Two weeks. That’s all that remains of the WHL’s regular season schedule and there is still so much to be decided. It really does remind me of a horse race but with 7 or 8 steeds all galloping hard down the stretch towards a photo finish.
Here are some deep thoughts as the 2018-19 campaign gives way with the playoffs on the horizon.
1. Let’s start at the top with the Prince Albert Raiders. A historic year with what will be over 50 wins is exceptional and they will obviously be the favourite going into every series they play this spring. However, don’t think for a minute that, although they are a bona fide juggernaut of a squad, that they are unbeatable. Red Deer has beaten them, so have Edmonton and both have also taken the Raiders to overtime without winning. Swift Current and Regina have also beaten Prince Albert. Yes, Marc Habscheid’s team is extremely balanced and deserve to be favourites but this is the WHL and anyone can be beaten.
2. The last team to finish the regular season atop the standings that also went on to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup? The Portland Winterhawks way back in 2013.
3. The best race in the west isn’t in the US Division or the BC Division, it’s at the top of the conference. Yes it will only matter if Vancouver and Everett both get to the conference final but right now they are deadlocked with identical records of 44-14-2-2 and 92 points. The teams split their season series with each winning once in the other club’s barn. Also interesting to note that they haven’t played each other since before Christmas. A lot has changed for both teams since then.
4. It’s been a long time coming but the Saskatoon Blades are back in the playoffs and head coach Mitch Love has his group playing like world beaters. The hottest team in the league, Saskatoon has one loss in their last 12 games and Nolan Meier is carrying back-to-back shutouts with him heading into Moose Jaw on Tuesday.
5. The picture in the Central Division has started to get clearer. As Medicine Hat and Red Deer went through recent slumps, a gap has grown between them and the three teams above them in the standings. Right now, the Tigers and Rebels are more concerned with claiming the two wild card spots and fending off the Brandon Wheat Kings as those three teams are separated by just three points.
6. At the top of the Central you have Edmonton, Lethbridge and Calgary who all must be going crazy when they check the out of town scoreboard after they win, only to see the other two keeping pace. The Oil Kings, Hurricanes and Hitmen are a combined 23-6-1 in their last 30 games (last 10 each).
7. For the moment, Edmonton has a 6-point lead over the Hitmen but that could evaporate very quickly as the two rivals meet three times over the course of their final five regular season games – twice in Calgary. A sweep of those three games by Calgary would pull them even and really make things interesting, especially since they include that last two games of the schedule.
8. It’s worth noting that Edmonton’s record against the rest of the Central Division is almost unbelievable considering how close the standings are. The Oil Kings have ruled the division to the tune of a 22-2-1-4 record.
9. If the Oil Kings hang onto home ice advantage in round one, it could pose a bit of an issue with arena availability. The WHL playoffs will start the weekend of March 22nd, Thursday the 21st at the earliest although you would expect the home team will want a Friday or Saturday night gate to begin with. Rogers Place is being used on the Thursday (Oilers), Friday (Michelle Obama) and Saturday afternoon (Oilers) as well as Tuesday and Thursday (Oilers). I’m told the two options would be to have Game 1 and 2 on back-to-back nights, Sunday and Monday, or to have Game 1 played on the Saturday night, possibly pushed back to a later than normal start because of the NHL game earlier in the day.
10. The 2 vs 3 seed series in the opening round all seem set, aside from the Central Division. Barring an unbelievable collapse from the current three seed combined with a sudden molten lava hot streak from a club below them, Saskatoon will take on Moose Jaw, Portland will collide with Spokane and Victoria will start at home against Kelowna.
Also…
- I caught the highlights from the recent “colour on colour” game between Portland and Seattle where both teams wore their dark sweaters. To quote Oliver Twist: “Please sir, I want more”. To me, it’s just so visually appealing and since the invention of colour TV, it’s not really critical to have one team in white. Even if both teams have similar coloured dark jerseys, they probably have an alternate that can be used instead.
- I thought it was great that the Kootenay Ice had Jarret Stoll night this past weekend. I would understand it if some local fans took it has a bit of salt in the wound as the team is about ready to leave for Winnipeg but at least they could relive good times and celebrate arguably their most successful alum. Stoll looked genuinely excited to be back in Cranbrook.
- Lastly, last week Swift Current was here in Edmonton for an 11am game against the Oil Kings. Isaac Poulter started the game for the Broncos but was given the hook just after the 13-minute mark of the first period. He was replaced by Riley Lamb who took a Conner McDonald slap shot off the dome just before the media time out in the middle frame. Lamb was down for a few minutes but after being attended to on the ice, he was allowed to stay in the game. That only lasted until after the media time out and then the Broncos did the right thing and sent Poulter back into the game. Lamb did not play at all the next morning against Calgary although the Broncos allowed nine more goals. I was glad to see that Lamb was OK to play this past Saturday in Medicine Hat but I said it at the time on the broadcast, “Isn’t there some sort of protocol that needs to be followed here? He just took a puck to the head.”
