WEEK 23 (thru Thursday)

Nikita Kucherov upped his world-best season totals to “GP71, G35, A80 P115” by netting another 2 goals and 2 assists (10.0 pts) on Friday, his Polar Bears team back in the chase for a trip to the FHL Final Four, the Bears now trailing the quick-start Boulder Flyers by 12.1.

First Round, Playoffs

Boulder Flyers: 46.9
Polar Bears: 34.8­
The stacked Polar Bears were the best Thursday team as they carded 19.8 points. The outmanned Boulder Flyers however weren’t entirely defenseless, an 11.0 point evening helping to lessen the blow. The Flyers will look to return the favor on Day 5, the team bringing a heavy 8-man arsenal to a light 6-game Friday.
FRIDAY LINEUP (Boulder Flyers: 8 players; Polar Bears: 2 players)
Boulder Flyers: Claude Giroux, Sean Monahan, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brock Boeser, James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander / John Klingberg, Zach Werenski.
Polar Bears: Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier.

SC Cobras: 18.5
Ice Hogs: 36.9­
The SC Cobras closely matched the play of the Ice Hogs on Friday - but closely matched isn’t going to cut it as the Hogs have essentially doubled-up the snakes, GM Murphy glaring at a deep deficit with only three days remaining in what could be their last match of the season.
FRIDAY LINEUP (SC Cobras: 4 players; Ice Hogs: 3 players)
SC Cobras: Cam Atkinson / Travis Sanheim, Shea Theodore / Brian Elliott.
Ice Hogs: Elias Lindholm, Kyle Palmieri / Morgan Rielly.

Central Red Army: 30.9
Misconducts: 28.3­
The most competitive opening round match finds the Misconducts trailing the Central Red Army by just 2.6 points; the Misconducts drawing back into the contest by outpointing the Army 10.6 to 5.9 on Thursday.
FRIDAY LINEUP (Central Red Army: 1 player; Misconducts: 2 players)
Central Red Army: Mark Stone.
Misconducts: Justin Williams, Mikko Rantanen.


The Battle for the FHL Cup
The Polar Bears are providing the Wild Ducks with cause for concern, the Kucherov-stacked franchise closing to within 77.1 points of 1st place. While 77.1 points is a lot of points, considering the Bears were trailing by 111.6  points just 10 days ago, well, you know, anything is possible (reference: Bluliners, circa 2017-18).

The Bout for the Money
While the Ducks, Bears, Flyers and Hogs are the frontrunners for a share of the $1,000 purse, a second tier of contenders remain in the chase for a season-ending payday. The Vegas Vipers currently sit just 28.4 points behind 3rd place and it’s $175.00 prize, while the Misconducts, Central Red Army and Bluliners are all within 49.5 points of the loot.

The Scrap for the Laughing Bag
The tick of the season clock is getting louder and louder for Badger Bob as they continue to be frustrated in their efforts to move north, the Bobs dropping another 2.0 points on Thursday, their dank cellar now 63.8 points deep.

LINK: Standings