Promoted in 2016, Nice will attempt to defy the odds in their first finals experience against the BDL, who aim to lift the Magnus Cup ten years after their last title, and after failing in the semi-finals in 2017 and in the finals in 2018.
Considering the standings of the regular season would leave no hope: 102 points (37 wins-7 losses) for the Alpines, 54 points (19 wins-25 losses) for the Azurians.
The outcome of the best-of-seven series seems sealed, and in about two weeks, Stan Sutor’s players should be able to take a well-deserved vacation!
But sports are sports, and chances are played until the end. Starting this evening with the first of the two games this weekend, the other will be played tomorrow night.
The series (3rd and 4th match -if necessary-) will continue Tuesday and Wednesday in Nice.
In any case, the series pitting Grenoble against Nice promises goals!
The Brûleurs de Loups have the joint-best attack of the regular season with 195 goals scored, while the Eagles are the third most prolific with 148 goals. In terms of individuality, three players are in the Top 5 of the league’s top scorers and will be ones to watch: Guillaume Leclerc (29), Damien Fleury (26), and Juuso Perttila (25).
The Grenoble team, on the other hand, is much more impenetrable, with a goal difference of +104 against -2 for Nice. Edo Terglav’s band also dominates in terms of special units with the most effective powerplay (26.7%) and the best penalty kill (89.66%). Nice is only ranked 8th and 7th in these statistics.
