I'm going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa. First off I get to see the start of the series, which I think is the most exciting part of any series. Secondly I get to go to Florida so that means enjoying the sweet, sweet sunshine on the beach and allegedly some very high quality parties. So I'm going to the nicest hotel because that'll cost a ton of money. Ordering a suite in a five star hotel is a great start to the trip. Then I'm getting room service every night which I'm basically gonna turn into an all you can eat buffet, just ordering way more than I could ever consume. I won't forget about the alcohol and inviting a bunch of people over to enjoy the free food. Then I'm having Eggy pay for tons of souvenirs like t-shirts, because why not shop for stuff I don't need if someone else is paying for it.
I think I'm rooting for Calgary just because I think they have a great roster and are a franchise with a lot of history behind them. They have veterans like Mike Izzy who are people that are really looked up to around the league and have set a great example for entire generations of SHLers. The Dragons have also really showed their passion. They really fought to make it this far and remind me a lot of what the Blues did in real life. I would like to see a similar story in SHL. It's a great reminder to never give up and that it's not how you start it's how you finish.
More wild cards might be good because there are some teams like our team, New England, this year who couldn't make it due to fluky luck but have the roster to compete. Skilled players should always be there over teams that have minimal talent and just a a handful of good players, one line teams, and this would give the opportunity for that to correct itself. This might help weed out funky issues like that and give teams that deserve to be there based on skill a chance to claw their way up the ladder. It would also add excitement and give teams near the bottom a reason not to just give up. It guarantees that the best lower tier teams are brought up to face the challengers that await them in round 1. It adds an extra element of randomness and really cements the fact that the regular season is worth peanuts, the playoffs are what count and where a team's fate is decided once and for all.

In an alternate reality, the Buffalo Stampede were hungry to win another cup and came in with a crazy start. They destroyed Hamilton, looking mighty dangerous and with an crazy amount of offensive firepower, and came to challenge Tampa, who had still made it to this point. Everything other than Buffalo making it was the same up to the semi finals. But then there was another difference. Calgary faltered in this round and was defeated in seven games by the New Orleans Specters, who narrowly escaped with a win. Tampa's Benjamin Blue had a break down against Buffalo after being heroic and rock-solid all season, letting in goal after goal. Tampa barely dodged a sweep by winning game 4 in overtime, but it made little difference in the end. Buffalo won in 5 games and was now looking for a repeat of two seasons ago. That takes us to who is in the Challenge Cup: Buffalo vs New Orleans, vying for supreme glory.
A. Mike Izzy should have the more dominant finals. He has so much talent and is one of the best two-way forwards to ever have played in the SHL. He has always been a great goal scorer and I imagine he will continue to impress in the finals. Soderberg is up and coming and might overtake him in a few years, but for now Izzy has the advantage.
C. I expect this to be a low scoring series since there are great goalies on both sides who have consistently posted very solid numbers. I expect it not to be very competitive, I'm really shocked the Barracuda even made it to the finals. I expect Calgary to win the series easily in 4 or 5 games.
Done