[Critch]

Yeah, it's been a good run but it starting to feel like it's coming to an end. Star players Jordan Gavin and Lucas Wall are both free agents in the summer, and they're both asking for way too much to give them the contract extensions they want (Gavin wants 16mil x 3 years, Wall wants 14mil x 5 years). They'll both go to free agency and I'll check up on them and hope nobody snaps them up and they drop their demands a little. Add in that Gavin turns 32 before next season and is starting to show up on the dev report with negatives and it might be rebuild time.

Anyway:

2037/38 Playoffs Western Conference Final - Nashville Predators
Another new opponent in the playoffs. We haven't played Nashville in the playoffs yet, due to divisional seeding most seasons we can't meet until the conference final.

Like Vegas in the last round, Nashville have a lot of talent. C Ben McGregor (5.0), C Marcus Graham (4.5), LW Juha Kahkonen (4.5), C Brayden Bailer (4.0), LW Christopher Brown (4.0), RD Jozef Pardavy (4.0) are the top guys. Unlike Vegas, Nashville also have a top goalie, Mateo Beites (5.0). 15 years in the future there aren't too many real players left.

Good news for Anchorage is that the one Nashville 1+ point per game guy Juha Kahkonen (34 goals, 48 assists, 82 points in 81 games) will miss the series. He's out with a dislocated coccyx. I'm no doctor but that sounds like it would hurt.

Game 1 - Nashville Predators 2 Anchorage Huskies 6
Matt Leader was rushed back from injury at the end of the last series in desperation, he's well short of 100% so best if he sits this game to let him get back closer to full fitness. The only other change is backup goalie Neil Pintaric was terrible when he was called on, 5 goals on 11 shots, so he's out as backup. Chwalislaw Janiszewski is the new backup, he's only ever played in preseason games but he's been ok in the AHL this year. Hopefully we wont need him. After whining about the team aging and coming to an end, it's the young guys who carry us through this game. 23 year old Borje Svensson gives Anchorage the lead, 19 year old Anssi Ridanpaa makes it 2-1 late in the first, Jordan Gavin makes it 3-1 with a power play goal in the second, 24 year old August Petterson makes it 4-1 then 5-1 with two goals in 45 seconds and we're 5-1 up at the end of the second. Nashville get one back early in the third but 19 year old Anssi Ridanpaa ends the comeback by making it 6-2. Game one in the bag. We have a lot of young Scandinavian wings.

Game 2 - Nashville Predators 3 Anchorage Huskies 2 Overtime
Matt Leader is back, Henry Mews is out. He's listed as ill day-to-day. Anchorage go 1-0 up in the first with a Alexander Filippov goal at 15:09, a 4-on-4 goal. Enzo Landrey makes it 2-0 with an unassisted goal at 4:41, but then it slips away. Ben Saville scores for Nashville before the end of the second, Bogdan Gorbachyov ties it up in the third, and Brennan Brown wins it for Nashville early in overtime. Overtime never seems to last long, don't think we've ever had a 2OT playoff game in the playoffs. In the end Anchorage outshot Nashville 32-21 but Nashville have a great goalie and Anchorage only have a goalie who thinks he deserves to be paid like he's a great goalie. Not bitter about his 14mil demands.

Game 3 - Anchorage Huskies 1 Nashville Predators 4
Another defenseman down, Alexander Filippov is out with a hamstring problem, so Henry Mews is dragged out of his sickbed. He's listed as "dehydrated", have a big glass of water and get your skates on, you're playing. Nashville go two up in the first, Bogdan Gorbachyov with a power play goal at 3:59 then Lou Boyle even strength at 5:57. In the second period Anchorage get back into it with a Henry Mews power play goal at 17:25, but in the third period Bogdan Gorbachyov adds his second and then his third and it's game over. Shots are pretty level, high danger chances are level, but they have a good goalie and we've got Wall

Game 4 - Anchorage Huskies 0 Nashville Predators 1 Overtime
Anchorage dominate the shots, outshoot them 11-6 in the first, 11-2 in the second and 33-19 for the game but cant take their chances. The power play goes 0 for 3 too, just one would have done. Regulation time ends 0-0, Nashville score with their first shot in overtime and we're 3-1 in the series.

Game 5 - Nashville Predators 2 Anchorage Huskies 0
Alexander Filippov is back, we're as full strength as we can be. Doesn't make a difference, we get goalied again. Anchorage have 40 shots but Nashville goalie Mateo Beites shuts them down, saves all 40. Lucas Walls keeps Anchorage in it too until late in the game. At 5:30 in the third Borje Svensson is called for a holding penalty. At 6:19 Mark Dollack is called for a slashing penalty and we have to kill over a minute of 5-on-3. Forty four seconds later Marcus Graham takes advantage and gives Nashville the lead, Derek Maskrey adds a late empty net goal and it's all over. We're out, and depending on free agency it might be the end of the Jordan Gavin era.

So it's Nashville Predators representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup final. After listing all Nashville's star players I dont think any of them scored a goal, it was their goalie Mateo Beites who won the series. Lucas Wall thinks he's worth 4mil per year more than the Nashville goalie.

In the East NY Rangers lead the series 1-0, Toronto win, NY Rangers lead the series 2-1, Toronto win, NY Rangers lead the series 3-2, Toronto win. So it's game seven and Toronto win. Back-to-back Stanley Cup finals for Toronto.