verification word = karl

This kind of seems to be the trend with the Winnipeg Aurora these last few seasons. They are offensively dominant, and the likes of Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson, Mikko Rashford, and now Noel Blanchet are a big reason why, but there goaltending has always been suspect. This season Rebecca Montagne had 41 wins, the most in the league, but her save percentage was average at best with 0.900 and her game rating was even worse with a 69. By comparison the top goalies are above 0.910 save percentage and 75 game rating. On the flip side the SHL is a strange beast and the goalies that get shelled tend to look better in big stats like save% and GSAA. That being said she is clearly the weak link is this otherwise juggernaut of a team. Can their offense overcome it? Definitely, but it would be much easier if she brought league average goaltending to the team. Maybe they even 3 in a row instead of losing 3 in a row. Tough to win if your goalie is sub 0.900.

It's been a minute since I've seen the Buffalo Stampede in the finals. They were a perennial contender for most of 50's and 60's, but naturally fell off when their core aged out. While 19 points in 16 games is certainly nothing to scoff at I agree it's a far cry from the 29 and 27 Lias and Mikko put up in just as many games for the Aurora. The difference here though is the goaltending and it's a stark one. Rebecca has struggled at times and is well insulated by Winnipeg's high flying offense, meanwhile Fantobens has had to do the lion's share of the work during the regular season and again the playoffs through the first 3 rounds. In a battle of offense versus defense I typically pick offense in the SHL, but I wouldn't be shocked if Buffalo squeezed out a win here. And since I'm writing this late it looks like they did just that. Hard not to pick Fantobens as the MVP for this one.