Victoria Royals forward Tyler Soy was so focused on the overall big picture, in the WHL first-round playoff series against the Western Conference top-seed Everett Silvertips, that he hadn鈥檛 kept track of the personal details.
Soy鈥檚 two goals, in the 4-3 victory Saturday in Everett that tied the best-of-seven series 1-1 heading into tonight鈥檚 Game 3 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, gave him 14 career playoff goals to surpass the franchise record of 13 held by fellow-current Royals player Jack Walker and former Royals forward Brandon Magee.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know until my dad told me the next day,鈥� said the Anaheim Ducks prospect from Cloverdale.
Walker assisted on both of Soy鈥檚 goals Saturday. Walker had been tied with Magee for a franchise record 29 points for the most in a career and now holds the record outright with 31. Soy鈥檚 two points pulled him into a second-place career tie at 29 points with Magee.
Soy has played 40 career playoff games for Victoria and Walker two less.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 even talk about it,鈥� said Soy, of the back-and-forth career franchise playoff goals and points races being staged by himself and Walker.
Just how much more the swift-skating Walker, who has four points in this series, can add to his career playoff totals tonight has suddenly become a talking point. The 20-year-old veteran from Edina, Minnesota, was shaken up in Saturday鈥檚 game and did not skate in practice Monday. Neither did the highly useful defenceman Scott Walford, also rattled physically Saturday in Everett, and another no-show in practice Monday.
The Royals鈥� run of late-season injuries 鈥� which included Soy, Ryan Peckford, Regan Nagy, Ralph Jarratt and Chaz Reddekopp 鈥� was made whole for the playoffs with all those players returning. But now a new batch of potentially troubling aches and pains has emerged.
Royals GM Cam Hope said he expects Walford to miss at least the two games in Victoria tonight and Wednesday and that Walker is likely day-to-day.
鈥淭he younger guys are going to have to step up,鈥� said Reddekopp.
As has been the case for much of February and March.
Reddekopp, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick, had himself been out since breaking his foot Feb. 15 in Medicine Hat. That he was able to return for the first two games of the playoffs in Everett speaks volumes of his resolve and recuperative abilities.
鈥淚t [foot] has healed and is feeling good,鈥� said the native of West Kelowna.
His return has been a big bonus on the blue line for the Western Conference eighth-seed Royals in this series. Reddekopp said the underdog Royals鈥� approach won鈥檛 change against the more methodical Silvertips. Victoria鈥檚 patented tempo and pace is disrupting Everett鈥檚 disciplined and structured approach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always tough to handle our speed,鈥� said Reddekopp.
So much so that the Royals have managed six goals in the two playoff games against the Silvertips, who are by far the best defensive team in the WHL, and on goaltender Carter Hart, who led the league with a downright nasty 1.99 goals-against average.
The Silvertips also led the WHL in penalty killing, but the Royals have managed to go four-for-seven on the power play in the series. Special teams have been a focal point, with Everett鈥檚 power-play going four-for-eight, meaning both teams鈥� ability to stay out of the box will be paramount.
鈥淲e have been keeping it simple on the power play and getting traffic in front of Hart and banging away,鈥� said Royals forward Peckford, who returned for the playoffs after missing the final 18 regular-season games.
Victoria outshot the Silvertips in both games of the series played in Everett. The Silvertips allow their vaunted blue-line corps, and Hart, to absorb pressure and then wait for the opposition to make a mistake and then capitalize. So Victoria goaltender Griffen Outhouse hasn鈥檛 faced shots in volume and needed to make only 18 saves for the victory Saturday. What is more important against Everett than the number of stops is making timely saves.
鈥淓verett is a very patient and disciplined team,鈥� warned Royals coach Dave Lowry.
Case in point was the 4-2 Silvertips victory in the first game of the series, in which Victoria had the run of play five-on-five, but the Silvertips made better use of their chances in building an against-the-flow 4-0 lead. That鈥檚 how the 鈥橳ips accumulated 100 points this season in the tables.
