NHL 21 Franchise Mode Stories

[puckinwilk]

I've been posting Franchise game recaps and highlights in TNK's thread to help test out the sliders. I figured I will move it to a new thread so I don't fill up his thread with my games since he posts his too. Feel free to post your own recaps and highlights here. I just started doing this last night and it has been a fresh way to enjoy Franchise mode. I'll be using this box score generator for the game recaps:

https://dynasties.operationsports.co...id=1&sport=nhl

[puckinwilk]

Franchise Mode Game 15 Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche

The Avs returned to the Pepsi Center ice after 5 days off, looking to build on the back to back wins they picked up in Western Canada. They got off to a slow start after taking an early penalty and failing to clear the puck as Colton Sissons scored yet another goal against the Avalanche. Just 4 minutes later Colorado found themselves down by 2 after veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm beat Grubauer from the high slot. Despite their advanatage in SOG the Avs went into the intermission trailing by 2. The 2nd period opened with Nashville applying some pressure but Grubauer was able to keep the defecit at 2. Later in the period MacKinnon gathered the puck in his own zone and showed why he is one of the best players in the NHL when he took it end to end and beat Saros upstairs. Despite more positive play the Avs were still trailing entering the 3rd. The 3rd period was all Colorado however. The Avs tied the game on a vintage Mikko Rantanen backdoor tap in after a nice saucer feed from captain Gabe Landeskog. The Avs kept pressuring and scored the game winning goal on a Brandon Saad deflection after some strong cycle play in the offensive zone. After one quick game at home the Avs head back on the road to take on another division foe, the Winnipeg Jets.

Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche
Nov 7, 2020 1 2 3 F NSH (6-8-1) 2 0 0 2 COL (12-3-0) 0 1 2 3 Three Stars Nathan MacKinnon (COL) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Brandon Saad (COL) 1 Goal Mikko Rantanen (COL) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison NSH COL Shots on Goal 20 39 Hits 20 23 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14-28 28-14 Penalty Minutes 4:00 8:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 4 2 Time on Attack 4:13 9:59
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NSH Colton Sissons (PP) (unassisted) 1:33 NSH Mattias Ekholm (Arvidsson, Forsberg) 5:13 SECOND PERIOD COL Nathan MacKinnon (Makar) 8:07 THIRD PERIOD COL Mikko Rantanen (Landeskog, MacKinnon) 9:39 COL Brandon Saad (Toews, Nichushkin) 14:23
Nashville Predators - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jussi Saros 39 36 92% 3.01
Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Philipp Grubauer 20 18 90% 2.00

[puckinwilk]

Franchise Mode Game 16 Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets

Looking to continue their red hot start to the season, the Avalanche travelled to Winnipeg to take on the struggling division rival Jets. The 1st period was low event, with most of the play happening in the neutral zone or along the boards. The Avs were able to take a 1-0 lead however, with Athanasiou causing a turnover at the blue line and using his speed to beat Hellebuyck on a breakaway. Starting the 2nd with the lead, the Avalanche turned up the pressure and started to put more shots on the outstanding Winnipeg goaltender. He was able to weather the storm until late in the period when Rantanen collected a loose puck along the boards and beat Hellebuyck high glove side for his 10th goal of the season. Entering the 3rd with a 2 goal lead the Avs looked to see the game out but their lead was cut in half when Laine beat Grubauer from the slot on the powerplay. The Avs were able to escape with the win, courtesy of an Erik Johnson empty net goal with 0:02 remaining.

Athanasiou Goal:


Rantanen Goal:


Laine Goal:

Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets
Nov 9, 2020 1 2 3 F COL (13-3-0) 1 1 1 3 WPG (3-9-3) 0 0 1 1 Three Stars Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) 34 Saves Erik Johnson (COL) 1 Goal Andreas Athanasiou 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison COL WPG Shots on Goal 37 18 Hits 21 29 Faceoffs Won-Lost 21-18 18-21 Penalty Minutes 4:00 8:00 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 4 2 Time on Attack 9:42 4:23
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD COL Andreas Athanasiou (Unassisted) 3:49 SECOND PERIOD COL Mikko Rantanen (Unassisted) 15:00 THIRD PERIOD WPG Patrik Laine-PP (Little, Stastny) 8:48 COL Erik Johnson-EN (Donskoi) 19:58
Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Philipp Grubauer 18 17 94% 1.00
Winnipeg Jets - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Connor Hellebuyck 36 34 94% 2.02

[puckinwilk]

Franchise Mode Game 17 Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers

The Avalanche look to stay hot, this time visiting Rogers Place in Edmonton. In a game where all eyes would inevitably be on star centers Nathan MacKinnon and Conor McDavid, it was the team's depth players who would shine. The 1st period saw the Avalanche put a ton of shots on net thanks in part to the Oilers defense inability to move the puck, but Mike Smith rolled back the clock and kept the game scoreless. The 2nd period saw the Avalanche continue to outshoot the Oilers. The Avs were finally able to break the deadlock with a nice Graves stretch pass finding Saad for a breakaway on Smith. Later on in the 2nd the Avs doubled their lead on another breakaway set up by a patient play in the neutral zone by JT Compher, this time it was Donskoi deking Smith for the finish. The Oilers found their legs in the 3rd and put more pressure on the Avalance, and even halved the defecit when Zack Kassian sniped Francouz from the slot for a shorthanded goal. Despite the Avs early season success, their powerplay remains a concern and needs to improve if the team wants to make a long post season run.

Saad Goal:


Donskoi Goal:


Kassian Goal:

Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers
Nov 11, 2020 1 2 3 F COL (14-3-0) 0 2 0 EDM (7-10-0) 0 0 1 Three Stars Mike Smith (EDM) 30 Saves Brandon Saad (COL) 1 Goal Zack Kassian (EDM) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison COL EDM Shots on Goal 32 18 Hits 20 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 18-21 21-18 Penalty Minutes 4:00 6:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 2 Time on Attack 10:42 4:00
Scoring Summary SECOND PERIOD COL Brandon Saad (Graves) :42 COL Joonas Donskoi (Compher, Johnson) 15:50 THIRD PERIOD EDM Zack Kassian-SH (Nugent-Hopkins, Larsson)
Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Pavel Francouz 18 17 94% 1.00
Edmonton Oilers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Mike Smith 32 30 94% 2.01

[puckinwilk]

Franchise Game 18 Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche

Colorado returned home to face Original Six foe Boston, looking to extend their winning streak to six. The Avs started fast, knowing it would take some work to solve Tuuka Rask. Six and a half minutes in they scored on a Mikko Rantanen deflection after some nice cycling, a play which is becoming a go to for the surging Avalanche. Just under seven minutes later, they doubled their lead on another deflection play, this time courtesy of Nazem Kadri off of a Cale Makar slapshot. Taking their 2 goal lead into the second, they started right where they left off. Just over two minutes into the middle frame, Kadri won a faceoff back to Girard, who moved the puck to a wide open Athanasiou flying up the left wing. Athanasiou was able to send in a cross ice feed to Kadri, who was driving the net and put the puck past Rask for a 3 goal Avalanche lead. The night got worse for Boston in the 3rd, when free agent signing Stone put the puck into his own net (goal was credited to Landeskog) to give the Avs a 4-0 win.

Rantanen Goal:


First Kadri Goal:


Second Kadri Goal:


Stone Own Goal:

Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche
Nov 14, 2020 1 2 3 F BOS (9-9-0) 2 1 1 4 COL (15-3-0) 0 0 0 0 Three Stars Philipp Grubauer (COL) 29 Saves, SO Nazem Kadri (COL) 2 Goals Mikko Rantanen (COL) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison BOS COL Shots on Goal 29 40 Hits 21 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 31-22 22-31 Penalty Minutes 4:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 2 Time on Attack 6:26 7:30
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD COL Mikko Rantanen (Graves, MacKinnon) 6:29 COL Nazem Kadri (Makar, Saad) 13:26 SECOND PERIOD COL Nazem Kadri (Athanasiou, Girard) 2:26 THIRD PERIOD COL Gabe Landeskog (Unassisted) 8:51
Boston Bruins - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Tuuka Rask 40 36 90% 4.01
Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Philipp Grubauer 29 29 100% 0.00

[Therebelyell626]

Cool thread man! I really like your table layouts

[capnlarge]

Here's a heads up Aatu Raty in EA's most recent roster is a high elite two-way forward. This means that you are not going to want him on your top lines, since two-way forwards just kill your chemistry. So only draft him if you want to pay $13 million to a penalty kill specialist.

[franch1se]

Started the season 7-1-1, then dropped to 7-9-2 and now back up to 10-10-2. Have suffered a ton of injuries and just starting to get some guys back. I'm using my created expansion team the Kansas City Scouts (brought them back) with our AHL team the Kansas Mavericks. Playing in the Central division.