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NHLGamers, We're movin' on! Only the absolute elite remain as we're closing in on the final games of the FCL season and the teams can smell victory around the corner. Some of the teams we see at this stage of the competition are old acquaintances that are expected to play at this level, but it's also a joy to see a few younger teams push through the initial playoff rounds. (1) HAVU Gaming vs GENESIS (10) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Risto @Dominointi Järvi (7+11=18) vs Joona @Hullued Saarinen (8+12=20) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (81.40 SV%, 1.33 GAA, 0 SO) vs Teemu @Vaporik Jokinen (83.46 SV%, 2.33 GAA, 1 SO) Throughout their reign, HAVU Gaming has been the absolute toughest team to beat in the scene and they look to continue on that path remaining undefeated throughout their first two playoff rounds. Despite going directly into the playoffs, there is no rust to be found on these guys and their play has been clicking nicely. If something, I'd expect their possession play to elevate moving forward and goalie @Hansulinho to improve on his already steady level of play. The most surprising and refreshing team of the FCL season would be GENESIS for me. They've paved their way into the quarters and are setting up a success story like no other. On the Swedish side we've seen goalie legend @ICappeI potting goals for Vesa Pompa, but in Finnish competition Genesis' @Hullued is doing just the same, is there something these guys can't do on the virtual ice? The challenge is tough for GENESIS, and I'm agreeing with the community on this one - HAVU will advance, most likely staying undefeated. (2) FILADELPHIA vs Tunnel Vision (9) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (6+15=21) vs Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen (5+10=15) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (90.57 SV%, 0.63 GAA, 4 SO) vs Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen (75.86 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 0 SO) This matchup showcases yet another juggernaut versus a clear underdog and a somewhat surprising team to see at this stage of the tournament. We all know what FILA is capable of and the routine that these guys have cannot be stressed enough, but the fact is that most of them have spent time with other teams in other tournaments alongside the FCL and it surely has to impact their play in some way, no? Despite the speculation, FILADELPHIA has some of the most dominant players of the tournament both up front and in net and are expected to rely on their sheer skill in order to overcome Tunnel Vision in this series. The younger, inexperienced but perhaps hungrier team will definitely need to find that next level in this series, if they look to advance past the 2nd seed FILA. Their goaltender @ITemeI has proven his talent in net but will need to step up big time and make those one or two decisive saves more, whereas the unit needs to gel better and improve as a whole. The community consensus is that FILA should advance quite clearly and I agree despite wishing for an upset. The fact is that Tunnel Vision isn't at FILA's level as a team - yet. (4) hREDS vs KOVA Esports (7) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (13+19=32) vs Kimi @Zip player Nordberg (7+16=23) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (83.33 SV%, 1.00 GAA, 1 SO) vs Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck (77.36 SV%, 2.67 GAA, 1 SO) The incredibly skilled hREDS remains undefeated through their first two rounds of playoff hockey while they have outscored their opponents 39-10 in that same span of games. Granted, the REDS ran over CRY IS FREE in one of their games, scoring 15 goals but nevertheless their total is impressive. I might have mentioned their forward trio before and I'll do it again, since they possess the skill to do just about anything on the ice when they get into the flow. hREDS also have decent depth in their roster and it remains to see which combination they choose mainly on defense. When talking roster depth, we naturally can't forget about KOVA Esports either. The team has plowed through the first two rounds in a somewhat inconsistent way, dropping a few games but impressively rotating players at even unfamiliar positions. Through the grapevine it's been heard that some internet issues have affected roster decisions but KOVA hasn't let that stop them to this point. The community agrees that hREDS will run over KOVA in this series, but I object - KOVA will pose a challenge to the best of their abilities (note that the author represents KOVA). (5) JYP Jyvaskyla vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS (6) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (10+10=20) vs Valeri @Valluxet Reihel (11+8=18) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (91.67 SV%, 0.66 GAA, 2 SO) vs Jere @Jeresti Kulju (76.00 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 1 SO) I know one thing to be certain about the series between JYP Jyvaskyla and GHETTO FIREBIRDS - one of the teams in this series will be facing their first playoff loss to end the first game. Personally, I feel like JYP has put forth one of the most balanced playoff performances so far - their goaltending is league leading, they seem to be able to score at will while keeping their opposition away from high danger chances. Granted, they haven't faced a team anywhere close to the caliber of GHETTO in these playoffs yet, so this will be their first real challenge as a team, in fact since being eliminated by Farjestad in the ECL 10 playoffs. As stated before, during 2020 GHETTO FIREBIRDS have really came into their own and have found a style that somewhat differs from other Elite teams but keeps them competitive at the very highest level. The return of @Valluxet on offense has given them that bit of extra firepower up front, pushing them to the next level. The community sees JYP advancing, but the votes aren't as lopsided as in the other matchups. I'm actually expecting JYP to struggle with GHETTO, and wouldn't see it as a surprise if the slight underdogs were to advance. Tune in for the playoffs tonight! The quarterfinals start tonight as we'll see the starts of two series (KOVA Esports - hREDS and GENESIS - HAVU Gaming) in a broadcast commentated by Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen and Erik @Eki Tammenpää, starting at 18:45 CEST on twitch.tv/NHLGamer.

NHLGamers, We are on our way to the finals and this week we'll find out which teams are to push through into the biggest games of the season with everything on the line. We're down to four contenders remaining and despite there being underdogs and favourites, realistically the title is anyones for the taking. Stay alert on social media in order to follow the finale of the SCL season this week! Here are your semifinal matchups: (1) Vesa Pompa HC vs Leksands IF (7) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (24+17=41) vs Johan @Isindar Jonsson (14+13=27) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg (78,38 SV%, 1.33 GAA, 2 SO) vs Kimmo @DUNZA Sunnari (75.68 SV%, 2.25 GAA, 1 SO) The all-star lineup that defending champion Vesa Pompa HC is running has been clicking well so far into the tournament, putting the team at a 24-1-1 record throughout the season including their playoff push so far. The fact right now is that their leading playoff scorer is best known for stopping pucks than putting them into the back of the net. It's not a massively worrying factor since @ICappeI has surely proven capable of doing both and superstars Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha have no problem stepping up when required but it just makes you wonder if such a setup really can carry them all the way. Another fact is that their upcoming opponent Leksands IF is a squad that for years have honed their defensive play that they are so well known for, but are definitely no slouches on offense either. I've seen Leksand pull of impressive one-touch passing plays on several occasions and they possess the skill to capitalize when given the opportunity. Experienced defenseman Jonas @Supremski Söderlund is the man to keep an eye on in white and blue, since he can play up and down the ice and has the skill to get some really nasty pucks on net at the most opportune moments of big games. The goalie matchup in this series should also not be understated. Vesa Pompa has the option to go with either @Thunborg5 or Philip @Pippo Johansson, who despite seeing less ice time has been statistically superior in net in these playoffs. Leksand on the other hand has gone with their mainstay @DUNZA who has struggled a bit and still needs to get his percentages up and averages down. Which goalie will manage to turn it around? It might be the decisive factor in this series. (2) Vaxjo Lakers HC vs Northern Ascendancy (3) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander (13+17=30) vs Erik @Eki Tammenpää (23+21=44) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Filip @Fcoy_faze Azri (88.06 SV%, 0.89 GAA, 4 SO) vs Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström (80 SV%, 1.22 GAA, 2 SO) Personally, I see Vaxjo as somewhat of a surprise pushing this far into the postseason, but the team has proven to find prime form during SCL and has made some fitting acquisitions to help them along the way. Former defenseman @antoniomannen004is doing well on the wing and inexperienced but very talented goaltender @Fcoy_faze is topping statistics and playing the game of a bona fide Elite-level netminder to keep his team battling through any opponent. Last year we saw Northern Ascendancy crumble in the semifinals, resulting in a massive disappointment to cap off the tournament but that is surely something that the largely renewed squad is looking to change. @Eki currently leads the playoffs in scoring and surely hopes to keep up the same pace, but now needs to get past the hottest goaltender in the league in order to do so. So far into the tournament, NOR hasn't really been tested yet and has only seen two losses at the hands of Bask Nation and Sjukstugan, I'm expecting them to have an increasingly tough time overcoming Vaxjo especially if the goaltending stays at a high level. In this series, the men who decide the outcome will be @Fcoy_faze and @Eki. It's your play, guys. Let's cap this article off by taking a look at the community consensus about the series. We put out a poll on Twitter and you guys answered as follows: During the twelve hour voting period, a good amount of gamers found their way to Twitter and casted their votes for their respective favorites to take both series. We've got two quite clear candidates to advance, but as stated above, surprises aren't unheard of in this business. Tune in for the playoffs tonight! The semifinals start tonight as we'll see Leksands If and Vesa Pompa HC go head to head in a broadcast commentated by Adam @esdor Ericson and Johan @Zalaz Nilsson, starting at 20:30 CEST on twitch.tv/NHLGamer.