The Edmonton Oil Kings will look to stay undefeated as they enter a new three-game set starting Friday night against their southern rival, the Red Deer Rebels.
Game one of the set will take place in Edmonton at the Downtown Community Arena at 6:00 PM MDT. The Oil Kings will make the trip to Red Deer for game two on Saturday and then come back to Edmonton for a third game to close out the weekend. The time of puck drop is the same for all three weekend tilts.
Rebels keys to the game
While the Oil Kings have played four regular-season games thus far in 2020-21, the Rebels have already played seven. The Rebels have two wins, three regulation losses, and two overtime losses. The team sits in third place among the Central Division, behind the Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers, with six points.
The Rebels have been building some momentum lately, having won two of their last four contests. Their last game on Sunday, March 14th resulted in handing the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 5-1 thumping. Right now, the team’s power-play sits at 22.2%. Their penalty kill is at 73.5%.
A player to keep an eye on for the Rebels is centerman and assistant captain, Ben King. He currently is Red Deer’s leading scorer with eight points in seven games. Left-winger Josh Tarzwell has also caught a little fire lately having scored four points in his last two games.
Oil Kings keys to the game
The Oil Kings are coming off a successful two-game stint against the Medicine Hat Tigers. The team remains undefeated with a 4-0 record. Their power play conversion currently sits at 37.5% and their penalty kill is at 87%.
One player to watch from the Oil Kings is forward Josh Williams. He has three points in four games so far this season and 11 shots on goal. Not earth-shattering numbers by any means, but he is definitely an offensive talent capable of putting up solid numbers. Last year, he broke out with 52 points in 64 games. There is no question that he is due for a breakout game. It could come this weekend against the Rebels.
Of course, the Rebels will need to find a way to contain the Oil Kings dynamic trio of offensive weapons. In four games, Kaid Oliver, Dylan Guenther, and Jake Neighbours have combined for 26 points.
Battle of Alberta
We can expect a hungry Red Deer Rebels squad to be on a mission to break the goose egg in the loss column of the Oil Kings regular-season record. The Oil Kings are poised and possess a lot of depth and firepower. We can absolutely expect a competitive matchup that won’t come easy for either side.
Neither team wants to take many penalties, as Red Deer has shown recently it can be potent with the man advantage and Edmonton has the second most potent power play of the 12 teams that have hit the ice this season.
In a shortened WHL season such as this one, every single game is like a playoff game. Whoever comes out on top this weekend will be in an advantageous position as the season wears on.
Let the battle begin!
