Bladerunners Thrash Their Way To The Top, Scourge On The March

The Bladerunners start the night down 6pts in the Predator Cup standings and see that their main competition for the big prize has just pulled off their second big trade of the week. Nothing is better to calm the nerves of an anxious GM than watching your team simply go out and dominate. Last night, that was exactly what happened.

FP Marion Hossa and left winger Slava Kozlov went on a tear last night on route to leading the Bladerunners to a 17+pt evening and a 9pt lead atop the Predator Cup standings. The night has given the squad a comfortable 36-14pt lead in their Challenge Cup match against the Ramapithicines and has placed them on the verge of going +40 in the Omnivore Race. The Triple Crown seems much, much more doable than it may have seemed only 8 hours earlier and those nerves - well they don't seem quite so frayed anymore.

The other big story on the night takes place down near the bottom of the table where the Scourge are really beginning to make some noise. The Edge and their fans must be starting to sweat as the Scourge continue to breath down their neck, some five points behind. The situation is made all the more striking by the fact that while the Edge has bled points since the Entry Draft (sitting 11th in the Omnivore at almost 60pts in the hole) the Scourge, certainly to the surprise of at least one GM - me, has joined the Bladerunners and Shadowmen as a team in the black (at +7). As suggested here yesterday, the real fight may end up being between these two as they try and avoid the Herbivore while trying to hold on to the high picks that come with finishing so low.

(As a side note, I am thrilled that both teams - as well as the Knights Templar and the Personal Vendetta, who now seem ready to pass the Lost Boys, btw - are not "giving up" and accepting their fate. I have always felt that the Herbivore was something to be avoided at all costs and it is encouraging to see that the feeling is shared. Still, that first overall prospect pick may not be the "big" prize this year. If this were the Malkin draft, or the Ovechkin draft, would they be trying so hard to avoid last? I'm just throwing this out there - AND NOT WITH ANY INTENTION OF CHANGING ANYTHING FOR THE 2007 PrD - should we consider doing a lottery of sorts for the PrD. I was thinking along the line of the NHL. Predator Cup winner gets 12th, Challenge Cup playoff teams not part of lottery, weighted heavily towards last place team getting 1st pick, other teams weighted accordingly, a win moves you up no more than four slots and no team moves back more than one slot. Like I said, it is not a problem this year, IMHO, because the top prospect pick - while desireable - is not expected to be the next Ovechkin. Anyhow, just tilting at windmills. We now return you to your regularly scheduled stats.)

Here are the stats as of Thursday night: