Desperate teams are dangerous teams.
The Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers are both mathematically alive in the Western Hockey League playoff race, but the pulse grows ever fainter. As it does, both teams are lashing out in their death throes, and are affecting the playoff race even at the top of the table.
The Blazers defeated the Victoria Royals 5-1 Wednesday in Kamloops to deny the Royals the single point they need to clinch a playoff berth. Victoria will try again in a two-game set against the Cougars tonight and Saturday in Prince George.
The Cougars are coming off an upset sweep of sa国际传媒 Division-leading Kelowna with 4-1 and 7-6 home wins this week over the highly regarded Rockets.
The results left Victoria seven points behind Kelowna in the battle for the sa国际传媒 Division crown with both teams having eight games remaining in the regular season.
At the bottom end of the table, Kamloops is six points behind Seattle for the eighth-and-final playoff berth in the Western Conference with the Thunderbirds holding three games in hand. Prince George鈥檚 situation is even more dire with the Cougars 15 points behind Seattle with the T-Birds having a game in hand.
If the Royals and Rockets learned one lesson this week, it鈥檚 that they can鈥檛 make assumptions, even against teams likely to miss the playoffs.
鈥淭his is a deep conference this season. So where they are in the standings is not necessarily a reflection on them [Blazers and Cougars],鈥� said Royals coach Dan Price.
Victoria GM Cameron Hope concurred: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a surprise. There鈥檚 a lot of parity in the league and small things can tip the balance in any game. Prince George and Kamloops are good teams and are going to be good next season.鈥�
Indeed, the Blazers have 10 players who are 16-17 years old while the Royals have 10 players who are 19.
Victoria, clearly built more for this season, has now lost three consecutive games as it looks for that elusive point that will clinch a post-season berth.
Overtaking the Rockets for first place seems a forlorn hope at this point. That sets up a first-round playoff matchup against the cross-strait rival Vancouver Giants in the 2-vs.-3 sa国际传媒 Division bracket. It would be the first post-season meeting between the natural rivals since the Royals franchise moved to the Island from Chilliwack in 2011-12.
鈥淎 Victoria-Vancouver series is something we have been anticipating for a long time and it seems likely now,鈥� said Hope.
The main goal for the Royals down the stretch is to secure home-ice advantage for that series.
The rejuvenated Giants will return to the playoffs after missing the post-season dance the past three years and four of the last five. They pose a threat as a silent killer. Where a potential Game 7 is played 鈥� Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre or the Langley Events Centre 鈥� could decide the series.
鈥淭hat [home-ice advantage] is absolutely what we have to aim for in our remaining games,鈥� said Hope.
The Giants trail Victoria by just two points with two games in hand.
鈥淲e had a great start to the season with all those wins, and were No. 1 in the CHL, and it鈥檚 good to have those points now,鈥� said Hope.
The Royals were depleted in Kamloops and missing four major players. Matthew Phillips and Tyler Soy are the team鈥檚 two leading scorers, with 180 points between them, and Ralph Jarratt and Chaz Reddekopp represent the heart of the Victoria defence.
Phillips and Soy are listed day-to-day with ailments Price described as 鈥渘othing major.鈥�
The return of the six-foot-five Reddekopp, who has been out since Jan. 13, also appears imminent. The Los Angeles Kings-signed prospect is listed as day-to-day.
Hope said it is hoped Phillips, Soy and Reddekopp will return either tonight or Saturday in Prince George. He added Jarratt is 鈥渁bout a week away鈥� from returning.
