The Newfoundland Berserkers are having a hell of a season. They have managed 27 wins in 35 games, good for the best win percentage in the league.  The team has managed to get a point in 31 games. The team only has 4 outright losses, so can a delve into those games garner any insight on how to beat this team? Let’s find out:

Game 12: Armada 4, Berserkers 0 at home.
It took 12 games before Newfoundland played a game where they didn’t have a point, and it looks like by all accounts the team was simply exhausted. This was their 12th game in 21 days and they had played in Detroit the day before, unlike Anchorage who had 2 days off before the game. While the Berserkers managed to outshoot the Armada, they played fairly sloppy hockey by giving up the puck often and letting their opponents strip them of the puck easily. The game was a fairly tight match until the second period when the Armada made the score 3-0 with 2 goals within 4 minutes of each other, and the Armada were just too good of a team to blow that kind of lead. The whole Berserker team looked lost at times, struggling to put a puck into the net. Goalkeeper Cale Amundsen, who has been a rock this season, had a very off day letting in 4 goals in 25 shots, although why the team decided to play him in back to back games is a mystery.

Game 17: Outlaws 3, Berserkers 2 at home.
Unlike the previous loss, the Berserkers cannot blame exhaustion on this loss; the team had a full 4 days off before playing Anaheim and were at home meaning the California team got the joy of traveling from one end of the continent to the other. This game is much harder to pick apart than the previous loss. The Berserkers outshot the Outlaws a staggering 51 to 18, and goalkeeper Ulrik Bergstrom put on a stunning performance by brushing aside 49 of those shots. Once again, Admundsen seemed to struggle, letting in 3 goals on just 18 shots.

Game 20: Knights 2, Berserkers 1 at Kelowna.
After two not very close losses to Newfoundland, it is a given the Knights had this game marked on their calendars. The Berserkers elected to go with backup Junior Guarda who ended up being distinctly mediocre, allowing 2 goals in 16 shots. The Knights managed to hold their opponents to 26 shots, which is on the low end for this season by the Berserkers. They really buckled down in the third period by only allowing 6 shots.  Newfoundland also spent way too much time in the penalty box especially in the first period making it hard to find their rhythm. Down by two goals, the Berserkers did not just go quietly into the night and managed a late goal to put the fans on the edge of their seats for the remainder of the game, but alas, the Knights held on.

Game 26: Raptors 5, Berserkers 2 at Colorado.
Another game coming off a back to back where they had to travel from home to Colorado while the Raptors got to stay home with a day off between games, this game is still a bit of an aberration for the Berserkers. Colorado’s strong defense held their more usually prolific opponents to 27 shots and managed to equal that total back on them; the Berserkers usually never allow opponents to be anywhere near them in shots.  Amundsen once again played in back to back games and looked abysmal, but the loss cannot be put squarely on his shoulders.  The Raptors handed them 5 power play opportunities but the usual high octane power play only managed to capitalize on a single one. The team looked jet lagged and it showed.

Some further checking showed that two of the overtime losses also came from games where Amundsen played the day before. I am not sure why Newfoundland management continues this strategy of not using the perfectly capable Junior Guarda to give the team a better chance to win in back to back games. This team could easily have 4 more wins and really be in control of home ice advantage for the playoffs.

So how do you beat Newfoundland?

1) Have your goalie have a hot game.
2) Make sure that the Bezerkers are playing in a back to back game after traveling.
3) Make sure Amundsen played the day before and is playing against you today.

Good luck with that!

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