The last third of the SM League will highlight three teams with the best opportunities for Finnish championship, writes Timo Uusitalo of Sports.
Timo Uusitalo Sports Editor
The Hockey League playoffs and Aurora League finals will start on Tuesday 18.3. The matches can be listened to in EPN’s hockey round starting at 6.10 pm.
Which SM League club has championship opportunities in the hockey rollers in front of this spring? There are many variables and statistics provide a variety of support for making an assessment.
I have appreciated – thanks to the Hämeenlinna Ball Club Surprise Championship 2018-19 – in the statistical criteria for the last regular season -third game performances and how teams reacted to their actual game losses from mid -January to the end of the regular season.
HPK won the championship from the regular season fifth. I wanted to find out the statistical reason for the success of the surprise group. And that was found. In the 2018-19 season, HPK was the only league team that played the last quarter of the series without two consecutive losses of the actual game time.
At that time, even the number one fly in the regular season could not be able to achieve the above -mentioned achievement, although it scored as much as 38 points in the base series than HPK.
Statistical Meter indicates hard -to -win clubs
Ice hockey plays a big role in whether the match will lose the match in regular time, overtime or in the winning goal race.
Namely, there is quite a bit of coin throwing, which of the teams wins or loses in overtime when playing against three three. The playoffs are not played against three three, nor do they see winning goals.
The losses after the actual game should be reduced from the statistical comparison when it comes to evaluating the championship candidate in the playoffs.
The Finnish Championships do not lose very often in the hockey league-if at all-twice in a row in the regular season in the last 20 matches of the regular season.
Such teams are extremely tough and difficult to pour in the playoffs when four wins are needed to win the series from the quarterfinals.
Tappara has won the championship for three consecutive league seasons. During the last third, the team did not lose two consecutive matches in regular time. However, in the 2022-23 season, the Ax Breasts played 19 – no 20 games – without two real -time losses.
Master of Ilves, KalPa or KooKoo
In this season’s regular season, three league teams were able to be in the last third in the last third. Ilves, KalPa and KooKoo did not lose twice in the last 20 matches in the actual game time. So one of the three is now a statistical meter applied for this spring.
These teams have played at the right time and long enough in the Arkäjänne that gives them great conditions for SM gold. The current team’s modern Vire is strong enough and the ability to react when the loss comes is the best class A.
But who then becomes a champion? Ilves and KalPa will become a bigger champion in KooKoo due to the semi -finals, longer resting and potential homes.
Kouvola’s straw is resting in self -confidence – it won both Ilves and KalPa in the last encounters.
Ilves and KalPa shared the winnings of the season 2-2. Both also won once in the guests. It is noteworthy, however, that KalPa beat Ilves twice recently in March – both still in regular time. Ilves, on the other hand, was better in special situations, which are emphasized in spring games.
When facing teams, it would be extremely difficult to predict a master. The injuries of the top players could solve the championship. Last year, KalPa decided in the quarter -finals of Ilves Taipale with a 4-1 win.
Statistical dope does not pamper the championship for Luko or Tappara
In the SM League, Valias in the regular season has won the championship seven times over the last nine seasons. Why wouldn’t the regular season winner Lukko be a master?
Tomi Lämsän In the last trimester, the shields disappeared three times (25-31 January) and also once twice (22-25 February) in a row in a regular game time. During this remaining statistics, the championship would be for previous seasons – except for the coronary season 2020-21 – exceptional.
Also, Master Tappara should no longer have a championship seam this season. It lost twice (26-28 February and March 12 – 14) in the last third in a row in regular time.
Last season, Tappara had a poor episode in December and January, with only two of the eleven games it played. However, at that time, it found the wise stone at the most important time of the season and did not lose two games in a row in the last 20 matches in the regular game.
HIFK, the regular season four, had only one losing series of two consecutive matches in the actual game time (February 12-14) The Helsinki team is a persistent resistance for anyone.
Statistically, SaiPa, Ace, Kiekko-Espoo, HPK, Sport and TPS should not have any money to go to the head.
Jussi Paasi and Topi Nättinen belong to the standard sound of EPN’s hockey round. The hockey round follows the Finnish Championship playoffs from start to finish in Arena and on Wednesdays Radio Finland.