WEEK 20 (thru Monday)

After plodding their way through Week 19, the SC Cobras were hoping for a better start to Week 20. They got it in the form of 9.5 points, Marc-Andre Fleury pacing the balanced attack with a 25 save win, the playoff-bubble Cobras traveling to Tuesday with a 5.0 point lead.

SC Cobras: 9.5
Polar Bears: 4.5­
The SC Cobras are one of four teams with a 9-10 record. On the strength of the second tiebreaker (position in overall standings) the Cobras are currently a playoff team. A win would strengthen their (very) loose grip on seventh and final playoff ticket; a loss would send the team tumbling to the playoff sidelines. Other than shedding the label “Worst H2H Record,” the Polar Bears have very little to play for. GM Elya however is still making roster moves - the Bears still keen on spoiling the postseason dreams of those who cross their path.

Vegas Vipers: 5.0
Ice Hogs: 5.0­
With a record of 9-10, the Vegas Vipers have to win. There is no “Plan B.” Last week the Vipers posted the league’s best score. The Vipers are hot. The Ice Hogs are the league’s best H2H team. They are currently in possession of a 10-match winning streak. Despite their lofty perch, the Hogs remain motivated as a win would clinch a first round playoff bye. In short, what we have is a hot, highly motivated team playing a hot, highly motivated team. As they say (used to say, anyway) “Don’t touch that dial.”

Cherry Pickers: 0.0
Boulder Flyers: 6.0­
Another monster clash as the Boulder Flyers and the Cherry Pickers battle for their playoff lives; neither team with a lock on the postseason. The Flyers, 10-9, are currently holding a playoff ticket, the Pickers, 9-10, are a tiebreaker shy of the Big Dance. With their foot inside the door, the Flyers could possibly absorb another loss; if the Pickers lose, they’ll take one huge step toward their golf clubs and the unmanicured grounds of FHL Meadows, the league’s shitty golf course.

Badger Bob: 0.0
Rocky Rocks: 9.9­
Despite the Monday returns, this should be a cakewalk for Badger Bob, the best of the Grimson division paired with an abandoned team; Rocky Rocks, 4-15, beginning play with no fewer than three injured starters (four, counting the Monday-injured Mikko Rantanen). When they win, the Bobs will be 13-7 and possibly, still with an outside shot of catching the Ice Hogs and the highly-coveted first round playoff bye.

Bluliners: 4.0
Misconducts: 5.0
With a record of 12-7, the Misconducts have qualified for the postseason. With no shot at securing the league’s best H2H record (and a first round pass) their pressure gauge currently reads “ZERO.” The opposite is true for their opponent, the Bluliners bringing a 10-9 mark to the contest, their postseason hopes resting on their performance over the final three weeks of the H2H regular season - their pressure gauge moving far too fast to get an accurate reading.

Central Red Army: 8.0
Wild Ducks: 2.0
The Central Red Army, 9-10, have won four consecutive matches; the once out-of-it franchise drawing to within a tiebreaker of the playoffs. In Week 20 they’ll face their biggest test to date, the well-armed Army facing the league's best overall team. The Army have been giant killers of late - they’ll have to be giant killers again if they hope to skate in the postseason. The Wild Ducks, 11-8, have yet to lock a spot in the playoffs. The Ducks still have something to play for, which could spell trouble for GM Buker and his battle-hardened troops.

LINK: Standings