Week 19 Storylines
We exited last Sunday just as we entered it, with one playoff seed set and 19 others up for grabs. With one week left, the playoff picture is still quite murky, although some things are beginning to clear up. Of course, chaos can still reign. There could be a five-way tie for the #2 seed. Or potentially three four-way ties for various seeds. But here are some of the key items to be aware of as we approach what should be a crazy six hours on Sunday…
Trying to figure out all of the playoff seed possibilities has us feeling like this right now. Hopefully things get clearer as Sunday progresses.
Poutine Machine pulled into a tie with the Gremlins for fourth in the Glanzer Division with a 1-0 win on Sunday, setting this up as a winner-take-all battle to avoid relegation to the Greene Division next season. Of course, the loser of this game could go on a playoff run and win the championship, which would ironically send the winner of this game to the Greene Division. Both teams have already secured a place in the Opening Round playoff games on October 5, but sadly, an elusive third matchup in as many weeks seems unlikely.
Denim Demons at Fresh Kills
This one is rather simple. Fresh Kills can clinch the #2 seed with a win or an overtime/shootout loss. They can even claim the second spot with a regulation loss, as long as the results of three other games break exactly in the their favor. The Demons can finish anywhere from #2 to #6, but a regulation win would get us 40% of the way to that wacky five-way tie.
The winner of the Five Way Tie will also be the Fairy Tale Cup and Barnacle Bowl Champion!
Its True, Its Damn True.
A win here and regulation losses by the Denim Demons, Happy Little Elves, and Mathematics gets Cobra Kai into a four-way tie for the #4 seed, but since they lost to each of those teams, the best the Dojo can do is the #7 seed. The Sky Fighters were in 20th place at one point this season, but can’t drop any lower than the #12 seed, and can go as high as #8, which would be a pretty amazing turnaround.
Sure, the Sky Fighters are flying high, but they can’t seem to coordinate shirts.
Like the Gremlins and Poutine Machine, both teams will be playing in Opening Round games on October 5. Unlike the Gremlins and Poutine Machine, they didn’t play each other last week, and neither team can be relegated.
Mathematics at Butchers
If the Mathematics hadn’t already clinched the Glanzer Division, then this game would have a ton riding on it. As it stands, the Mathematics can get to #3 with a win and some help, but can’t drop below #6, while the Butchers can finish anywhere from #7 to #12. There has been a lot of player movement between these two teams, oddly enough mostly from the Mathematics to the Butchers, so motivation for both sides should be plentiful.
Dark Rainbows at Filthy Gorgeous
Yet another matchup of teams locked into the Opening Round games on October 5, but this one, unlike the other two, stands a chance of being played again during the Opening Round. Filthy’s James Pereira trails Gabe Chenard of Fresh Kills by just two goals, and with Gabe’s playing earlier in the day, James will know ahead of time if he needs a 3-star worthy showing to lock down the scoring title.
LBS, Inc. at Corlears Hookers
The Corlears Hookers are the one team that has actually secured it’s seeding for the playoffs, as they clinched the regular season title two Sundays ago. That’s good. The last regular season champion to win the championship was Pork Fried Rice back in 2005. That’s bad. That’s so long ago that Rich probably thinks that any proof of said championship game exists only in sepia-toned photo form.
This is Rich’s vision of what BTSH looked like before he joined the league.
The Elves go first in the battle for the one division that is still undecided. An Elves win, or even an overtime/shootout loss, puts the pressure on La Famiglia to do the same, as the Elves appear to hold all of the tiebreaker cards. The Elves have lost four of their last six, and What The Puck would love nothing more than to pull the upset and head into their Opening Round game off of a win.
Walsh offers some advice on how the Elves can win.
The Rehabs avoided falling into the Opening Round weekend with a thrilling back-and-forth 7-6 win over the Mathematics on Sunday. Gut Rot has a place in the Opening Round, but their opponent is to be determined. They might want to pull for a draw that gets them a Greene Division mate that Sunday, as all five of their wins have come within their division.
La Famiglia at Gouging Anklebiters
La Famiglia might have clinched the $h0wT!m3 Division by the time this game kicks off. If that’s the case, then Denis and Shafiq will probably be benched so they can rest up for the playoffs. If not, all they need to do is win this game, which would mean that the Anklebiters will see a healthy dose of Denis and Shafiq.