Neo Division Playoff schedule (BO5)
We're down to the last eight teams in the Neo division as teams continue their battle in the playoffs. Similar to round one the second round saw very few surprises as the top-seeded teams continued their dominance from the regular season. Let's dive into the four exciting matchups that the Quarterfinals bring us!
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Round of 32: January 5th – 9th -
Round of 16: January 12th – 16th - Quarterfinals: January 19th – 23rd
- Semifinals: January 26th – 30th
- Finals: February 9th
QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
(1) Fallen Rangers - (16) Hawks HC 
Fallen Rangers continued their dominant season with a sweep in the second round outscoring their opponent 20-1. Nobody has found a way to stop their offense all season long and they're looking to be the lead runner for the title. @Sebko99 (17+17=34) is tied for the lead in the playoff scoring and @mildalempik93 is having an amazing playoff run with an 88.46% save percentage and 2 shutouts. Hawks HC pulled off the biggest upset in round 2 winning their series 3-1 after four high-scoring and tight games. @Hodja (18+13=31) has been leading them all season long and continued his great form.
Hawks' HC high-scoring playstyle plays right into their opponent's hands. Fallen Rangers have the edge on all parts of the ice and are the clear frontrunners for the title at the moment. They should be able to handle this series without much trouble.
Prediction: 3-0 Fallen Rangers
(2) Salaseurue - (12) Nordic Knights 
Salaseurue vs Nordic Knights - Part 2. After beating Nordic Knights's second team in round 1 Salaseurue now face the first team. Their captain @nikezuki is coming off an 11-goal series and he's leading the whole playoffs with 20 goals and 34 points. Nordic Knights continued to show their defensive abilities stopping one of the highest-scoring teams of the league in a 3-0 series victory. @cassebassepowerer (86.79%, 2 SO) continued to shine between the pipes and has really stepped up in the postseason. @Torrannare has also found another gear in the playoffs and he leads the team with 24 points in 7 games.
This matchup will be a very tight one but at this point of the season defense and goaltending play a bigger role. Nordic Knights have the edge on those departments heading into the series. They will still need to find a way to stop @nikezuki who will need his teammates to step up to help with scoring if they want to advance.
Prediction: 3-2 Nordic Knights
(4) Taifun Veterans - (10) Viitapohja Vikings 
Taifun Veterans had a rough start to the playoffs but swept their series in the second round. @Sqeek_40 (Hoklundd) showed up big time letting in only two goals and posting a 96.67% save percentage in the three games. The team had some trouble finding scoring with their top scorer @Chluda15 missing from the lineup and it will be interesting to see if he'll be available for this round. Viitapohja Vikings had no trouble finding goalscoring in their second-round matchup and also only allowed 5 goals in the four games. @Liimiz (18+13=31) has been red hot in the playoffs and @TepeV has posted a 86.05% save percentage and two shutouts.
This is looking up to be a battle between two hot goaltenders. If both teams have their best lineups available it will be a tight and hard-fought series that can go either way. Both teams have struggled on the powerplay in the postseason and improving on that could be the deciding factor.
Prediction: 3-2 Taifun Veterans
(5) HC WOLVES - (7) The Worn Out Wiseman 
HC WOLVES had to battle from being down 0-2 in the second round but managed to turn the series around. Their starting goalie @AndyJester (90.16%, 2 GAA) was not playing in those two losses and that proved how important he is to this team. They've also been highly relying on @Skeleton-1978 (19+5=24) who has scored 67% of the team's goals in the postseason. The Worn Out Wisemen dominated their opponent in the second round and are looking like a very strong all-around team. @iWeeb22 had 16 points in the second-round series but he has played less than half of the games during the season. It will be interesting to see if his strong performance will shuffle their lineup in some way.
This series showcases two of the best defensive teams of the season. HC WOLVES has been highly relying on their top players all season long while The Worn Out Wisemen are a more balanced team. That balance gives them the edge heading into the series. It will be a low-scoring one and @AndyJester can steal games for the WOLVES but will it be enough?
Prediction: 3-1 The Worn Out Wisemen
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