The Extraliga playoffs have panned out almost as the seedings predicted.
The first seed plays fifth at the semi-final stage, while the second and third seeds will battle for a place in the final.
Litvínov has already exceeded expectations from all quarters in making it this far in the post-season but now faces its sternest test.
HC Dynamo Pardubice lost just five games in regulation through the regular season and won 33 games in sixty minutes.
They finished ten points clear of second place Sparta Prague and 38 (!) ahead of Litvínov, who finished fifth.
As dominant on the road as they were on home ice, Pardubice were the clear favourites to win the playoffs before they began in earnest.
So what chance does Litvínov have of creating another upset?
For starters, Pardubice had to work incredibly hard to progress through the quarter-final stage by the eighth seed. Mountfield HK lost the series by four games to one, but every single encounter was decided by a solitary goal. That included one result decided by overtime and another by the shootout.
Of the five regulation losses Pardubice suffered during the season, Litvínov inflicted two of those, the most by any opponent.
The season series was split 2-2, with each team winning at home and on the road.
What is promising for Litvínov is that nine of the ten goals they scored were at 5v5 against an opponent which has dominated at even strength.
Liam Kirk enjoyed success against Pardubice, netting three times, as did Petr Koblasa, who racked up six points (3G/3A).
Those two players currently lead the team in playoff scoring, with Kirk on ten points (8G/2A) and Koblasa (6G/3A), including a hat-trick for the latter in the decisive game of the previous series.
The 4-2 series victory over Kometa should provide Litvínov with plenty of optimism and positivity, given the nature of how it panned out.
Two impressive road victories were followed by a narrow home defeat, a game Litvínov should have won. Blown out in game four after a frankly pathetic performance in front of expectant home fans, Litvínov bounced back. They won a third straight game in Kometa before finishing off business in emphatic style back on home ice.
Eleven players have found the net for Litvínov, and arguably their biggest names have yet to deliver.
More playoff production would have been expected from David Kaše (1G/4A) and Ondřej Kaše (4A) but perhaps that will arrive in this series. Captain Matúš Sukeľ has yet to fully find his stride (1G/4A) and is as productive as any player in the league when firing on all cylinders.
Goaltender Matej Tomek has continued his excellent form from the regular season. A 94.49 save success is the best of any team remaining in the playoffs.
How his play matches up to Pardubice netminder Roman Will, shall go a long way to determining the outcome of the series.
Will posted a 93.92 save success, giving up nine goals in the five-game first-round series victory versus Mountfield.
Dynamo has a host of offensive talent that shone through the regular season. Lukáš Sedlák, Lukáš Radil and Tomáš Hyka all produced 40+ point campaigns and the former pair netted 25 and 21 goals respectively.
Eight players hit double figures in goals through the regular season and that spread-out scoring has carried over into the post-season.
Nine players hit the twine, and sixteen produced at least a point.
A familiar name is Richard Pánik, who Pardubice acquired via a trade in January. His offensive numbers have not been spectacular, but he’s a hugely experienced forward who has enjoyed success in North America through the playoffs.
As previously mentioned, Litvínov enters this series as a sizeable underdog but isn’t without a chance of upsetting the odds. Their first two performances versus Kometa were of the standard that would trouble any team in the league.
They will be hoping that the players in form continue to roll and for plenty of moments like this in key situations.
Semi-Final Schedule (Home team listed first)
31 March: Dynamo v Litvinov
01 April: Dynamo v Litvinov
04 April: Litvinov v Dynamo
05 April: Litvinov v Dynamo
08 April: Dynamo v Litvinov
10 April: Litvinov v Dynamo
12 April: Dynamo v Litvinov
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