The Wings Nation Bracket Challenge – Round 3 Update

And then there were two.

The Conference Finals have come and gone and all that’s left standing in the rubble of hurt pride and broken dreams are the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The eighth seed in the West and the first repeat Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2009. Who could have seen this coming? Anyone? Let’s find out by taking a look at the standings for our Wings Nation bracket challenge.

The three-way tie for first from last round is now down to a two-way tie between Evan L.3 and @PDot31. Interesting that they each chose a different team from the first round match-up. @PDot31 has reached their maximum total of 160 points, though, so Evan L.3 has a solid chance of pulling ahead here. Except for the threat that the two-way tie for second presents. Joseph M.2 also has the Preds winning it all while wingsfan64_2 has maxed out their point total, just like the Oilers maxed out their playoff potential in the second round! Coming in at number 3 and 4 are Justin R.1 and sum_NZ3UX, who both picked the Wild to win. I don’t think they’ll be climbing the standings any further. Finally, rounding out the top 5 is ChiJeep2, who’s been holding on to this spot since the second round.

This thing is far from over as both Brian G.1 and I Seriously Hate This Outcome both have the Pens winning the Cup. They could catapult their way to the top if things go their way. That would involve the Pens winning the Cup, though, and I seriously hate that outcome.

As for me, I climbed a few spots in the standings to the eleventh spot, but I think I’ll be finishing there, outside of the top-10. I did have the Preds going to the finals, but I had them losing to the Caps in six games. Obviously that didn’t happen because Ovechkin is not allowed to have nice things.

The prizing for our winner has not changed. I’ve yet to receive the shipment from NHL.com, but I am working on getting it here ASAP. Whatever service they use for shipping is awful. Be aware if you plan on ordering anything from their official store. I also feel the need to remind you all that there is only one prize up for grabs. In the event of a tie, a random draw will be held between the tied parties to determine the winner. You can check in on the official standings here to see how you’re doing.

I would love to see the Preds win it all for a few reasons. First, I love a good underdog story and coming in as the eight seed, they had to go through the Chicago Blackhawks (Fuck the Hawks) and the St. Louis Blues before running into the Anaheim Ducks. Second, how can you not love P.K. Subban? I want him to parade the Cup through Montreal SO bad! Finally, if the Pens win, they take away the fact that the last team to repeat Stanley Cup victories was the Red Wings. It’s all we have! Please hockey Gods, just let us have this!

So all that being said, my prediction for this series? Pens in 6.

Good luck to all of our bracket challenge competitors. Check back in here after the Stanley Cup is handed out to see whether or not you won.