SCL 6v6 Finals: Preview

NHLGamers,

It is time to crown the next Swedish Champion in the third iteration of the SCL! Tomorrow, Saturday 25th of September, Färjestad BK is challenging the reigning champion Granit Gaming for the throne in a full seven game series for not only the title, but also a hefty amount of cash to go along with it. NHLGamer together with our main sponsor Svenska Spel and partners SESF and the Swedish Ice Hockey Association are very excited for whats to come this weekend. Join us for all the action on our Twitch-channel, starting 16:45 CEST!

Lainaa

Here is the full schedule for the night:
16:45 CEST - Broadcast start
17:00 CEST - Bronze game intro: HV71 vs Djurgarden Hockey (BO3) - Adam @esdor Ericson and Linus @ProfessornYT Forsberg in the booth.
17:10 CEST Game 1 Bronze
17:40 CEST Game 2 Bronze
18:10 CEST Game 3 Bronze*
---BREAK---
19:00 CEST Finals intro: Granit Gaming vs Farjestad BK (BO7)
19:15 CEST Game 1
19:45 CEST Game 2
20:20 CEST Game 3
20:50 CEST Game 4
21:30 CEST Game 5*
22:00 CEST Game 6*
22:30 CEST Game 7*

(1)   Granit Gaming vs Farjestad BK   (2)
Tale of the tape

(Reg. season record) 16-0-0 vs. 14-0-0

(GF/G) 7.94 vs. 7.43

(GA/G) 0.81 vs. 1.43

(Special teams %) 124.06 vs. 122.73

(Top scorer - season total) Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 29GP, 63+68=131 vs. Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg 29GP, 71+39=110

After all, it's not a massive surprise to see the #1 seed go up against the #2 seed in the finals, especially since both Granit Gaming and Färjestad BK are such established organizations that have been at the top for quite some time already. What ramps up the heat of the finals even more is the fact that these teams really know the ins and outs of each other due to their experience of playing together in various constellations. The fact is, that 50% of the lineup that Granit Gaming is expected to ice for the finals played for Färjestad this past ECL season, just a few months ago - and saw some impressive success while doing so. Farjestad, on the other hand were forced to reinvent themselves a bit. As stated in previous previews, the team acquired a set of new defensemen and a winger, which has worked wonders for the squad. 

As the 1st and 2nd seed of the playoffs, both of these teams have had rather similar paths to the finals, where neither team saw too much trouble until the later rounds. Färjestad BK was challenged slightly by Ice MachineZ in the Quarterfinals, but managed to overcome the team with several old acquaintances, whereas Granit Gaming had a minor scare against HV71 in the Semifinals, where they were down 2-1 after the first set of games. 

The teams are very evenly matched, as the statistics would suggest, the main difference being Granit Gaming and their slightly more stable defense. Special teams are definitely deadly for both parties and despite both being very strong on the PK, some powerplay scoring shouldn't be out of the question. In net, we're expecting to see Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg for Granit, whereas Johan @McSavid Rundqvist will strap on the pads for Färjestad. Throughout his career, Runqvist has seen far more action and therefore is statistically inclined to stop a higher percentage of pucks shot at him, but Thunborg has a history of winning big games and coming up clutch when his team really needs him. It's almost impossible to give an advantage in that department. 

So far this season, it has seemed like Granit Gaming is the more well-rounded team largely due to their chemistry from before and due to their dynamic levels of high-end talent all around the ice. Färjestad is a team that also performs close to the same level, but lacks the similar ability to switch gears and find alternative solutions in a similar way. The fact is, after all, Ljungberg is their go-to-guy on far more than 50% of their offensive chances and despite their success so far, Granit should be a team of a high enough caliber to put an end to that show.

Prediction: 4-2

Join us tomorrow for the SCL 6v6 Finals over at www.Twitch.tv/NHLGamer! The broadcast starts at 16:45 CEST and will feature Adam @esdor Ericson together with Johan @Zalaz Nilsson in the booth.