We will be previewing each of the eight first-round playoff match-ups in an on-going series. First up we have the two-three series in the Central Division bracket.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams since the Christmas break. They finished the regular season with a 44-21-4-3 record, just eight points back of the division leading Medicine Hat Tigers. Tyler Wong won the goal-scoring race as he potted his 51st goal in the Hurricanes’ final game of the season. The Red Deer Rebels wound up 22 points back of the Hurricanes, sporting a 30-29-9-4 record. Michael Spacek led the way for the Rebels with 30 goals and 55 assists.
The Hurricanes outplayed the Rebels throughout their six-game season series. Stuart Skinner seems to have their number as does Tyler Wong (6G, 7A) and Giorgio Estephan (7G,6A). Defenseman Brennan Menell also chipped in with (1G, 9A). Michael Spacek only played in five of the games but led the way for the Rebels with (0G, 6A) Adam Musil had (3G,1A) and Colton Bobyk (0G, 3A) was the season series points leader for Rebels defensemen.
Rebels goaltender Lasse Petersen played the lions share of the minutes in the season series. He posted a 1-2-1-0 record to go along with a 3.63 goals against average and .882 save percentage. Stuart Skinner played in all 6 games for Lethbridge, posting a 5-0-1-0 record to go along with a 2.15 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.
| RD | LET | |
| 1-4-1-0 | Record | 5-0-1-0 |
| 13 | Goals For | 26 |
| 26 | Goals Against | 13 |
| 197 | Shots For | 192 |
| 192 | Shots Against | 197 |
| 2 for 18 (11.1%) | PP | 9 for 26 (34.6%) |
| 17 of 26 (65.4%) | PK | 16 of 18 (89.9%) |
| 6 | Fights | 6 |
NHL Drafted Players:
Lethbridge: Giorgio Estephan (BUF ’15)
Red Deer: Adam Musil (STL ’15), Brandon Hagel (BUF ’16), Michael Spacek (WPG ’15)
Keys to Win:
Red Deer will need to stay out of the penalty box. Lethbridge has scored on better than one in every three power play chances. Playing a rugged, physical game has worked in the past for Red Deer but it does not seem to have an effect on the Hurricanes’ squad. Finding a way to score goals on Stuart Skinner will be key to the Rebels success in this series, Skinner has saved 184 of 197 shots against (.934 sv%).
Lethbridge needs to continue it’s dominance against the Rebels by not engaging in Red Deer’s antics and physical play. Allow the Rebels to take penalties and use their potent power play. Stuart Skinner only needs to be as good as whomever the Rebels start in net for the series. Their high-octane offence should take care of the rest.
Injuries:
Lethbridge did have Matt Alfaro and Zak Zoborsky out for their final game, and they were listed on the last WHL Weekly report as day-to-day. It is likely that both players will be ready to go for game one. There are no other issues in the Hurricanes camp.
Red Deer has had to deal with several injuries this season. This includes Alexander Alexeyev and Grayson Pawlenchuk, who are out for the season. Reese Johnson is also out indefinitely along with captain Adam Musil, who was injured in the final 2 weeks of the season during an off ice activity. Austin Pratt and Cameron Hausinger played during the final weekend, after suffering minor injuries and should be in the lineup for the final game.
Pick:
-Lethbridge in a sweep (4-0)
