DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Calgary Hitmen (34-21-4-1) @ Prince Albert Raiders (34-17-5-4)
This game could be a preview of an opening-round series as the teams sit in a position currently to do so. Prince Albert leads the East Division by three points with a game in hand while the Hitmen are holding a six-point lead over the Saskatoon Blades for the first wild card spot.
Calgary comes into the contest having lost their last two games. Prince Albert is on the other end of the spectrum with wins in their last two. The season series has Calgary with the advantage, they are 2-0-1-0 against Prince Albert. The Raiders did win, in overtime, at home on November 17th.
For Max Paddock, the expected starter tonight, it has really been a tale of two seasons. Since coming over from the Regina Pats at the trade deadline, he has a stellar 11-3-0-2 record with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. Compare that to his numbers with the Pats (10-13-3-2, 3.31, .905) and you can see that it really has been an excellent deal for the Raiders and Paddock.
Calgary has been riding the good fortunes of having two goalies that are capable of stopping the lions share of pucks fired their way. Rookie netminder Brayden Peters has really stepped up and taken the reigns of the team in recent weeks and he is a good bet to get the start tonight. He is 16-13-2-0 this season with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Both teams have a standout defenseman in their midst, one is a Vancouver Canucks draft pick, the other is eligible for the NHL Draft this June.
With Egor Zamula being knocked out of the lineup, Jett Woo has had to step up for the Calgary Hitmen and assume more roles and ice time. He has done an admirable job in doing so and has seven goals and 37 assists to show for it. The Hitmen rely on him for ice time on the power play and five-on-five and has been rewarded with four goals and 19 assists with the man-advantage.
For Prince Albert, Kaiden Guhle is the minute muncher. He also plays five-on-five and on the power play, recording five goals and 10 assists when on the man-advantage. He also has three game-winning goals for the Raiders this season. Guhle is expected by many to be a first-round draft choice in June.
The Raiders have two top-20 WHL scorers in the lineup as both Aleksei Protas and Ozzy Wiesblatt have more than 65 points on the season. Protas has scored 29 times and assisted on 44 others while Wiesblatt has 24 goals and 43 assists. Of playoff teams in the Eastern Conference, the Raiders have the second least goals.
Calgary does not have a top-20 scorer but they do have Mark Kastelic just outside at 22nd. He has 35 goals and 30 assists to lead the way for the Hitmen. Not far behind him is Riley Stotts. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospects has 25 goals and 39 assists.
Prince Albert has the second-best Eastern Conference home ice record. They are 19-6-3-2 at the Art Hauser Centre this season. Calgary is a respectable 16-10-3-0 on the road.
In other WHL action (all times local):
Moose Jaw Warriors (14-40-4-0) @ Regina Pats (20-33-4-2)
With the teams heading down the stretch, the Moose Jaw Warriors are looking to continue their 2-1-0-0 weekend against an also struggling Regina Pats team that has lost two in a row. Neither team has ha a good run over their last 10 games, Moose Jaw is 2-6-2-0 while Regina is 2-7-1-0. The Pats are 3-2-0-0 in the season series and the two teams will meet in a home-and-home series to close out their regular seasons.
Swift Current Broncos (10-45-1-3) @ Medicine Hat Tigers (37-19-2-1)
Coming off of two weekend wins, the Medicine Hat Tigers appear to be turning the corner from their poor stretch of play. The Broncos are a team that Medicine Hat has handled well all season as they are 4-0-0-1 this season. In the previous five games, the Tigers have outscored the Broncos 26-5. The Broncos are on a season-long 14-game losing skid.
