-1-1, and perhaps the first round scare will give them some added fire in the next round. Philly was a bit of a surprise team after finishing the regular season with a 11-3-1 record. They have proven they can hang with the best, and most recently beat Boston Nationalz in a nail biter 5 game series. It’s hard to consider them a dark horse with a record of 11-3-1, but it will be a tough task going up against New York. Prediction: New York in 4 games. #2 Toronto Composure vs #3 Tampa Bay Vertigo 12-2-1 Record 12-2-1 3.47 GF/GM 4.73 1.20 GA/GM 2.47 56.25 PP% 26.32 88.89 PK% 83.33 Round 1: Toronto defeated #7 CBJ Gaming in 4 games Tampa Bay defeated #6 Canadiens Esports in 5 games Toronto came out swinging in the first round, taking the series over CBJ in 4 games, including a 5-1 and 6-0 win. After a disappointing CBJ Cup, they are hungry for another event win before the year ends. They’ll look to replicate their success from the regular season against Vertigo after a 3-1 win in week 2. Tampa Bay is on the opposite end of the spectrum, after winning the CBJ Summer Cup, and look to make it back to back event wins. They certainly have the talent to do it, but have come off a tough 5 game series against Canadiens Esports. It is quite the shame that one of these teams have to be eliminated before at least the semifinals, but this should make it for that much more of an exciting series. Prediction: Toronto in 5 games. There will be some very close games for sure, and some heartbreak for one of these teams to go home too early. Thanks for reading! Good luck to everyone competing!

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!

Last spring the Finnish Hockey League, as many other sports leagues around the world, was canceled. As a response to the feedback from the hockey community, the season was finished unofficially online through the NHL 20 console game. The ePlayoffs finals gathered over 165 000 unique viewers in total. The fan reception was overwhelmingly positive throughout the execution. “It is safe to say that ePlayoffs exceeded our wildest expectations. We received tons of positive feedback from both the teams and the hockey community. The positive feedback is what inspired us to move forward with an official esports league. We are thrilled to launch the first-ever season of eLiiga,” says Aija Saha, Marketing Manager of Finnish Hockey League. eLiiga will be played using the NHL 21game and every team in the league will be represented by Finland’s top 1v1 players. Games are broadcasted by Telia and MTV, the biggest commercial TV-channel in Finland. NHLGamer is involved in this project as part of the production. “We are very thrilled to continue our cooperation with the Finnish Hockey League after our first successful outing with the ePlayoffs. The new series aims to reach fans of traditional hockey as well as esports. We see eLiiga as an important part of bringing new fans to the whole esports scene,” says Niklas Segercrantz from Telia Esports Series. In 2019 Telia launched Telia Esports Series and ever since its foundation the series has steadily grown and this year alone they have successfully expanded from Finland to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. This summer Telia Esports Series also announced an official eFootball league together with Veikkausliiga, the premier division of Finnish Football. “Launching eLiiga means that Finland’s two largest sports series now have their esports counterparts. Finland is embracing esports on a truly impressive level and we are proud to be a part of it. We aim to help esports players of all levels to rise to the top,” concludes Segercrantz. eLiiga will begin on the 1st of November and the premium partner for the league is PlayStation. “PlayStation is excited to be a partner of eLiiga as the +500k strong Finnish PlayStation community loves sports games. Ice hockey is clearly close to the heart of our players with EA SPORTS NHL being the most popular sports game in Finland,” says Suman Rath, General Manager of PlayStation in the Nordics. How to participate Aside from being involved in the league production, NHLGamer will be organizing the official eLiiga Näytön Paikka (=showcase) tournament, which allows players a platform to show their skills in hopes of impressing the Liiga clubs. Each club will be represented by two players. To participate in the qualifying tournament, sign up here. Please fill in the form carefully, as it allows both our staff and the clubs participating in the eLiiga to contact you if necessary. NOTE! Participation in the Screen Place tournament is NOT a guarantee that you will represent clubs. Each club conducts its own player selection and contract negotiations. Other relevant information: Telia Esports Series website Tournament Rules: eLiiga Näytön Paikka tournament rules Please join NHLGamer's Discord server to make it easier to communicate with the other players and our staff:

It’s officially time for the playoffs in the Northern Arena Cup presented by NHLGamer. Over 90 teams signed up for a chance at glory, 32 teams have run through the qualifiers, played 15 games across 2 weeks, and we are now down to the top 16 teams left to battle it out for the $10,000 prize pool. Of course, due to the real-life NHL teams being represented here, we will see 8 teams in the western conference and 8 teams in the eastern conference. The competition and parity in the league was actually very strong, as there were many teams that were separated by only a couple of points. This could create some powerhouse matchups, where if some teams slipped up for a day could have changed their seed from a 3rd seed all the way to a bottom 2 seed potentially. There will be lots of action-packed games and series, so let's go through all of the matchups. #1 Seattle Entourage vs #8 Arizona Mars 12-1-2 Record 8-5-2 3.33 GF/GM 3.13 1.73 GA/GM 2.67 52.17 PP% 5.26 86.36 PK% 66.67 Seattle came into the event with high expectations of finishing in the top seed, and they did exactly that, only dropping one game in regulation in the process. The team felt in control throughout the season and rarely had any hitches. They were top 5 in a large amount of categories, which is no surprise given their very solid 12-1-2 record. Arizona Mars came off a very solid run in the CBJ Summer Cup finishing top 8 as Complex. While they may not be a team you first think of for playoff contenders, they managed to get back into a playoff scenario squeaking into that final spot in the west. Keys to the series: Seattle needs to stick to their gameplan and not get derailed by any antics from Arizona. As Arizona is a west coast connection, there will be some factor there, but this team has pulled through it before, and are riding high heading into the series. Arizona need to stay out of the penalty box. Seattle has the best power play in the west, operating at a massive 52.17%, while their penalty kill sits second last with a 66.67%. If they can keep games close throughout and not give Seattle too much confidence they can steal some early games and make it a battle. Prediction: Seattle Entourage in 4 #2 Calgary Prodigy HC vs #7 Winnipeg Denial 10-2-3 Record 9-4-2 3.33 GF/GM 2.93 2.87 GA/GM 1.73 7.89 PP% 20 91.3 PK% 77.78 Calgary Prodigy went through some roster changes prior to the event, and while I thought they would be within the playoff bubble, they went on a late-season run and managed to finish in a respectable 2nd place. The young guns on this team all love their high skill plays, and the entire lineup can be weapons. Winnipeg Denial ended up being the opposite, where I thought they would be pretty smooth sailing, but a slow start to the season forced them to have some second-half heroics to get back into the playoff picture. The team does have the chem and the event pedigree where any seed they finish in they can make a run and compete. Keys to the Series: Calgary will need to break through Winnipeg’s defense and use their skill to score plenty of goals. This team had good offensive numbers, but they were below average defensively, so they will either have to tighten up or prepare to pot some goals. Winnipeg will need to continue their tight defensive game. Unlike Calgary, Winnipeg Denial had very solid defensive numbers, and it could prove to be the x-factor for them in the series. With Calgary’s powerplay fizzling out with a 2.63%, it could be another leg up in the series. Prediction: Winnipeg Denial in 5 #3 Chicago Phantoms vs #6 Anaheim Ducks Gaming 10-4-1 Record 9-4-2 3.07 GF/GM 3.07 1.53 GA/GM 2.53 29.41 PP% 10.53 86.36 PK% 92.31 Chicago Phantoms came together and reunited for this event under the Phantoms banner, and they continued where they left off with a respectable 3rd seed in the west. They were consistently solid throughout the season, and have good underlying numbers in all categories. Their special teams have been red hot as well, being top 4 in both in PP% and PK%. Anaheim Ducks Gaming picked up BBB for their team, and they finished decently. To be honest, they started off strong but kind of stumbled into the playoffs, but a good squad nonetheless. They have had a lot of close games in the season, which could benefit them heading into the playoffs, where the games are usually much tighter. Keys to the Series: Chicago will need to capitalize on their strong powerplay. They finished with a 3rd ranked 29.41%, and will look to get an early lead potentially with a powerplay goal. This series will be very tight, so a good performance from the defense and goaltending could prove to be the difference. Anaheim needs to play a tighter defensive game. This team has very active puck-moving defensemen, and can score when needed, but it will be the defensive side of the game that will carry them through the series. They had a relatively high goals against per game compared to other playoff teams at 2.53, so they will need to be better in their own end. Prediction: Chicago in 5 #4 San Jose Chilltown HC vs #5 Dallas Walking Dead 10-4-1 Record 10-5-0 3.13 GF/GM 2.93 2.2 GA/GM 1.87 24.24 PP% 10.34 85.29 PK% 76.92 San Jose Chilltown made a couple of changes heading into the event, bringing in some experienced players like TheGreatMP7 and Vaporize 17 into the fray. This roster has the benefit of having multiple players who can all be solid contributors to any team out there, and can play at multiple positions. It’s a unique trait to have as a team, but the rotation could prove to be useful. Dallas Walking Dead have been known as a high offense team, with lots of chemistry between the forwards from many events. However, Northern Arena has given them new light in being a fairly solid defensively responsible team. I never would’ve expected Walking Dead to be a middle of the pack team offensively but a really good defensive team, but perhaps this is a factor to their recent success. Keys to the Series: San Jose will need to use their playoff experience to their advantage. This team doesn’t have a player that hasn’t had some sort of event playoff experience, and can most certainly be a factor heading into a big series. This team has been known for its defensive prowess, and I would say their regular season was more of an anomaly. Dallas will need to continue with their defensive play. It’s going to be a tight series, and before I wasn’t sure if they could compete in those tight games because of their all offense gameplan. They seem to have found a good balance between both sides of the puck, so it could be very fun to watch this team heading into the playoffs. Prediction: San Jose in 5 #1 New York Underdogs vs #8 Long Island 6th Sense 13-1-1 Record 9-4-2 4.47 GF/GM 2.47 1.73 GA/GM 1.60 41.18 PP% 33.33 41.67 PK% 90.91 New York Underdogs came into this event slated to finish first, and did they ever do that. They quite frankly have looked rather dominant at times, and with only 2 losses all season it’s definitely showing in the stats department. Not only are they scoring lots of goals with 67 goals in 15 games, they only are allowing 26. Long Island shifted some players around, and their new look team finished in the final playoff spot with a 9-4-2 record. While they didn’t score nearly as many goals as their counterpart, they certainly played a good defensive game, only allowing 24 goals in 15 games. Keys to the Series: I guess New York just needs to continue what they’re doing. They have been blowing the competition away so far, and they just need to stick to whatever their gameplan is to continue through the playoffs. Their penalty kill has been rather lackluster with a 41.67%, so they should try and stay out of the box. Long Island will look to continue to play a strong defensive game. Going up against an offensive force like the Underdogs, the best counter for it will be playing a defensively sound game. They have shown they can do it in the regular season, and keeping the games low scoring will give them the chance to shock the top seed. Prediction: New York in 4 #2 Toronto Composure vs #7 CBJ Gaming 12-2-1 Record 9-3-3 3.47 GF/GM 2.47 1.20 GA/GM 1.33 56.25 PP% 10.0 88.89 PK% 80.95 Toronto came into this event looking for some redemption after a disappointing top 16 finish in CBJ Gaming. They did just that again in the regular season with a fairly dominating performance in the regular season. Their powerplay was an astonishing 56.25%, and they had the lowest goals against per game with a 1.20. CBJ Gaming brought their own roster to the event featuring lots of local Columbus talent. Despite this, I thought they were going to struggle with the top tier competition. They ended up making playoffs in a Cinderella story manner, and look to make a dark-horse run. Keys to the Series: Composure will need to establish their tight possession game and give CBJ no space to maneuver. They always seem to have high TOA numbers, and in combination with their very good defensive system makes it extremely difficult to play against. CBJ needs Welsh to continue his monstrous run. He has been lights out for them, and a key reason why they have such a good goals against per game. They are going up against the only team with a lower goals against than them, so they will need to match their play to sneak in some tight wins. Prediction: Toronto in 3 #3 Tampa Bay Vertigo vs #6 Canadiens Esports 12-2-1 Record 10-3-2 4.73 GF/GM 3.47 2.47 GA/GM 2.27 26.32 PP% 22.22 83.33 PK% 91.67 Tampa Bay have always been a threat in all events they play in. This one is no different, finishing with a 12-2-1 record. They also have been goal-scoring machines, scoring 71 goals across 15 games. Montreal picked up their own roster for the event, and it paid off with a very solid 10-3-2 record. They started off somewhat slowly, but picked it up for the second week finishing with an 8-2-0 record in the final 10 games of the season. Keys to the Series: While their goals for is tops in the league, Tampa Bay had a somewhat average defensive performance, with only a 2.47 goals against per game, good for 8th in the east. For a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs, they will need to be better in their own end to make that happen. Montreal will need to keep their momentum going from their final week success. This team has a solid roster that can challenge Tampa Bay and potentially make an upset, but if they can use their confidence gained from a solid string of games in the final week, it could certainly increase their chances. Prediction: Tampa Bay in 4 #4 Philadelphia Problematic vs #5 Boston Nationalz 11-3-1 Record 11-4-0 3.93 GF/GM 3.07 2.40 GA/GM 2.53 30.43 PP% 29.63 80.95 PK% 76.19 Philadelphia Problematic picked up the Road 2 Glory roster for the season. I thought they would find themselves within the playoff bubble, but they impressed with an 11-3-1 record. Their additions to their roster paid off and they have had a respectable season. Boston Nationalz started off very hot being the last team to be undefeated in the regular season before dropping a couple of games late in the season. An 11-4-0 record to finish in the 5th seed is still very respectable. Keys to the Series: Philadelphia will need to continue to score at the clip they are in the regular season. With 3.93 goals for per game, they have been scoring in waves and can prove to be their largest asset. Their powerplay has also been solid with a 30.43%, so it will need to continue to be impactful for them to advance. Boston needs to match the offense of Philadelphia. They are known as an offensive team, but they have only really been average with a 3.07 goals for per game. Also, their penalty kill has been mediocre compared to other top teams at 76.19% Prediction: Philadelphia in 5 Good luck to all of the teams in the playoffs, be sure to tune into the streams to catch all of the action!

NHLGamers, Since last night at approximately 21 CEST, the NHL 21 closed technical test is live. If you signed up for the test, you might want to check your email including spam folder for a possible code. Keep in mind not everyone was guaranteed one. The NHL 21 technical test is held for the purpose of collecting data and feedback on the available features in gameplay, the new dekes, improved AI, and the goalie controls and positioning. The technical test does not include all new features coming to the final product and does not represent the final product in any way. Remember that as per the terms and conditions of the closed technical test, you are not permitted to capture or share any video or screenshots of the test build of the game. No information about the duration of the technical test is currently available. We will update this article when we learn more. We will be sending EA our collective thoughts, so please discuss the test build of the game in the comments section below, in our allocated thread or send your feedback directly to the EA Forums.

NHLGamers, The first week of 6v6 competition is in the record books, but the 1v1 action is just getting started. With starting the action, you'll naturally also need some information. We're happy to have around 200 participants that all are looking to challenge the champion Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola for the throne. Below is a quick walkthrough of the most important information for participants: Schedule Regular season: 31.8.-20.9. Playoffs: 21.9.-1.10. Finals (Top 4): 10.10. The schedule is accessible through the league page, please remember to contact your opponents in time before the scheduled date. Brief season description The regular season will commence with group stage play. Players will be divided into 15 groups with approximately 13-14 players in each group. In these groups, all players will face each other once and finally the top eight players from each group will advance to the playoffs (a total of 120 players). The playoffs will be played in best-of-five manner with the exception of a live-event, where the semifinals and finals would be best-of-three. The fourth round of the playoffs will hold 32 players, as invitees Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will join the tournament at that stage. The remaining 32 players will be divided into groups of four players, where they will play to face each opponent twice. The two best players in each group will advance to the top 16 finals, which are again played in a best-of-five manner. Rulebook You can find the rulebook here. It is also always available through the league menu. We strongly suggest every player gets familiar with the rules before jumping on the ice. League Administration All league related verdicts will be decided by the League Administration. To open up a case, visit the Support section. Please note: before contacting League Administration, players are expected to do their best and solve issues they might have on their own. Familiarize yourself with our rules first, as they include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always to be used as the last resort to solve any disagreements. Communication In order to get in touch with your opponent, you can use the private message function on our site or the FCL 1v1 discord channel which can be found on the NHLGamer discord server You can join our discord server by clicking the button below. Please communicate with your scheduled opponent in time. In the NHLGamer Discord you will find an FCL 1v1 group with designated channels for each group, and own channels for general chat, announcements and to share your streams (image below) Licenses All participating players must acquire a SEUL license, which costs 5€ to obtain. Participating without a license can lead to sanctions such as point loss or in grave cases disqualification. Acquire your license here Social media Twitter: When posting tweets about your tournament progress or any other related content - 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 We hope everyone has a great FCL. Good luck to all players!

NHLGamers, It's time to jumpstart also the 1v1-action in our national leagues, with that you'll obviously also need some information on how to get the ball rolling. We're happy to see so many signups this year with a total of over 90 Swedish gamers signing up to fight for the championship title, defended by Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund. Below is a quick walkthrough of the most important information for participants: Schedule Regular season: 31.8.-12.9. Playoffs: 14.9.-24.9. Finals (Top 16): 2.10. The schedule is accessible through the league page, please remember to contact your opponents in time before the scheduled date. Brief season description The regular season of SCL 1v1 lasts for two weeks. Players will compete in 9 groups with approximately 10 players in each group. Games are scheduled but can be rescheduled as desired within the given time constraints. All players within a group will face each other once. The top six players (54 in total) and the six best 7th placed players will advance to the playoffs (60 players in total). The playoffs are played in best-of-five manner. The finals with the top 16 players will consist of a group stage with four players in each group. All players in a group will face each other twice and the top two players in each group will advance to the eventual playoffs with the eight best players. Rulebook You can find the rulebook here. It is also always available through the league menu. We strongly suggest every player gets familiar with the rules before jumping on the ice. League Administration All league related verdicts will be decided by the League Administration. To open up a case, visit the Support section. Please note: before contacting League Administration, players are expected to do their best and solve issues they might have on their own. Familiarize yourself with our rules first, as they include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always to be used as the last resort to solve any disagreements. Communication In order to get in touch with your opponent, you can use the private message function on our site or the SCL 1v1 discord channel which can be found on the NHLGamer discord server You can join our discord server by clicking the button below. Please communicate with your scheduled opponent in time. In the NHLGamer Discord you will find an SCL 1v1 group with designated channels for each group, and own channels for general chat, announcements and to share your streams (image below) Licenses All participating players must acquire a SESF license, which is free to obtain. Participating without a license can lead to sanctions such as point loss or in grave cases disqualification. Acquire your license here Social media Twitter: When posting tweets about your tournament progress or any other related content - can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerCOM @swehockeyse @svenskesport #SCL #NHLGamer #esports Instagram: When posting on Instagram, can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial @swehockeyse #SCL #NHLGamer #esports We hope everyone has a great SCL. Good luck to all players!

NHLGamers, The time has come for the Swedish Champions League to kick off. Last year when the SCL was introduced for the first time, 22 teams signed up for the competition. This year we’ve seen a massive increase in numbers as an outstanding 40 teams have registered for the race! We are happy to see such big growth happening in the Swedish community. Let's make sure we are as welcoming to new members as possible to make sure we continue on this path. Below we have collected the most important information for our teams and captains: Schedule The season kicks off today, Saturday 28th of August, after which we will be following the following default game days and times: Tuesday 20:00 CEST Thursday 20:00 CEST Sunday 20:00 CEST The schedule is available through the menu both on the main page and here on the community side. Please note that some scheduled days feature two matchups. Schedule for SCL 6v6: Group stage: 29.8-13.9 Play-in Round: 14.-15.9. (BO5) Playoffs Round 1: 17.-20.9 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 22.-25.9 (BO7) Semifinals: 27.-30.9 (BO7) Bronze series (BO3) + Finals: 3.10 (BO7) Groups Below is the complete list of the teams participating this season and in which groups they will play (teams displayed in random order): The reigning Swedish Champion Vesa Pompa HC was invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed, but the team announced that they have decided not to accept this invitation, as they would rather work on their team play by participating in the group stage. Brief season description The regular season lasts 3 weeks. The top 3 teams of each group advance directly to the playoffs. Teams finishing the regular season in spots 4 and 5 will play a BO5 Play-in Series to determine which team in each group takes the 4th and last spot into the Playoffs. The Playoffs will be played in BO7 series'. Please see the rulebook for a more detailed description. Rulebook You can find the rulebook here. It is also always available through the league menu. We strongly suggest every player gets familiar with the rules before jumping on the ice and at the very least that the captains do so. The rulebook is in Swedish, so any foreign players will have to turn to their captains for a recap. The rulebook strongly builds on the ECL 10 rulebook, but there are some minor differences, such as the instigation of fights being forbidden. League Administration All league related verdicts will be decided by the League Administration. To open up a case, visit the Support section. Please note: before contacting League Administration, teams are expected to do their best and solve issues they might have on their own. Familiarize yourself with our rules first, as they include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always to be used as the last resort to solve any disagreements. Communication In order to get in touch with your opponent, you can use the "Message all captains" button (pictured below) on the team's page. This will send a private message on the NHLGamer community to the three listed captains. Additionally, we offer an NHLGamer Discord server, which you can join by clicking the button below. We ask that at the very least the captains of each team join the server, as messaging through Discord is instant and it is a great way to communicate quickly and briefly. In the NHLGamer Discord you will find an SCL 6v6 group with designated channels for each group, and own channels for general chat, announcements and to share your streams (image below) A cool feature on Discord is also being able to get a team role (example above), which enables people to see what team you represent. See the channel #team-commands-guide for instructions on how to get your own role. If you need help with this, please see the #discord-support channel. Broadcasts The official NHLGamer broadcasts will be on NHLGamer's Twitch channel. Please follow our channel to support us and to get notified when we go live. The broadcast schedule and more comprehensive instructions will be published later. Team management tools All teams have been created, the team management tools on the main page have been unlocked for the team captains. All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of playing their first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on the main page for them) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing! In case you have further questions, feel free to use the comment section below this article, or contact support. Licenses All Swedish and Finnish players require a player license from their respective esports federation, acquire your license by following instructions provided in the links below. For players of other nationalities, a license from their respective esports federation is recommended, but not required. Acquire your license here (Swedes) Acquire your license here (Finns) Please note that playing without an active license is against the rules and can lead to forfeits and/or disqualification. All captains have been sent a Private Message last night and are expected to email in a response per email. 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 @swehockeyse @svenskesport #SvSeHockey #SCL #NHLGamer #esports Instagram: When posting on Instagram, can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial @swehockeyse #SvSeHockey #SCL #NHLGamer #esports We hope everyone has a great SCL. Good luck to all teams!

NHLGamers, During this past week the NHLGWC regional finals and in that also the final events of the GWC season were completed. Due to the worldwide pandemic situation, all live events were cancelled and with that also the grand finals will be absent this year. Instead, fans around the world got to enjoy the play of our regional finalists in what would be some incredibly high stakes regional finals that we would cap off by crowning three regional champions - one in Canada, one in Europe, one in the US. Each of the regional champions took home a total of $10,000 USD and runner-ups earned a hefty slice of prize money with $2,500 USD. Here are your 2020 NHLGWC regional champions: 🇨🇦 Canada: Justin @Regs84 Reguly 🇺🇸 US: Josh @OFs Fuss 🇪🇺 Europe: Arttu @Artuzio Mustila Artuzio had a massive comeback year after a somewhat disappointing showing in the 2018 NHLGWC finals and came back determined to show his doubters this time around. The long time gamer based in Tampere, Finland did so in style and ended up beating Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan in the finals and claiming the EU regional championship. In the US regionals, OFs_HK showed up big and was something of a surprising winner as he managed to overcome the reigning world champion Matthew @TSCCookie Gutkoski in a thrilling final series! Our Canadian gamers brought on a show this year, but it was eventually two very familiar guys who fought for the title at the end, Regs and Matthew @YungGren Grenier went head-to-head in the final series, with Regs eventually walking away as the victor. We got a hold of the European champion Artuzio for a short interview: In 2018 you made a run all the way to the Grand Finals in Vegas. Did you utilize the experience and how have you developed in the last two years? "In Vegas i wasn't a consistent player. My offense was good back then but the defensive side needed improvements. After the 2018 GWC I reviewed my game and found some points on which to improve and since then, I've layed more focus on strategic defense and the hitting game, which i feel has been a great improvement for me." Which opponent do you think was the hardest this year? "Without a doubt @PleeMaker. I know his style very well, but he's always so dangerous, you really need to pay attention on defense in order to win. In both semifinal games, it looked like Plee was close to making a comeback, how did you stay calm during those moments? "I've tried to play a lot of wager games and smaller tourneys this year in order to improve my work under pressure and I feel like it's really paid off, just check the scoreboards!" Finally, what are you going to do with the prize money? "Haven't decided yet, so it'll be put into savings for starters." Congratulations to all participants! We're hoping to see you back next year, hopefully at live events! 🏆 Art: Chris @RyanDesigns Ryan

Tendy Heaven! Goalie Guild Gaming’s New G3 Prospects Program is Here If this is the first time you’ve heard of Goalie Guild Gaming, allow me to quickly introduce myself. My name is Justin Goldman and I am the founder and president of The Goalie Guild, a 501-c3 nonprofit foundation based in Colorado, USA. I am the author of four books on goaltending, an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) for the Colorado Avalanche, a former writer for NHL.com, and have been involved with USA Hockey goalie scouting and development for seven years. Since 2009, The Goalie Guild has been creating and hosting some of the largest goalie coaching symposiums and learning experiences in the world. In 2015, I transformed The Goalie Guild into a nonprofit focused on grassroots development. In my opinion, goaltending is an amazing life experience, but the position has many barriers to entry. That is why I have been dedicated to giving back to the game by building free educational resources and opportunities for underprivileged kids and goalies around the world. Along with Lift The Mask, Gear Givers, and the Global Goaltending Retreat, G3 also falls under the umbrella of our nonprofit organization. While I have been a gamer all my life (just for fun, as I’ve yet to hit the sticks in the competitive NHL scene), over the past three years, I’ve become very passionate about taking my equity-centered and holistic approach to goalie development and applying it to the NHL esports community. Thanks to @Kenu and our partnership, I can bring this passion project to the NHLGamer community. The G3 Prospects Program Shortly before the first puck dropped on the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup on Tuesday, Goalie Guild Gaming officially launched a new development program called G3 Prospects. Nearly two years in the making, this innovative platform supports the growth of NHL esports goalies and inspires them to learn through a free-to-play rewards system. To get started, here’s a walkthrough video on YouTube. This breaks down how the program works, how to register, and how to begin competing. Once approved, G3 Prospects that play in our sanctioned leagues, events, and tournaments are eligible to earn rewards and prizes for their gaming and goaltending excellence. We also host different monthly G3 Challenges, which are an assortment of gaming-based activities that vary depending on theme, time, and subject. The first monthly challenge will kick off in September. Thanks to our strong partnership with NHLGamer, we’re also excited to announce that the FCL (6v6) and SCL (6v6) tournaments have already been sanctioned and sponsored by G3, meaning active goalies in both events will be eligible to earn various rewards and prizes! These rewards are as follows: FCL & SCL 6v6 TOURNAMENTS PuckEaters (Most Saves): $25 Save of the Tourney: $25 The Donut King: $25 Vezina Trophy (MVP): $50 Sickest Setup: $25 *Prizes awarded for each tournament in $USD Another new feature we rolled out yesterday for the NHLGamer community is our G3 Depth Charts. This free interactive data tool helps bring more exposure and awareness to NHL esports by offering the community a way to discover and directly connect with active esports goalies. Just like in real life, there are always good teams looking for goalies, and good goalies looking for teams. Centralizing the active goalies that compete in our sanctioned events is a great way to bring the community together and open doors for more playing opportunities. A good example of what this may look like in the future can be found on our NHL Goalie Depth Charts feature. Now that the Northern Arena #NHLCup 6's tournament is underway and goalies are already pitching shutouts left and right, it’s time to dive right in and get this party started. If you have any questions about Goalie Guild Gaming, feel free to add me on Discord at TGG_Goldy#9818 as I’m excited to meet, mentor, and support as many NHLGamer goalies as possible. Good luck and keep that stick on the ice! ~Goldy

NHLGamers, Last year, the FCL concluded at the Summer Assembly event and we finished by crowning Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (1v1) and HAVU Gaming (6v6) champions. This time we’re proud to announce our recurring partnership with Gigantti to bring you another immensely exciting season of FCL action. Like last year, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2020) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) and the league will feature both the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes. The FCL will be played through August and September and is planned to finish on the 10th of October with a live event* in the capital area of Finland. The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2020 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2020 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 27.8. Preliminary schedule for 1v1: Group stage: 31.8-20.9 Playoffs: 21.9-1.10 TOP 4 Finals: 10.10 (BO3) Sign-ups for 6v6 are now closed. Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 24.8-11.9 Playoffs round 1: 14.-18.9. (BO5) Playoffs round 2: 21.-25.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 28.9-1.10 (BO5) Semifinals: 3.10-5.10 (BO5) Finals: 10.10 (BO5) *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2020 Finals. Due to the majority of the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the Playstation 4 console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion HAVU Gaming will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2020 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2020 rules. The Finnish player who finishes highest in the NHL GWC 2020 European Finals will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. *Note: NHLGamer and Gigantti reserve the right to alter or cancel the live portion of the FCL in accordance with regulations and restrictions that may apply, or based on the judgement of the event organizer. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Gigantti is the largest consumer electronics retailer in Finland, with 41 stores and 1200 employees. Gigantti has been an active player in the esports scene for a few years already. Their Overwatch-squad Team Gigantti bears the flag of Europe's most successful team, whereas the Gigantti CS:GO Cup and last year's FCL finals have proven to be great examples of what the tech retail giant can do in the field. Gigantti will continue on the path of developing Finnish esports and a key factor of that is partnerships with the industry-leading players. The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!

Anyone keeping tabs on NHL 21 news recently will no doubt have spotted a link to the “Technical Test” that has circulated around a little recently. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find the link here. While not being referred to by EA as a Beta (open or closed), as well as not being posted on any of their official social media accounts, we nevertheless believe that this will be the beta for NHL 21. As such, we recommend that everyone sign up to it as soon as they can due to the potential that there may be a limited number of codes available. The above is a screenshot, click here to sign up for the NHL 21 Beta As for what we know (or more accurately, what we don’t know). We do not currently know what game mode(s) will be included in the supposed beta, but if previous iterations are anything to go off then expect to see a slimmed down EASHL and HUT. Of course, given the cloak-and-dagger approach that EA are taking I personally would not be surprised if this coming beta is extremely lacking in content. Additionally, we also do not know who the cover athlete will be - something that was typically revealed alongside the ‘main reveal’ of the game that took place at the NHL draft. What we do know however are the release dates. As usual there will be a Standard, Deluxe, and an Ultimate edition on both consoles, with the Deluxe and Ultimate editions letting players download and play the game 3 days prior to the Standard release date. Furthermore, just like years past, EA Access will allow members to play NHL 21 a week before the Standard release date. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you will only be able to play the game for 10hrs over that time period. Therefore, NHL 21s release schedule will look something like this: EA Early Access - 9th of October 2020 (TBC) Deluxe & Ultimate Editions - 13th of October 2020 Standard - 16th of October 2020 As always EA are offering unique pre-order bonuses for each of the three editions on offer: Standard - 1 Hockey Bag Deluxe - HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (Choice 1 of 6); 2 Hockey Bags Ultimate - HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (Choice 1 of 6); 5 Hockey Bags What are your hopes for the beta - which mode(s) would you like to see included? And who do you think will be named as the cover athlete? Let us know in the comments.

NHLGamers, Approximately two months ago we started the ECL 10 Lite season with 64 teams in four groups. After the regular season we had a strong vision of teams that were going to fight for the promotion and final spots this season. The playoffs were as exciting as they always are and several teams had the quality to compete for the cup this time. In the end there were two teams that no one could stop. Now they will go head-to-head in the ECL 10 Lite finals! Here are the finalists of ECL 10 Lite: Sack Brothers (1) Road to the finals Regular season: (28-1-1) 1st in group 4 Round 1: vs HockeyProfessorn HC (32) 4-1 Round 2: vs Tic Tac Toes (25) 4-2 Round 3: vs GENESIS (18) 4-1 Round 4: vs HUIPPUPASSI (10) 4-2 LW: @snippystatue (22GP: 22+31=55 pts) C: @luosttin (22GP: 18+37=55 pts, FOW: 48,9%) RW: @Datupeijooni (Datzonee) (22GP: 26+21=47 pts) LD: @Kucherov86 (22GP: 9+22=31 pts) RD: @Persusta95 (22GP: 4+11=15 pts) G: @mikeruud (22GP: 234svs, 47GA= 83,27 SV%) Ducktales BK (7) Road to the finals Regular season: (21-4-5) 2nd in group 2 Round 1: vs Remparts de Tours Esport (26) 4-2 Round 2: vs ECDC Memmingen eSports (11) 4-3 Round 3: vs HV71 eSHL (3) 4-1 Round 4: vs Angry Cats (5) 4-3 LW: @Zidso (21GP: 17+22=39 pts) C: @cHIIMEERa (23GP: 21+20=41 pts, FOW: 49,8%) RW: @Craig (oskuldsfull) (23GP: 11+20=31 pts) LD: @J-Foppa (23GP: 5+17=22 pts) RD: @tokFan (ItokFanI) (23GP: 1+5=6 pts) G: @Rymaan (23GP: 200svs, 34GA= 85,47 SV%) To spice things up we decided to contact the teams to ask them couple of questions before the the games and had the pleasure to interview @Rymaan from Ducktales BK and @snippystatue from Sack Brothers: How does it feel to be in the finals? Was the finals your goal right from the beginning or where were the expectations set before the season started? @snippystatue ‘’Of course it feels great! The ECL finals are the best that the season can offer and as the captain told us in the beginning of the season, our minimum goal is to win the title after last seasons disappointment.’’ @Rymaan ‘’Feels great! Our main goal for the season was to get that Pro-spot. Achieving that, of course our next goal is to win the tournament.‘’ What is your teams strengths and the reason for success? Why are you in the finals instead of your playoffs opponents? What makes you the champions of ECL 10 Lite? @snippystatue ‘’Counter-attacks, tight team defense and good chemistry. We have practiced with the same players from the beginning of the off-season and the level of play has stayed good the whole time. The reason we are in the finals is that we have been able to minimize our opponents scoring opportunities with solid defending and the attacking has been working in every series. The reason we will be the champions is that we believe in our own playing. Even if we were losing with 4 goals we never give up and the atmosphere stays positive the whole time’’ @Rymaan ‘’Structure, defense, experience and a will to win. We had a game plan for every series and followed it well enough to be victorious. All opponents we played so far have been a challenge and played well, but we don’t want to comment other teams shortcomings. Beating us in 4 games takes great teamplay, individual skill and a solid defense. We've seen 2 out of 3 in Sack Brothers.’’ How well do you know your opponent in the finals? Have you faced them in the club games or earlier seasons? Done any scouting through the streams etc? @snippystatue ‘’We don’t know them very well. Of course we noticed that they were playing really well already in the regular season but we haven’t faced them in club games. We haven’t done any special kind of scouting from the streams but we have seen couple of playoff games from them’’ @Rymaan ‘’Played them a lot during NHL20 (not with Ducktales though) and to be honest they have evolved a lot. They had a fantastic season so far, obliterating their opponents on the way. We scout every opponent in playoffs to learn their tricks.’’ What do you think is your opponents strengths? Will you adjust your own gamestyle to make their playing harder or will you continue the way you have done so far and trust that it will bring you the desiredresult? @snippystatue ‘’We believe their strengths are especially in the defense but it’s hard to say yet since we haven’t faced them before. We will trust our own style of play since it has worked so well but of course we are ready for adjustments if the game isn’t working’’ @Rymaan ‘’They play a fast game and they are deadly when they get to scoring opportunities. We are confident in our style of play but will make adjustments if needed.’’ What will be the score of the series in the end? @snippystatue ‘’It’s going to be tight but I’ll say 4-3 to Sack Brothers’’ @Rymaan ‘’Ducktales wins in 7.’’ The confidence is high in both camps. As the interview tells us, both teams will trust their own style of playing and that’s exactly what they should do. Watching back the opponents that both of these teams have been able to beat it’s obvious that they have done everything right so far. Both teams are also prepared for a tough battle and it’s easy to join their predictions that the champions will be decided in a game seven. As the stats tell, Sack Brothers have been really effective in the offensive zone which has been their theme through whole season, while Ducktales BK have been the team that is extremely hard to score against. It’s going to be really interesting to see how well Ducktales BK are able to shut down Sack Brothers attacks. I believe it’s also a new kind of challenge for Sack Brothers to play against team that is really disciplined at their defense. There may be a possibility that Ducktales BK could make their opponents frustrated which would most likely turn the series in favour of Ducktales BK. But as @snippystatue stated in the interview, the mental side shouldn’t be a problem for his team. While Sack Brothers are figuring out how to get through Ducktales BK they can’t give any leeway in their own defense. Even though Ducktales BK are known having the special quality at their team defense they are also to score if the chances are given to them. Prediction: There is no doubt that the two best teams of the season are facing in the finals. This will be a battle of two different gamestyles and only the matches will tell us which approach will be the right one. If I was asked at the start of the playoffs which team was going to win from these two, I would have said Sack Brothers 4-1. I’m glad no-one asked because watching Ducktales BK journey through the playoffs I would have made a clown of myself. However I still believe Sack Brothers have the quality to break Ducktales BKs defense and captain @Datupeijooni will lift the cup at the end of the day. Sack Brothers will win the series with score 4-3. What a great season we have had and now it’s coming to an end. It will be a season to remember for both of these teams but only one can be crowned as champions. Play hard and fair, respect your opponents and enjoy the finals! How to watch? The ECL 10 Lite finals will be streamed at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. Thursday, June 11th 20:00 CEST Games 1-3 Sack Brothers vs Ducktales BK Sunday, June 14th 20:30 CEST Games 4-7 Sack Brothers vs Ducktales BK