Two very different trajectories collide tonight. BANG! sits 2nd at 8-4-0 (16 pts) with a +11 goal differential, cruising on an 8-2-0 run and a W2 streak. Tickle Torture is right at .500—6-6-0 (12 pts), –1 differential—with a 5-4-1 recent stretch and a win in their last game that suggests they’re stabilizing. The headline isn’t subtle: this series runs straight through special teams.
Special teams, special pressure. BANG!’s penalty kill is spotless at 100.0% (0 PPGA on 8 kills) and the power play hums at 18.8%. Tickle Torture, meanwhile, has struggled on the kill (72.7% on 11 PPOA) and hasn’t fully cashed in with the man advantage (13.3% on 15 PPO). If whistles start flying, the math tilts toward BANG!. If TT keeps it 5-on-5 and wins the forecheck battle, this gets interesting fast.
Players who swing it
- Tickle Torture — BAR D0WN 43: 9 GP, 9G-10A (19 pts), 60 H, 23 TA, 38 INT. He’s TT’s pace car. When he’s throwing his body around early and touching pucks in the slot, their offense grows a spine. The combination of finish and physicality is the blueprint for TT to drag this into an even-strength game they can control.
- BANG! — SlightlyAb0vAvg: 12 GP, 12G-21A (33 pts), 35 TA, 102 INT. The fulcrum and the finisher. He dictates tempo, wins touches in the middle of the rink, and turns broken plays into back-post tap-ins. If he’s living on the puck, BANG! usually dictates the shift.
(Keep an eye on ★ Sexy Rocko—12 GP, 9G-17A (26 pts)—and the high-octane burst from Matt4for4—6 GP, 14G-12A (26 pts)—who’s been lethal in limited action.)
Crease check
- Tickle Torture — jesushaxyou: 9 GP, SV% 81.2, GAA 3.21, 125/154 saves (29 GA). The ask is simple, the job is not: eat first shots, kill rebounds, and buy time for TT’s breakout to avoid extended DZ shifts that lead to penalties.
- BANG! — L Weazle L: 12 GP, SV% 80.5, GAA 2.74, 140/174 saves (34 GA). Not flashy—effective. If BANG! wins the special-teams minutes, his calm reads usually keep the scoreline right where the PK and top line need it.
Where this tilts
- Discipline and details. TT can win this on the walls and in transition, but they can’t gift BANG! a parade of power plays. If BAR D0WN 43 sets the physical tone without crossing the line, TT’s 5-on-5 looks multiply.
- Middle-ice ownership. BANG! thrives when SlightlyAb0vAvg and Rocko connect through the neutral zone. Deny those touchpoints and the perfect PK has fewer chances to matter.
BANG!’s special-teams edge and recent form make them the “safe” pick. But if Tickle Torture keeps it clean, leans on BAR D0WN 43’s north-south game, and gets a steady night from jesushaxyou, this series can flip from a special-teams quiz to a coin-flip street fight at even strength.