The eighth-and-final invitation to the 2016-17 WHL Western Conference post-season shindig went to the Portland Winterhawks late Wednesday night with their victory over the Prince George Cougars.
Only the dance pairings are to be decided.
There are other mathematical possibilities, but with five games remaining, it is looking increasingly likely the seventh-seed Victoria Royals (37-25-5) are destined to meet the conference second seed. That will go to either the sa国际传媒 Division or U.S. Division champion (the one between those two with the lower record).
鈥淲e were locked into this a while ago, subject to a little bit of luck,鈥� said Royals GM Cam Hope.
That luck never came, especially in the two back-to-back losses this week in Kelowna and Kamloops, which pretty much sealed the Royals鈥� fate as the presumptive seventh seed.
The Cougars are trying to fend off the charging Kelowna Rockets for the sa国际传媒 Division title while the Kamloops Blazers have a faint outside shot. The division looked to be Prince George鈥檚 to lose but now everybody is eyeing Kelowna, which is only two points behind the Cougars with a game in hand.
鈥淸Kelowna] looks like a contender,鈥� said Hope.
The Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds will go down to the wire for the U.S. Division crown. The Silvertips hold the better cards with a one-point lead and two games in hand.
The only playoff-bound teams right now the Royals can鈥檛 meet in the first round are the Winterhawks and Tri-City Americans.
鈥淲e鈥檙e down to only five choices,鈥� added Hope.
That makes pre-playoff scouting a moving target.
鈥淚t鈥檚 ongoing, but it鈥檚 a bit tricky right now,鈥� said Hope.
鈥淵et, every time you play one of these teams, you get to know a little bit more about them.鈥�
That will be especially so in this final stretch of the regular season. Victoria can affect the trajectories of these seeding races with games tonight in Kamloops, Saturday in Kelowna and home-and-away season-cappers against Everett. The only non-playoff team the Royals remain to face are the Vancouver Giants, who were done long ago and will miss the dance for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years.
Tonight鈥檚 Royals-Blazers game in Kamloops will see both teams lighter on the bench and in the wallet. Jared Dmytriw of Victoria and Deven Sideroff of Kamloops are each sitting out one-game suspensions for their fight just six seconds into Wednesday night鈥檚 game in Kamloops, won 5-2 by the Blazers. Both clubs were levied $500 fines by the WHL for the incident, which was precipitated by Dmytriw鈥檚 hit-to-the-head penalty in a game between the teams Feb. 11 in Victoria which netted the Royals forward a three-game suspension at that time.
Defenceman Ondrej Vala of the Blazers also received a suspension for tonight鈥檚 game because of a kneeing major in Wednesday鈥檚 game.
Meanwhile, of the injured Royals, forward Ryan Peckford is listed out for another two-to-three weeks and Los Angeles Kings prospect defenceman Chaz Reddekopp three-to-four weeks.
The return, however, of forward and Anaheim Ducks draft pick Tyler Soy appears imminent from his upper-body injury incurred after contact in that game against Kamloops on Feb. 11 for which Vala received a two-game suspension.
鈥淭yler is getting close. There is a chance he will play on this trip [either tonight, Saturday in Kelowna or Tuesday in Langley against the Giants],鈥� said Hope.
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