2018 MRFHL Finals Preview

Toronto Maple Leafs

QF: defeated Islanders in 4 games

SF: defeated Canadiens in 7 games

CF: defeated Hurricanes in 5 games

Here we are again, the Maple Leafs are back in the finals of the MRFHL. The higher ups in Toronto could have overreacted after dropping a decisive Game 7 against the Calgary Flames. Instead the team is mostly the same as last years group, aside from one noticeable 6’9 defence man eating up tons of minutes on the Leafs blueline. 

The addition of Zdeno Chara has been a huge boost to an already stacked contender. Him and Hjalmarsson have been key cogs, playing almost half a game as a pair which lightens the load on really deep and talented group. With last year’s disappointment, James Neal and David Krejci have stepped up on their already impressive runs last year. Corey Crawford has been absolutely stellar this spring, which is impressive after having a sub-par regular season.

The Leafs have had a interesting trip to the finals, winning in a whole wide variety of ways. They absolutely steam rolled the Islanders, scoring 22 goals in a 4 game sweep. They were taken to the brink against arch rivals the Montreal Canadiens, where they played a cool and confident game 7. Then against the Hurricanes they absolutely stymied their offence, leaving them with only 6 goals over the 5 game series.

Winnipeg Jets

QF: defeated Predators in 4 games

SF: defeated Kings in 4 games

CF: defeated Canucks in 6 games

While the Leafs are returning to the finals, the Jets were able to push through after falling to the eventual champions last season. And unlike the Leafs, the Jets are a vastly different team. Just through the season we’ve the team ship out the likes of Anze Kopitar, Max Pacioretty, Dougie Hamilton, Cam Fowler, Dustin Byfuglien and number 1 goalie Jonathan Quick.  What has happened is a youth movement. 

The top 4 scorers on the Jets are all under the age of 24. Newcomers Leon Draisaitl and Elias Lindholm seem to have some instant chemistry, leaving teams with no solution in stopping them. Nathan MacKinnon has been his normal consistent self, being a consistent threat on the teams second line. A combination of young and old anchor the blueline with Andrej Sekera and Colton Paryako are logging the big minutes. Vasilevskiy has taken hold of the number 1 job, and while he’s not as dominant as his counterpart, he’s been rock solid through the playoffs.

The Jets seem like a team of destiny in their run to the finals. They ran right through the Predators and Kings, an amazing two sweeps to the conference finals. Looking closer at those runs show how things could have changed quickly. Six of the eight games were decided by a goal, three of which ended in overtime. Then everyone thought they met their match, heading up against the President’s Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks. But not to be done in, the Jets rattled off a quick 3 wins, putting the Canucks on the brink. They finally conceded a couple games in their run, but once again the matchups were close with two overtime winners. This is not to say it’s been unearned, but the 11 game winning streak was not as dominate as you could expect.

Prediction: For the second straight year we have an all Canadian matchup. Both teams boast an excellent top 2 lines, with a closing down crew in the bottom 6. In the end the Leafs just seem a bit more deeper in all aspects and it’s hard to bet against the highest scoring and best defensive team in these playoffs. Leafs in 6

Ryan Schurman

Great Article. Thanks for that!!

2018 MRFHL Finals Preview
A preview of the finals.......Leafs win Game 1 (that's my prediction)

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