Quotes

We asked each manager what was on the line in the championship game, and we even asked the previously silent Nick O'Reilly his thoughts:

Zach and I spoke privately this week. There are no other teams in my honest opinion, that actually deserve to be in this game other than Zach and I. I have more respect for Zach than I do anyone else in this league. He's a fierce competitor and a worthy opponent. So as for this title, the Penguins are gonna go out there and have some fun for once. 15 straight wins is bound to come to an end and for it to come in a championship game against the one team I have the most respect for, is the second best scenario I could have asked for this season. We didn't choke. We achieved greatness, but so did the Sharks. So there is absolutely nothing on the line other than a potential tattoo if I win. Do I really want my first tattoo to be about fantasy football?

- Noah O'Reilly, Bud Ice Penguins

This quote is interesting to me. Is it a reverse jinx attempt? Does he not want to win this week based on his comments on the tattoo? A lot of respect was given to the Sharks here, in a stunning reversal of their full season narrative. I don't love this from the Penguins, but if he wins then he's a legend so who really cares.

I never had any doubts that I would get to the championship game. From the moment I started planning this title run over a year ago I knew I would be here. Even after battling some injuries this year I knew that I was going to absolutely cook the trade market once the pick window opened up again and that's exactly what I did. I put myself right back in position to win a championship and that's all I want. I remember sitting on my couch with Josiah a week before the draft and telling him that all I wanted this year was one championship. I want the ring. I want my name on a trophy. The money is just a bonus for me. I rarely even think about the money. I put in the time and effort to be here. Week after week studying this shit and trying to get better at this game. Working the waiver wire at all times of the day. I feel like this season made me a better fantasy player. None of this means anything to me without a championship though. That's what's at stake. All the time I put into this, was it worth it in the end? I want to be able to say "Yes, it was worth it, because now I'm the champ." The Penguins are a worthy opponent and we knew this battle would come. May the best team win.

- Zachary Moore, Zark's Sharks

Quote of the season here. I have seen first hand his preparation this season. The fact is, Zach is in 3 championship games this week. I think the preparation paid off from that alone. Notice there is also respect given to the Penguins.

Tattoos. That's the end result if we go undefeated. It really just comes down to that. We've wiped the floor with this league and to be honest, this group of lads should be embarrassed you let it go this far. This league allowed a new co-owner enter the league to team up with his arch nemesis and in the first year have almost accomplished what most teams could only dream of. Win or lose, DooBeeDooBeeDoo

- Nick O'Reilly, Bud Ice Penguins

Same story from Nick, although he sounds a bit more confident. You have to wonder if they have some media manager pushing them lines at this point. It's nice to hear a little trash being talked, though.

Predictions

There's a couple of key factors to consider in this game. The first is that the Penguins have outscored the Sharks in 3 out of the previous 4 weeks, having a dominant stretch once the record was up for grabs. The second factor is that the Penguins haven't lost to anyone this entire season, so predicting a loss would be predicting something that hasn't happened yet. 

The Sharks have begun using the Curtis Rose patented shadow lineup method (he defeated Curtis last week using the method), so it's hard to say which members of the Sharks will make the final cut this week. We can be certain that some combination of Goff, Diggs, Allen, Jefferson, McBride, and Evans will be out there. The RB spots are where it gets interesting. ETN has taken a dip at the end of this season, and Gibbs has been heating up, but ETN has the matchup advantage this week. I could see any combination of his best RBs playing this week, which makes this a true shadow lineup.

On the other end, you have a group of guys who haven't lost this season since becoming Penguins. They average a whopping 135.8 points on the season, and I would be pretty surprised if this crew finished with anything below 125 points this week. It's no secret that Noah cared about the matchups in the final two weeks of this season the most, and made moves to get favorable matchups in the championship game. Even his defense has a crazy matchup this week.

As much as I would like to pick the Sharks here, I think I have to take the Penguins. It will take a heroic effort from the Sharks (including incredible coaching) to reach the floor that the Penguins have been rolling with lately. I think this game is extremely close, and I don't count either side out, but I must take the Penguins to finish the mission, and complete the perfect season.

Verdict: Penguins win (-1.5)