10 Things Going In To Game 2 of the NHSL Finals

The epic best-of-five NHSL Finals series continues on Friday night. The Port Adelaide Brewers and Adelaide Xtreme are tied at one in a showdown that has seen two games mirror each other.

The games have looked a little bit like this: one team jumps out to a 2-0 lead, the other team comes back to tie it at two in the third period, both goalies make over 40 saves, the team that had the 2-0 lead wins it in OT.

Here are ten things that has NHSL Commentator Eric Balnar fired up:

1. Tomek Sak: What an impact the Port Adelaide Brewers utility player has had on the series. Sak was moved to defense four games ago and since that moment the Brewers have only allowed 10 goals. He played a bit of forward and defense in Game 2 and set up a couple goals. Sak has assists on three of the five Brewers’ post season goals.

2. Special Teams Tells A Story: One of the big fundamentals of hockey. The Adelaide Xtreme scored a power play goal in both Games 1 and 2 as well as adding a score with an extra attacker on the ice thanks to a delayed penalty call. They’ve also killed off all eight penalities they’ve taken. The Brewers are 0-8 on the PP and the Xtreme are 2-9. In a series that has two games decided in OT, those are key moments.

3. Goaltending: How good has this been? Brewers goalie Matus Trnka and Xtreme goalie Jeremy Friederich both have over a .940 save percentage. The shot load has been high, too. Friederich made exactly 40 saves in Game 1 and 2 while Trnka stopped 45 pucks in a Game 2 loss. Both of these netminders are teenagers too who are pushing each other to elevate their games.

4. Captain Showtime: Joey MacDougall played the definition of a perfect playoff game in Game 2. The Xtreme captain had a goal, assist and a fight (also known as a Gordie Howe Hattrick) and was on the ice for all three goals. He’s elevated his game, is a thorn in the side of the Brewers and has played well down the stretch.

5. Tyler Time: Tyler Leeming has turned his game up a notch. The Brewers forward might be the strongest player on the ice. He creates turnovers using his body, he is always in the right place, and he’s starting to score. He’s two goals in Game 1 turned the tables. And he doesn’t wear shoulder pads…

6. Secondary Scoring: In their last five games the Adelaide Xtreme have scored 17 goals. Fifteen of them have been from the top line or the power play unit. They’re going to need their second and third lines to start chipping in with some goals. Meanwhile, the Brewers have 11 different goal scorers over their last 19 goals. This could be a factor that flips the series.

7. Bad blood boilover?: Marquee players Joey MacDougall and Steve Best dropped the gloves at the end of the second period on Friday night. What animosities will continue between the two teams?

8. Top line is Brewing: Port’s top line of Nicola Pau – Steve Best – Tyler Leeming has been buzzing since being paired together. They’ve combined for 17 points over their last four games.

9. The Woodman effect: Smooth skating Xtreme defenseman Jamie Woodman stayed in Adelaide this week with his family. This will be the first time he got a full week of practice in with his teammates all year after he was locked out of SA as he lives in Perth. Woodman being settled and vibing with his teammates could command a lot of attention from the opposition.

10. I love this hockey community: So many epic moments over the last week to share. First off, a shoutout to the crazy NHSL fans. There’s a pack of Brewers fans who come to every game and just cheer on the Brewers and heckle the opposition. Chants of “Brewers” rain down on the ice and the players hear it. But I need to shout out an incredible gesture. We all heard about how Brewers back up goalie Andrew Glass had his gear stolen. He wore three different people’s equipment in a 6-3 win a couple weeks ago. Well, before a playoff game, a generous fan gave Glassy a $2,000 gift card to Power Play Sports to help him out. We will return the favour in anyway we can. That is incredible.