Giants 3, Silvertips 0: Vikman’s 50-save shutout has Vancouver in driver’s seat for mammoth upset

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Vancouver, who has a 3-2 lead going into Game 6 Monday at the LEC, is looking to become the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 in the first round since the WHL playoffs went to 16 teams in 2002. Giants finished 47 points behind the Silvertips in league play.

The Vancouver Giants are one win away from achieving something never done before in the history of the Western Hockey League. Saturday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett the Vancouver Giants (3-2) secured a 3-0 road victory over the Everett Silvertips to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round best-of-seven playoff series. Photo by Kristin Ostrowski
The Vancouver Giants are one win away from achieving something never done before in the history of the Western Hockey League. Saturday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett the Vancouver Giants (3-2) secured a 3-0 road victory over the Everett Silvertips to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round best-of-seven playoff series. Photo by Kristin Ostrowski Photo by Kristin Ostrowski /jpg

The eighth-place Vancouver Giants have two cracks at eliminating the first-place Everett Silvertips from the opening round of the WHL Western Conference playoffs.

The Giants beat the Silvertips 3-0 Saturday in Everett to grab a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven quarterfinal set. Game 6 is Monday at the Langley Events Center, while Game 7, if necessary, is slated for Wednesday in Everett.

Jesper Vikman finished with 50 saves for Vancouver Saturday. Adam Hall had a goal and an assist, while Fabian Lysell and Connor Horning had the other Vancouver markers.

The 50-save shutout is a new single-game franchise record for the Giants. There has also been no recorded shutout of 50-or-more saves in the WHL playoffs beyond 2004.

Vancouver (24-39-5-0) finished 47 points behind Everett (45-13-5-5) in the regular season. According to the WHL office, since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 2002 no No. 8 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed in the first round of the postseason. The last time a division champion lost in the first round was 2018, when the Kelowna Rockets were swept by the Tri-City Americans. The playoffs had a wildcard format then, and the Americans were the first of two wildcards that year. That said, Tri-City (38-25-8-1) finished league play a mere eight points behind Kelowna (43-22-5-2).

“You’re going to do your best as a group to not take the pressure on but there’s obviously more pressure now,” Giants associate coach Keith McCambridge said on Sportsnet 650 about getting ready for Game 6 on Monday.

“We have a chance at home to close this out. We’re up against a 100-point team in Everett. You don’t get 100 points without knowing how to win key games. It’s about as a group — and it’s as cliche as it is — staying even keel. We had our little celebration in the room. We’re happy, we’re cheering. But the job isn’t done yet.

“It’s a chance to do something that hasn’t been done before and beat this No. 1 team.”

McCambridge admitted that part of the thought process had to be “don’t let these guys push it and make it a 50/50 with a Game 7. We have an opportunity to play our one home game and close it out and that’s what we want to do.”

Vikman, who’s a Vegas Golden Knights prospect, suffered a hamstring or groin injury on March 4 and only returned to action for these playoffs. Vancouver even sat him out for Game 2.

Vancouver backed into the playoffs, losing 11 of their final 12 regular season games (1-10-1-0). Vancouver is trying to win four times in seven games against Everett. They only had four wins in their final 21 regular season games (4-14-3-0).

They wound up in a three-way tie for sixth place with the Spokane Chiefs (24-39-4-1) and Prince George Cougars (24-39-4-1) and tiebreakers dropped them to eighth. The Giants, Chiefs and Cougars were all one point ahead of the Victoria Royals (23-39-5-1), who didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

NEXT GAME

Monday: Game 6

GIants lead best-of-seven series 3-2

Vancouver Giants vs. Everett Silvertips

7 pm, Langley Events Centre. Radio: Sportsnet 650.

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