Some around the Western Hockey League might consider the Victoria Royals-Vancouver Giants matchup the weakest opening-round playoff series in a deep and talented Western Conference.
The Royals and Giants had the fewest combined regular-season points among the combined two-team totals in the other three brackets. Under the former straight-rank Western Conference playoff format, Victoria would have been the sixth seed and Vancouver the seventh seed, and would not have met in the first round. The Royals also would not have had home-ice advantage under the old format.
But in the blended playoff formula, introduced three years ago, the sa国际传媒 Division second and third seeds are automatically bracketed for a first-round meeting, regardless of overall placing within the Western Conference.
So both the Royals and Giants have a seam to exploit this post-season and don鈥檛 want to squander the opportunity. One of them is going on to the second round, and from there, will be an upset away from the conference final.
The most compelling angle of the Royals-Giants series is its cross-strait nature, the first such playoff matchup since the Royals moved to the Island in 2011-12. Of course, it hasn鈥檛 helped that the Giants have missed the playoffs the past three seasons and four of the past five years.
And it will be the first post-season meeting between the franchises since the Giants swept the Chilliwack Bruins in 2008.
鈥淚 think other people make more of the strait-rivalry angle than the players do,鈥� said Royals GM Cameron Hope.
鈥淔or the players, it鈥檚 just the next job at hand.鈥�
Regardless, the derby will reach a national audience. It was announced Monday that Sportsnet will broadcast Game 4 of the Royals-Giants series from the Langley Events Centre. To accommodate that, Game 4 has been shifted from March 28, to March 29.
鈥淚t [exposure] is good for our league and good for our players,鈥� said Hope.
The series opens Friday and Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre before shifting to the LEC for Game 3 next Tuesday. If needed, Game 5 will be March 31 at the Memorial Centre, Game 6 on April 2, at the LEC, and Game 7 on April 3, at the Memorial Centre.
Of concern for Victoria heading into the post-season are injured veteran blue-liners Scott Walford and Ralph Jarratt.
Jarratt was listed as one-to-two-weeks in the final regular-season injury report last week. Walford, a third-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, went out with an upper-body issue in Friday鈥檚 3-2 loss in Everett. Once the playoffs start, the league stops issuing injury reports. Neither Jarratt nor Walford practised Monday, but Hope is predicting a return for both at some point in the first round: 鈥淭hey will be assessed throughout the week and we are hopeful they will be back for the start of the series, or later in the series.鈥�
Missing for Game 1 on Friday will be Royals forward Lane Zablocki, serving the final game of his two-game suspension for a boarding major and game misconduct in Friday鈥檚 regular-season penultimate contest in Everett. It is his second suspension, totaling three games, since coming to Victoria at the trade deadline in January. The gritty Detroit Red Wings prospect is the type of player made for the playoffs.
鈥淸Zablocki] has had a string of bad luck, with injuries and suspensions, but fans will see what Lane can contribute to this team this time of year,鈥� said Hope.
Meanwhile, the Royals held their annual team awards ceremony Sunday with captain and Calgary Flames-signed Matthew Phillips, who scored 48 goals, named the most valuable player.
鈥淢atthew leads by example and is our hardest-working player every game,鈥� said Hope.
Jarratt, with a plus-15, was named the Royals top defenceman, import-forward Igor Martynov best rookie, veteran Dante Hannoun the unsung hero, Mitchell Prowse top scholastic player, St. Louis Blues-signed Tanner Kaspick most dedicated player, L.A. Kings-inked blue-liner Chaz Reddekopp best in the community and goaltender Griffen Outhouse the hardest worker.
