What a great playoffs it has been and now it's time to decide the champion. Both of the finalists have been playing against all of the previous predictions and for that reason, there won't be any predictions from us for the Finals. Will it be the young guns of the Blackbirds or will SSK ESPORTS continue their miracle run from the last seed? We welcome you to join the live broadcast of the finals at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG on Monday the 27th at 19:15 CET and on Wednesday the 29th at 21:15 CET.
The Road to Finals
Blackbirds
Round 1: 4-0 vs Aspyre
Quarterfinals: 4-1 vs Ismon Valinta
Semifinals: 4-1 vs NOVA
SSK ESPORTS
Round 1: 4-2 vs NOSTREETSPORTS
Quarterfinals: 4-3 vs POGGERS
Semifinals: 4-3 vs Otukset
(10) Blackbirds 
- (16) SSK ESPORTS
Predicted lineups
LW @aomyo6195 - C @I0LL1 - RW @sopulii04
LW @PSchibra - C @Rubituss - RW @zuppe_29
I think most of us knew the potential of Blackbirds but for them to cash it out this way on their first season together with this lineup was not something many had in their cards. They had a good regular season finishing fifth in Group 1 but as the year changed something must have clicked within the team and in the playoffs we've seen the team on a whole another level. Through the first three rounds, they have only lost two games and within the 14 playoff games they've only allowed 22 goals while scoring 50 themselves. The biggest change I see is in their offense. @aomyo6195 (15+21=36) was their leading scorer in the regular season and scored half of the team's goals. He has still kept his numbers up leading the team but @I0LL1 (14+21=35) and @sopulii04 (17+13=30) have stepped up big time when it matters the most. Especially @I0LL1 has caught my eye scoring 6 game-winning goals in the playoffs and almost matching his point totals from the regular season with half the games played. @ONN123 (1+20=21) and @Kibeeex (3+10=13) have been great on both ends of the ice and have given @Jeerik17 (87.13%, 4 SO, 1.57 GAA) a chance to put up great numbers. He has definitely stolen quite a few games for this Blackbirds team and is high on my list for the "MVP race".
To quote my fellow writer @Pekedipeks before the playoffs "SSK is an alright team despite their seed" and well they've definitely proven to be much more than just that. Comebacks have been the story of the playoffs for SSK ESPORTS. They were 0-2 down in the first round before winning four straight, came back 1-3 down against POGGERS, scoring the winning goal in the last minute of game 7, and made the same 1-3 comeback against Otukset winning the series eventually in game 7 overtime. They have one of the most experienced teams in the division and that has definitely shown in the playoffs. @zuppe_29 (22+16=38) leads the league in playoff scoring and has been their most important player. @PSchibra (15+13=28) has been a big addition to their scoring power after playing just 10 games in the regular season. Their center @Rubituss (9+8=17) hasn't quite kept up with the scoring but has scored some big goals for the team, including the game 7 OT winner against Otukset. He's also been stellar in the faceoff circle winning 55% of the faceoffs. The Finnish defense duo of @Janikka (3+14=17) and @pakjiz (0+20=20) are second and third in scoring for defenders and have been a crucial part of their great defensive play through the regular season and playoffs. The least experienced players in the team are between the pipes as @Brokenrice2000 (84.09%, 3 SO, 2 GAA) and @Jonte05_ (81.19%, 2 SO, 2.38 GAA) have been sharing the playtime all season long and will be seen if that continues in the finals.
Both of these teams' seasons have already been a great success story but only one of them can be the champion and claim the direct spot in Elite for the spring season. It will come down to small details in the finals matchup as both teams have the tools to finish the job. If the series goes all the way it will be interesting to see how Blackbirds will react as they've managed to win all their series quite early on. SSK is coming off of two cruelling games sevens where they've shown their clutch factor. Experience can be the key in those moments but this Blackbirds team has surprised us so many times that you can't count them out at any point.
Follow the Finals broadcasts:
You can watch SportsGamer's live coverage of the semifinal matchup between Blackbirds and SSK Esports on Twitch, YouTube, and X.
- Monday the 27th at 19:15 CET | Games 1-3
- Wednesday the 29th at 21:15 CET | Games 4-7
Who do you think will win each series? Let us know in the comments!
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