Round 2: #5 Red Army vs #8 Shockers

"It's quiet in here. A little... too quiet."

That's a quote that I feel aptly sums up this postseason so far. The dangerous teams that were expected to be, well, dangerous, have vanquished at the hands of "lesser" opponents. But the road so far isn't all that much different from last season's championship run. After defeating the #5 seeded Cryptic Stench, the Soviets faced the #6 seeded Prestige Worldwide. Of course, eventually the Comrades swept the #1 seeded Puck Ewes in the championship series and that obviously can't occur again, but as far as the first two playoff games, the seeds are similar.

But back to the original quote, is there danger out there? Who will derail the Red Army? Sure, the team itself could be its worst enemy. There have been countless turnovers and boneheaded plays that more often than not have been resulting in goals against, but for every error the team makes there seems to be two finishes at the other end.

The Shockers? Historically, well, there's no way to sugar coat it: the Red Army has done whatever it wants with the Shockers in recent past. Yes, games like this often result in an upset, but with the Shockers there is never a question about the Soviets rising to the occasion. Plus, the supporting cast Hendricks has is far superior to that of Loges. If Hendricks can isolate Loges, or simply go goal for goal with him, you have to figure Breiterman, King, or Hand, will outscore the lot.

I won't touch on the Grenades or Daggermouth yet, in fear of jinxing the potential meetings on Thursday and Sunday (and maybe Tuesday), and for now thing on the minds of the Soviets should be tonight's matchup against the Shockers. But what the Comrades should realize about the postseason and think about when they lace up the skates tonight is this: the dangerous team this postseason wears red.