ECL '25: Winter - Neo | Playoffs Round 2 Preview

It's time for the second round of the ECL Neo Winter 25 Playoffs as the last 16 teams continue the battle. Interestingly on the first round only one of the lower seeded teams managed to play their way through to the second round. Is that a sign of the coming or will we be seeing some upsets this round? Let's take a look at each of the matchups.

Neo Division Playoff schedule (BO5)

• Round of 32: January 5th –  9th
• Round of 16: January 12th – 16th
• Quarterfinals: January 19th – 23rd
• Semifinals: January 26th – 30th
• Finals: February 9th

ROUND OF 16 PREVIEW
 

(1) Fallen Rangers - (25) Hannover Indians Esports 
Fallen Rangers continued their great form with a sweep on the first round. @Sebko99 (8+8=16) continued his impressive form and was their leading scorer. Hannover Indians Esports start their playoff journey against one of the toughest opponents possible after getting WO on the first round. They struggled offensively in the regular season scoring only 2.71 GF/GP which was 6th lowest in the whole division. Defensively they were relatively solid led by their goaltender @Flouzn (4-2-0, 88.76%, 1.67 GAA, 2 SO) but this will be a whole other challenge. They have a mighty mountain to climb and it could be too much for them to handle.

Prediction: 3-0 Fallen Rangers

 (2) Salaseurue - (20) Lassen Lampaat 

These teams faced of in the regular season in Group 2 and split the high-scoring series. Salaseurue had their struggles in the first round but came away with a 3-1 series win. They allowed a lot of shooting opportunities to their opponent and that is definitely something they'll have to work on. @nikezuki and @Mikeditz were their leading scorers with 9 goals each. Lassen Lampaat was the only team that managed to play their way through the first round as the lower seed and they did it with style. @JJokkeri (9+5=14) lead them offensively and @CharlieRunkkeli CharliCalifornia (86.89%, 2.67 GAA) put up one of the best goalie performances in the first round. Lassen Lampaat has the experience needed and if these teams continue the way they played in the first round, we could be in for an upset.

Prediction: 3-2 Lassen Lampaat
 

(3) Brothers In Gaming - (16) Hawks HC 
This one is another rematch from the regular season from Group 1. Hawks HC came out on the losing side in both of their matches and are now looking for revenge. Brothers In Gaming cruised through the first round while Hawks HC had to all the way to game 5 against Moukka HC. Wingers from both teams are in hot scoring form and everything is pointing towards a high-scoring and exciting series. @Mesrine_Jak leads the way for Brothers In Gaming with 13 goals and Hawks HC @Hodja (10+8=18) will have his hands full trying to keep up with that. Hawks HC is heading into the series as underdogs but if they can tighten up defensively while still keeping the scoring up they can make it a tight series.

Prediction: 3-1 Brothers In Gaming

(4) Taifun Veterans - (15) Beastie Boys 
Taifun Veterans had a surprisingly tough time in the first round but came out victorious in game 5. @Chluda15 (Lukas_Chludil) (13+8=21) was the highest scorer in round one and despite allowing 4 GAA their goaltender @Sqeek_40 (Hoklundd) still put up a solid 82.61%. Beastie Boys swept their first round but also had trouble keeping the puck out of their net with 11 goals allowed in 3 games. Goaltending was their biggest downfall with 63.33% but @Luki_Luki_99 (X9__Gl4tch__x9) showed in the regular season that he is capable of doing much better. Taifun Veterans has more room to improve from the first round and that gives them the edge heading into the series.

Prediction: 3-0 Taifun Veterans

 (5) HC WOLVES -  (14) Nordic Macabre 
It's already been 2,5 weeks since HC WOLVES finished their first-round sweep and it will be interesting to see what kind of form they bring to the new year. @Skeleton-1978 has been the leading scorer for them all season long but their most important player can be found between the pipes. @AndyJester put up the league-leading 89.63% in the regular season and only improved (90.41%) from that in the first round. Nordic Macabre also swept their series with 2 OT wins similar to their opponent. They have a more balanced offense with @Marja_keitto (8+3=11) leading the way in the playoffs. @Parmakitti (85%, 3 GAA) also put up solid numbers in the first round. HC WOLVES has been the better team all season but if Nordic Macabre can shut them down and manage to solve AndyJester they can make the series interesting.

Prediction: 3-1 HC WOLVES

(6) Veljeskunta HC - (12) Nordic Knights 
Veljeskunta HC lived up to their promise of being a team without defenders scoring 24 goals and allowing 16 in their first round 3-0 victory. All of the stats are not up to date but @Elop-_- (8+6=14) was leading the way in the first two playoff games. They'll be facing the hottest goalie in the league in @cassebassepowerer (casse 33 40) who posted 92.31% and two shutouts in Nordic Knights 3-1 series win. If he can stay close to those numbers they will definitely have the goalscoring needed to advance to the next round. Veljeskunta HC has been one of the highest scoring teams but at some point they have to start defending also and that could be now. I can see this series going either way and a lot will depend on the form of the day.

Prediction: 3-1 Nordic Knights

(7) The Worn Out Wiseman -  (11) Kasanovat 
The Worn Out Wisemen continued their hot form from the end of regular season with 3-1 series win in the first round. Led by @Ma-X-imilian (3+5=8) this team seems to be made for the playoffs. @Samito97 also continued his strong season with 85.11% and 1.75 GAA. Kasanovat had much tougher time getting here and were especially struggling in their own zone allowing 19 goals in 5 games. @Mage Man (Rankku8317) posted 11 points from the blueline and has the main responsibility to control the puck for them. The Kasanovat offense will really be tested against the best defensive team in the league so far. A lot has to go right for them if they want to advance to the top 8.

Prediction: 3-0 The Worn Out Wisemen

(9) Clowns On Ice (12-1-1-4) -  (10) Viitapohja Vikings (9-1-1-3) 
Clowns On Ice has been heavily relying on @PaddyD1412 to be their offensive threat and that continued on the first round of the playoffs. He posted 16 points in their 3-1 series victory and was doubling the time on puck compared to his teammates. @Liimiz (10+7=17) led Viitapohja Vikings through the first round 3-1 series win and continued his great goalscoring form. They also only let in 7 goals with @TepeV (TTV-Tepevi) posting 82.93% and a shutout. Due to their experience I would give a slight edge to Clowns On Ice but they've had to do lot of lineup shuffling during the season. That hasn't hurt them yet but it's something that Viitapohja Vikings can definitely take advantage of if given the chance. It will be a very even series with special teams and goaltending playing a big role.

Prediction: 3-2 Viitapohja Vikings

 

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