Gameday Preview: Prince Albert Raiders @ Brandon Wheat Kings

DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Prince Albert Raiders (35-17-6-4) @ Brandon Wheat Kings (35-21-4-2) 7:30 PM

The final game of the season series between the two hockey clubs has all kinds of playoff implications as the Raiders and Wheat Kings are one, two in the East Division standings.

With their 3-2 overtime win last night, Brandon climbed to just four points back of Prince Albert with each club playing six more games before the final call on the WHL regular season.

Prince Albert has gotten the better of Brandon in their season series with three wins, a regulation-time loss and an overtime loss. Those extra three points the Raiders have taken from the Wheat Kings are important in their final standings as well, should there be a tie, Prince Albert has the season series points to take the division.

Aliaksei Protas (Photo-Brian Liesse)

Outscoring the Wheat Kings 14-9, there are four Raiders with at least four points to just one for Brandon. Leading all players is Aliaksei Protas with one goal and six assists. Brayden Watts has the most goals of any player on the two teams with three, to go with two assists. Both Ilya Usau and Ozzy Wiesblatt have two goals and two assists. Ridly Grieg has the most points for Brandon with two goals and two assists. Five Wheat Kings have two points apiece.

Protas is also the points leader on the Raiders this season. He has 30 goals and 48 assists in 2019-2020, more than doubling his production from last season. Also taking a big leap this season is Wiesblatt. He had 39 points last season as a rookie and has 24 goals and 44 assists this season as a draft-eligible prospect. Another draft-eligible player is Kaiden Guhle, a defenseman, who has 11 goals and 29 assists for a young Raiders blueline corps.

The Wheat Kings have three players clumped together with at least 59 points. Luka Burzan leads the team in red lamplighters with 35 goals, he also has 25 assists. Also with 60 points is Ben McCartney, he’s scored 24 times and assisted on 36 others. Draft-eligible forward Ridly Greig has come on strong in the second half of the season and has 26 goals and 33 assists.

(Photo credit – wheatkings.com)

Braden Schneider has seven goals and 35 assists as a draft-eligible defenseman for the Wheat Kings.

Another goaltender’s duel is expected in the back half of the home-and-home as both Max Paddock and Jiri Patera played outstanding last night. Paddock had 32 saves in the loss, while Patera had 25 in the win. Paddock has climbed to 10th in the WHL in goals-against average at 2.66, Patera is seventh with a 2.51.

The game could be a preview of a second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference. Tune into the night’s action on WHL Live or on CKBI 900 to hear Trevor Redden’s call for the Raiders or Branden Crowe on QCountry 91.5 FM for the Wheat Kings broadcast.

In other WHL action:

Saskatoon Blades (32-24-2-3) @ Regina Pats (21-33-5-2) 7:00 PM

The teams swap locations tonight following the Blades 2-1 overtime victory on home ice last night. The win gave the Blades a 2-0-1-1 record against the Pats this season. The Blades remained two points behind Winnipeg for third in the East Division. Regina is eliminated from playoff contention.

Moose Jaw Warriors (14-42-4-0) @ Winnipeg ICE (35-24-1-0) 7:30 PM

Winnipeg and Moose Jaw complete the back half of a home-and-home, Winnipeg took last night’s game in Moose Jaw 4-1. They lead the season series 3-1-0-0. Winnipeg is third in the East Division, two points ahead of Saskatoon and five points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Spokane Chiefs (39-18-4-1) @ Calgary Hitmen (35-23-4-1) 7:00 PM

The Chiefs head to their final Central Division opponent riding an eight-game win streak. They are solidified in third place in the US Division, 10 points behind Portland and 30 points ahead of Seattle. The Hitmen hold down the first wild-card spot, six points behind Lethbridge for third in the Central Division and six ahead of the Saskatoon Blades.

Victoria Royals (31-23-5-2) @ Portland Winterhawks (43-11-3-4) 6:00 PM

While both teams have locked up a playoff spot, they are in a dog fight for positioning. Portland is one point back of Everett for the US Division title while Victoria is tied with Vancouver for second in the BC Division. It is unlikely for Victoria to catch the division-leading Kamloops Blazers. They are 13 points back with only seven games remaining.

Swift Current Broncos (10-47-1-3) @ Red Deer Rebels (22-33-2-3) 7:00 PM

Both teams are knocked out of playoff contention and have a lot of pride on the line. Red Deer holds a 2-1-0-0 advantage in the season series. The teams meet again on Wednesday. The Broncos have lost 16 straight games. Their last win came on January 25th.

Edmonton Oil Kings (42-11-6-4) @ Medicine Hat Tigers (39-19-2-1) 7:30 PM

An Edmonton win over the Tigers would seal up the Central Division and regular season Eastern Conference crown for the Oil Kings. Medicine Hat has won their last four games in a row, Edmonton took a 4-1 win last night, following their loss to Spokane on Wednesday. Edmonton has edged Medicine Hat in four of their previous five games. This is their final regular-season meet up.

Vancouver Giants (34-24-3-2) @ Prince George Cougars (19-34-4-4) 7:00 PM

This is a much closer series than one would think considering where the teams are in the standings. Vancouver has the lead at 4-2-1-0; Prince George is 3-4-0-0. The teams will have one more game next Sunday to close out their season series. The Cougars are not quite out of the playoff picture, they are seven points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds with seven games to play. This is the Cougars’ final regular-season home game of the 2019-2020 season.

Seattle Thunderbirds (23-31-4-3) @ Everett Silvertips (45-12-3-1) 7:05 PM

Everett has been very good against Seattle this season, sporting a 6-2-0-0 record, with one of those six wins coming in overtime. The two teams finish the season series on Sunday. Everett is fighting with Portland for the US Division crown. They are currently first with a single point lead. Seattle is looking to stave off Prince George for the final Western Conference playoff spot and a chance to face either Everett or Portland in the first round.

Lethbridge Hurricanes @ Kelowna Rockets (28-27-3-3) 7:05 PM

Lethbridge is having a tough go of their BC Division road trip. They have lost two straight and were leapfrogged by the Medicine Hat Tigers for second in the Central Division. Kelowna locked up a post-season birth last night and are playing better hockey since naming a new head coach. They are nine points ahead of Seattle for the first wild card position and seven points behind Vancouver and Victoria.

Kamloops Blazers (39-17-3-1) @ Tri-City Americans (17-38-4-2) 7:05 PM

Having lost seven games in-a-row, the Tri-City Americans will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention if they lose a single point over their final seven games. Kamloops has an opportunity to win the BC Division this evening with a win. They have four wins in-a-row.