TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which game of theirs in the playoffs was the most important/crucial in them getting to this point this season? Must be at least 150 words and include either two statistics or some (reasonable) justification of narrative justifying your choice.

For the Winnipeg Jets, game 3 of their first round playoff match against Texas was the most important win of getting them to where they are now.

Last season, the Jets went up 2 games to 0 on Texas by winning both games at home and then dropped the next four to get eliminated. This season once again, they opened up the first two games at home against Texas and won game one by the score of 6 to 2 and then won game two by the score of 3 to 1. Things were starting to mirror last season and in order to get over the Texas hump and put the defending champs on their heels, the Jets had to exercise their demons and win game 3 on the road. And not only did they do that, they did it in convincing fashion with a 7 to 1 win.

Led by Big Manious who had a goal and four assists and three point games from Pellegrino, Visser, Weber and McZehrl, the Jets took down Texas in game 3 and then completed the sweep in game 4 to give them the confidence they needed as well as get rid of the memories from the season before.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S37 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unsung hero so far for the playoffs is Toronto goalie and ageless wonder, Mark Harter. He has a 7-3 record so far this season with no games going into overtime and won 6 straight games at one point. They were down 2 games to 1 against Minnesota and then he won the final three games against them and the first three games against West Kendall to put them in a 3-0 hole in the
eastern conference finals.

Through near the end of the second round, Harter had the most wins of any goalie so far, tied for the second best save percentage with his current finals goalie opponent Lukas Berger at .925 and his goals against was 2.30 which is good for 3rd best. He also has one shutout to his name.

The most important thing he provides is his leadership in the locker room and when his team needed him the most, he only gave up one goal each in games 4 and 5 against Minnesota allowing his team to get out of a 2-1 hole and win the series.

TASK FOUR: Who is the favorite and who is the underdog of this series? Are they almost even, or is there a big skill difference between the two teams? Must be at least 150 words and include at least three statistics in support.

Winnipeg has to be the clear favorite here – they had 32 wins and 65 points during the regular season whereas Toronto had 25 wins and 54 points. While both teams had great scoring seasons and averaged nearly 3.4 goals per game or more, there is a big difference in goals against as the Jets gave up 2.82 goals per game and the North Stars gave up 3.38. This led to the Jets having a goal difference during the season of +31 and the North Stars were even.

Another big advantage Winnipeg has in is the faceoff circle as they win over 50% of their draws while Toronto wins about 48%. Faceoff wins are so key in the playoffs especially if you can win that big offensive zone draw to set up a goal or win the on the defensive side to clear the puck out of the zone if they are on the penalty kill.

Winnipeg has the better centers, little bit better on wing and defense and have the better goalie, so if Toronto happens to win the series, it should be considered quite the upset.

TASK SIX: Create three questions, one for each of three different players in the Challenge Cup and tag them. Playing in the Challenge Cup? Feel free to answer questions for your task or ask three of your own.

@Chris-McZehrl – you signed with the jets in the off season as a free agent. Does making it to the finals justify your signing and was having this opportunity one of the main reasons why you signed with the Jets?

<a href='index.php?showuser=781' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Mark</a> H – did you expect Harter to play this well in the playoffs and be one of the main reasons why the North Stars have made it to the finals as the 3rd seed out of the east?

<a href='index.php?showuser=2103' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>hockeyis87</a> – you made it to the finals in back to back seasons in Portland only to lose both times. What would winning the championship this season mean to you and your career?