VANCOUVER GIANTS 5
VICTORIA ROYALS 1
Giants lead the series 2-1
Injuries 鈥� who is back from them and who isn鈥檛 鈥� have become the defining issue of the Western Hockey League playoff series between the Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants.
Giants starting goaltender David Tendeck drew back in Tuesday after the Western Conference second-team all-star missed the first two games of the series and a total of five games. Tendeck made 35 saves, including two on breakaways, to be named first-star in backstopping Vancouver to a 5-1 victory in Game 3 before 4,683 fans at the Langley Events Centre.
The Royals, behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven conference quarter-final series, were missing their top two centres, Tyler Soy and Tanner Kaspic, and a top-pairing defenceman in Montreal Canadiens third-round draft pick Scott Walford.
Soy is the only one of the Royals injured 鈥� including forward Dino Kambeitz 鈥� given much of a chance to return in the first round. If it happens, it can鈥檛 come soon enough as the sa国际传媒 Division second-seed Royals are in a hole against the third-seed Giants that could get deeper in Game 4 on Thursday at the LEC. The fifth game is scheduled for Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
鈥淲e had lots of great chances tonight, especially early, and if we had been able to connect we would captured the momentum,鈥� said Royals head coach Dan Price, following Tuesday鈥檚 Game 3.
鈥淏ut we didn鈥檛 cash in. And [the Giants] cashed in on their chances. Each of our players believes we deserved a better fate tonight. The key for us is to stick with it. If they could play Game 4 right now, they would.鈥�
After Kaid Oliver missed a gaping net for Victoria, Owen Hardy gave the Giants the lead at 6:32 of the first period on a shot that deflected in off Griffen Outhouse鈥檚 blocker.
Tyler Benson scored the winner for Vancouver to make it 2-0 on the power play with 40 seconds remaining in the second period. When he was the first overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, Benson couldn鈥檛 have envisioned his first career playoff goal coming so late in his junior career. But long-term injuries, and a Giants run of missing the playoffs the past three seasons, have conspired against the Edmonton Oilers prospect.
Goals by Milos Roman and rookie defenceman Bowen Byram made it 4-0 in the third period before Victoria forward Noah Gregor finally solved Tendeck at 12:08 on the power play. Vancouver鈥檚 James Malm concluded the scoring.
Outhouse made 28 saves for Victoria.
ICE CHIPS: Giants鈥� 20-year-old defenceman Darian Skeoch sat out the second game of a three-game suspension for a high hit that took out Kambeitz in Game 1. . . . Defenceman Joe Hicketts of the Detroit Red Wings became the first Royals alumni player (since the franchise move to the Island in 2011-12) to record points in the NHL when he picked up two assists in a 5-2 victory Tuesday over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Hicketts鈥� second NHL game after an earlier call-up from the AHL in January.
